Our Leadership

Darren Woodson, a three-time Super Bowl champion and five-time Pro Bowl selection, is celebrated as one of the Dallas Cowboys’ greatest players. Born in Phoenix, he played high school football before attending Arizona State University. Drafted by the Cowboys in 1992, he had a 12-season career, retiring as the team’s All-Time Leading Tackler. His achievements led to his induction into the Cowboys “Ring of Honor” and the Arizona and Texas Sports Halls of Fame.

After retiring, Woodson transitioned to broadcasting, joining ESPN as an NFL analyst in 2005 and retiring in 2019. He later ventured into commercial real estate, joining ESRP Advisory Dallas in 2017. The firm merged with Cresa in 2022, where Woodson serves as a Managing Principal at their Dallas office, focusing on business development across industries.

Beyond his professional accomplishments, Woodson is dedicated to community service. He’s an active board member at C5 Youth Foundation of Texas, which aims to develop young leaders. He is married to Tiffany and has four beautiful children.

Prior to joining the Dallas Education Collective, Nakia Douglas served as the Founding Executive Director of the Transition Resource Action Center (TRAC) for Dallas and Tarrant Counties where he and his team successfully led the independence campaign for their separation from CitySquare into an independent 501 ©3. Always focused on his community and youth, he was the Founding Executive Director TRIO and Pre-Collegiate Programs at UNT – Dallas. As a Twenty – Six-year career (K – 16) Educator, he has served as an Executive Director, Principal (Elementary, Middle, High & Magnet) and Teacher from North Carolina, Georgetown, Pflugerville and Dallas, Texas. Nakia is also the Founding Principal of “The” Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy in Dallas ISD.

Within his spare time, he serves the community on various boards and committees. Nakia has received several recognitions for his work in education including the KERA – American Graduate Champion, SMU Luminary Award, Trailblazer Awards, Dallas ISD Magnet Principal of the Year and D CEO Dallas 500 (2021 & 2022). 

Nakia graduated from Lincoln High School in Dallas ISD. Received his Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Livingstone College and Master’s in Instructional Technology from Houston Baptist University.  He and his wife, Gloria are both career educators and have two children.