Meet Our Team-Board and Staff
The TAFT Foundation is steered by a team of dedicated and experienced professionals who are deeply passionate about advancing educational equity. Our board and team bring together a wealth of experience in the education sector, and is committed to empowering students and transforming education and communities.
Founder & Current Leadership
- Dr. Yajuan Ding (Founder, Board Chair, CEO & Director of Education Research)
- Laura Seminario-Thornton (Independent Director)
- Xiaoye (Grace) Yang (Independent Director)
Dr. Yajuan Ding, Founder|Board Chair| CEO|Director Of Education Research
Visionary Leader Driving Educational Equity and Teacher Diversity
As the founder and driving force behind the TAFT Foundation, Dr. Ding provides strategic leadership as both Board Chair and CEO. With nearly 30 years of multifaceted experience in the education sector – from middle school English teacher and university librarian to adjunct lecturer and gifted education advocate – she possesses a profound, ground-level understanding of education systems and students’ needs.
Professional Highlights & Expertise
- Strategic Foundation Leadership & Governance: Full responsibility for establishing the TAFT Foundation’s mission, vision, strategic planning, financial oversight, and governance compliance since its inception.
- Gifted Education Specialist: Six years of direct teaching experience with gifted and talented students, complemented by advanced credentials from Johns Hopkins University and Drake University, and a lifetime membership in the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children (WCGTC).
- Exceptional Academic Proficiency: Demonstrated subject-matter expertise by achieving a perfect score (200/200) and a #1 national ranking on the Praxis Core Mathematics exam, and a #1 national ranking on the Praxis Middle School Mathematics (185/200) assessment.
Selected Experience & Leadership
TAFT Foundation Corp. | Founder, Board Chair, CEO, Director of Education Research | 2025 – Present
Beijing Odyssey International Education Co. Limited / Odyssey Center for Talented Youth | Founder & CEO | 2012 – 2025
Education & Executive Training
- Harvard Graduate School of Education | Certificate in Advanced Education Leadership (CAEL) | 2025 –
- Harvard University | Certificate in School Management and Leadership (CSML) | 2025
- Johns Hopkins University School of Education | Graduate Certificate in Gifted Education | 2022 – 2024
- University of Louisville | Ph.D. in Humanities (Joint Program with Beijing Foreign Studies University) | 2006 – 2009
- University of Science and Technology Beijing | M.A. in Educational Economy and Management | 1999 – 2002
A Personal Commitment to Our Mission
“The establishment of the TAFT Foundation is the culmination of my life’s work in education. As a teacher, a parent of a gifted child, and a gifted education and education equity advocate, I have witnessed firsthand the transformative power of support and opportunity. My perfect Praxis scores are not just a personal achievement; they are a testament to the high standard of excellence I am committed to bringing to every aspect of our work. It is my personal commitment and investment that led to the design of the TAFT Program and then launched the TAFT Foundation, and my comprehensive expertise will guide our mission to create a more equitable and diverse education future, and promote future teacher diversity in the United States.”
Xiaoye (Grace) Yang | Independent Director
Cross-sector Leader in Technology Innovation & Educational Governance
Ms. Grace Yang serves as President of Beijing Liangye Biotechnology and is the Funding Principal of Beijing Miyun Huixue Training School, with over 20 years of executive leadership in technology R&D and educational innovation. Her strategic vision has been molded by key roles at global companies. She led China market expansion for IDEX’s biometric solutions as Country Manager.
Led APAC commercialization of biometric products at Synaptics.
Built Gemalto’s OEM electronics business ecosystem across Asia.
Ms. Yang, a systems thinker with dual expertise, holds an Electronics Engineering degree from Jilin University and an MBA from Peking University’s Guanghua School of Management. Her early career at China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology has given her a unique perspective on STEM talent development.
As an education innovator and principal of a private school, she transformed Huixue Training School into a leading K-12 STEM institution, incorporating engineering methods into its teaching. At the TAFT Foundation, she manages strategic compliance for ed-tech projects, aligning with the mission: “Advancing educational equity through empowering students in innovation and technology.”
“True education transformation lives at the intersection of technological accessibility and human-centered design,” embodies Ms. Yang’s governance philosophy for TAFT.
Laura Seminario-Thornton | Independent Director
Education Policy Advocate & Champion for Educational Justice
Guided by her lifelong dedication to the common good, Laura brings over 25 years of expertise in promoting equity for marginalized communities. As the founder of a Maryland daycare center, she empowered hundreds of immigrant and low-income families through culturally responsive education, demonstrating how constitutional principles drive poverty alleviation in market economies.
Holding a Master of Education in Gifted Education from Johns Hopkins University (2025), Laura’s research advances legislative protections for special education rights, with a scholarly focus on gifted children overcoming socioeconomic barriers.
As an Independent Director, Laura provides essential and unbiased oversight of TAFT’s multicultural program compliance and legal governance under Georgia Nonprofit Code §14-3-860. Her expertise in political science and gifted education ensures that the TAFT Foundation’s operations align with its mission while promoting educational justice through systemic advocacy.
In a world of competition, choosing the common good is revolutionary.
With thanks to our inaugural CEO
Dr. Tawheedah Abdullah (Inaugural CEO, May 15, 2025-December 9, 2025)
Dr. Tawheedah Abdullah, Inaugural CEO
As our Inaugural CEO, Dr. Tawheedah Abdullah played a pivotal role by supporting the design of the TAFT Program, encouraging Dr. Yajuan Ding to move from concept to action, and helping establish the vision and early direction of the TAFT Foundation. We remain grateful for her early support.
With a career that began as a middle school teacher and later transitioned into an assistant principal role, she has firsthand insights into the challenges and opportunities within the educational landscape. Her tenure as the Director of the Stanford University School Leaders Program saw her developing leadership initiatives for school leaders, further honing her expertise in educational leadership. It was Dr. Abdullah’s commitment to educational equity that served as a key encouragement for the founding of the TAFT project.