Black Male Educators Alliance (BMEA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to liberating students, teachers, and school leaders in an effort to transform the landscape of education across our country. Founded in 2017 with an original targeted focus on increasing the percentage of black males in the classroom in the State of Michigan, BMEA evolved with a mission to develop effective culturally responsive educators who cultivate learning partnerships and grow independent thinkers into change agents for their communities.

Early in 2022, Founder and CEO, Dr. Curtis Lewis left the K-12 space to leverage his 20+ years of experience with educating children, coaching and developing leaders, and researching and implementing best practices, to provoke change on a broader scale and transform the educational experiences for Black and brown children nationwide. Since then, BMEA has expanded its reach to schools in the Midwest Region as well as those on the East Coast, and recently to include an international Black male school leader in China. 

Although the reach has broadened, Detroit is Home, and where BMEA’s targeted focus lies. The commitment remains to develop Detroit-area Black school leaders and support Black male and female teachers through various educator fellowships and professional development opportunities through school partnerships. Conducting such initiatives and facilitating effective programming has resulted in the organization retaining 100% of the educators engaged in their programming, including those who previously considered leaving the profession prior to joining the BMEA community.

mission

Our mission is to develop effective culturally responsive educators who cultivate learning partnerships and grow independent thinkers into change agents for their communities.

Our work is made possible in part through the generosity and support from the following funders and partnering educational entities:

LEADERSHIP TEAM

CURTIS L. LEWIS, Ph.D.

CURTIS L. LEWIS, Ph.D.

Founder/CEO

Michael Payne, Jr.

Michael Payne, Jr.

Co-Founder/ Director of Teaching & Learning

Staci Williams

Staci Williams

Chief of Staff

Brandon Lane

Brandon Lane

Executive Director of Programming and Partnerships

Joe Bush

Joe Bush

Director of K-12 Mentoring

Chris Waston

Chris Waston

Director of Marketing and Information Technology

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Russell Harris Jr.

Russell Harris Jr.

Chair

Tanya Upthegrove Gregory

Tanya Upthegrove Gregory

Vice Chair

Sarah Feldman

Sarah Feldman

Secretary

Abram Miller, ESQ.

Abram Miller, ESQ.

Treasurer

LEAH VAN BELLE, Ph.D.

LEAH VAN BELLE, Ph.D.

Board Member

N. Akosua Burris

N. Akosua Burris

Board Member

Rachele Dimeglio Adam

Rachele Dimeglio Adam

Board Member

Lisa E. Johanon, Esq.

Lisa E. Johanon, Esq.

Board Member

CHANEL HAMPTON, Ph.D.

CHANEL HAMPTON, Ph.D.

Board Member

Rev. Solomon Kinloch, Jr.

Rev. Solomon Kinloch, Jr.

Board Member

Marcia Spivey, Esq.

Marcia Spivey, Esq.

Board Member

CHEZARE A. WARREN, Ph.D.

CHEZARE A. WARREN, Ph.D.

Board Member

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