Shantel Palacio is an Education Policy Analyst, DE&I Consultant, and the Founder of Brownsvillain LLC, an organization aimed at combating stereotype threat in low-income communities of color, starting with her own Brownsville Brooklyn.  

Palacio has served as an innovative project manager and chief advisor to senior leaders.  She spent nearly 10 years executing both mayoral and chancellor’s initiatives at NYC’s Department of Education before pursuing a doctorate examining how laws and policies impact schools in marginalized communities. Her work includes implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in universities and organizations.

Palacio has published work across several mediums. Her online platform, Brownsvillain was highlighted on National Public Radio in 2018 and she is currently co-producing Million Dollar Block, a film that examines the institutions of public housing, public education, and the criminal justice system through the perspective of residents of Van Dyke Houses in Brownsville. Her co-authored work Falsifying Teacher Absences, about the impact of student absences and teacher absences on student achievement, along with policy recommendations for irremediable conduct, was recently published in West’s Education Law Reporter. 

She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of New Hampshire. She holds a B.A in Communication from Bryant University and an MPPA from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.