Board of Directors
Exalt has assembled a passionate and skilled Board of Directors comprised of distinguished civic leaders, business executives, philanthropists and educational professionals. The Board sets policy, governs the non-profit corporation’s activities, and holds its leadership accountable for all aspects of fiscal health, organizational operation, and academic performance.
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Remington Hicks, Chair
Remington Hicks has a strong connection with the Southwest Little Rock community. He grew up there with his family, and it still feels like home. However, his journey was quite challenging. He had to drop out of high school and even experienced homelessness at one point. He worked with his stepfather to make ends meet on various construction projects.
Despite all these difficulties, he realized the value of education. He returned to school and eventually graduated from McClellan High School in 2005. He was motivated to provide for his family and served honorably in the Marine Corps. After returning home from service, he completed a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and is a member of the Pi Mu Epsilon.
Today, Remington is married with four children and is a software engineer with nearly 15 years of experience. He is loves to teach others about functional programming. He now manages a team of software engineers responsible for providing a platform that Auto Store uses to produce products such as Qubit in robotic fulfillment.
Remington's love for the community inspired him to become the Chairman of the Exalt Education Board in 2021, whose primary school is located in Southwest Little Rock. He believes in giving back to the community that has given him so much and wants to impact the lives of those around him positively.
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Alexandra Boyd, Board Member
Alexandra Boyd, PhD, is a formally trained educator and researcher who is passionate about increasing high-quality educational opportunities and pathways to improve social mobility. Dr. Boyd grew up in a working-class family with high expectations for education and schooling and, with the support of her parents and the dedication of high-quality educators, excelled in her own education. She earned a bachelor's degree in political science and international studies from Rhodes College (Memphis, Tennessee), a master’s degree in teaching from Christian Brothers University (Memphis, Tennessee), and a doctoral degree in education policy from the University of Arkansas (Fayetteville).
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Dr. Boyd started her career as a middle school teacher in the Shelby County School System at The Soulsville Charter School. When she sought to make a larger impact on education policy, she later joined the Arkansas Department of Education and quickly rose to leadership positions in both the charter and school performance units. Dr. Boyd also served as the first CEO of The ASK Academy, a STEM-focused, project-based-learning charter school in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. Dr. Boyd currently serves as a liaison between Saint Louis University’s School of Education and the public charter schools sponsored by SLU, with a guiding goal of assisting school boards and leaders so that they can support their staff and scholars through fulfilling the missions of their schools. Participating in rich service opportunities through her sorority brings Dr. Boyd great joy.
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Dr. MarTeze D. Hammonds, Treasurer/Secretary,
Dr. Hammonds joined the Exalt Board in November 2022 and continues to be excited about working with the board to help impact the lives of our future. Exalt is a special place in which Dr. Hammonds enjoys putting his experience from serving on other boards, his consulting work, and his years of teaching K-12 teachers and administrators to work.
Dr. Hammonds has spent nearly 12 years in higher education both in student affairs and diversity affairs. Dr. Hammonds has worked in the corporate sector in the areas of learning and development, human resources, and diversity. Dr. Hammonds is a sought-after keynote speaker, master facilitator and consultant. His work has led him to the halls of congress, government agencies, school districts, colleges/universities, and companies across the nation.
This is Dr. Hammonds’ first stint as a board member for a Charter school, however, he’s no stranger to the education space. He currently, serves as the inaugural Chief Diversity Officer at Purdue University Fort Wayne.
Education:
Ed.D.—Higher Education Administration, University of Arkansas—Fayetteville, AR
MS—Human Development and Leadership (College Student Personnel), Murray State University
MS—Organizational Communication, Murray State University
BS—Theatre (Dance/Organizational Communication, Murray State University
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Jeffry Laux, Board Member
Jeffrey Laux brings five decades of real estate experience, spanning a broad range of disciplines. Since the mid 1970’s Jeff has been active in real estate brokerage, development, leasing, ownership and finance. His work has included multiple sectors of the real estate market including office, retail, residential, multifamily, charter school facilities, commercial and hotel.
Projects have involved new builds, renovations, high-rise and historic restorations. His portfolio of projects is well in excess of one million square feet. Jeff’s work has been recognized by the Minneapolis Historic Preservation Commission and two of his projects were listed by the Department of The Interior on the National Register of Historic Places. He was awarded the Business Journal’s “Best Overall Real Estate Development Award” in 2006 for his Historic Ivy Tower Project.
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Jeffrey Laux is a graduate of DeLaSalle on Nicollet Island and was elected to the DeLaSalle Board of Trustees in 2017. He completed undergraduate real estate coursework at the University of Minnesota, and is a graduate of the Building Owners and Managers Institute. For the last 45 years, Jeff has served on the Boards of several non-profits, addressing homelessness, affordable housing and education.