Dondrell Swanson serves as Board Chair of the Alpha Community Education Initiative (ACEI), the K–12 education advocacy initiative of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. ACEI works to advance educational resources, policies, and practices that promote equitable learning opportunities and strengthen communities.

Under Dondrell’s leadership, ACEI has developed an increasingly active national policy and advocacy agenda focused on educational equity and the issues affecting underserved students and communities. The initiative has engaged in legislative advocacy and coalition-building across the country, including co-sponsoring California legislation addressing educational funding equity and restorative justice practices and supporting efforts in Colorado to examine longstanding racial disparities and their impact on education, economic opportunity, and communities.

Among these efforts, ACEI co-sponsored California AB 2598, legislation expanding access to restorative justice practices in schools, which was signed into law in 2022. ACEI also co-sponsored AB 2774, an effort to address gaps in California’s education funding system and direct additional resources toward the state’s lowest-performing student groups. In Colorado, ACEI supported the Justice for Black Coloradans initiative and advocacy surrounding legislation that ultimately established the Black Coloradan Racial Equity Study Commission.

More recently, Dondrell has helped expand ACEI’s advocacy to emerging national education policy issues, including the potential implications of Project 2025 and proposals to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. ACEI executed a National tour, “The Power of Education Is at Risk,” helping elevate conversations about educational equity and the potential impact of significant changes in federal education policy on students, schools, and communities.

For the 2026–27 fraternal year, ACEI’s next national priority: strengthening the pipeline of culturally competent and diverse educators. The initiative is engaging Alpha educators in national conversations, introducing high school and college students to opportunities in the teaching profession, and developing pathways for professionals interested in entering education as a second career.

A native of Oakland, California, Dondrell was initiated into Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. through the Mu Eta Chapter in 1993. He currently serves as Senior Advisor to The General President.