David Johns is the executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC). In 2013, Johns was appointed as the first executive director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans (Initiative) by President Barack H. Obama and served until the last day of the Obama Administration in January 2017.
Jason Flom is the Founder and CEO of Lava Records, Lava Music Publishing, and Lava Media, LLC. Flom previously served as Chairman and CEO at Atlantic Records, Virgin Records, and Capitol Music Group, and he is personally responsible for launching acts such as Katy Perry, Kid Rock, Lorde, and Greta Van Fleet. He is a leading philanthropist and expert on criminal justice issues and an internationally recognized and celebrated public speaker. Flom is the founding board member of the Innocence Project and serves on the boards of numerous criminal justice reform organizations. He is the host of the hit podcast, Wrongful Conviction, now in its seventh season,Â
which features interviews with men and women who have spent decades in prison for crimes they did not commit, some even sentenced to death. Flom’s love for animals inspired his latest project, the children’s book Lulu Is a Rhinoceros, co-written with his daughter Allison Flom and released in June, 2018. The book explores social themes addressing individuality, tolerance, and most importantly, acceptance, and launched with partnerships including Bonobos, Zappos, and the African Wildlife Foundation.
DeeArah Wright is a mama, artist, educator, and collaborative leader based in Brooklyn, New York. She is currently Director of Education at Brooklyn Children’s Museum. She guides the strategy for exemplary and innovative programming at BCM, and she collaborates with the BCM team and community to power a vision for inclusive, hands-on learning experiences rooted in play, inquiry, and exploration for children and their families.
Â
DeeArah holds a B.A. in Literature of the African Diaspora and Anthropology from University of Maryland College Park, and she has completed graduate coursework in Dance & Community Development at New York University’s Gallatin School for Individualized Study.  She has facilitated education for all ages; her journey in the education field has included teaching, administration, diversity leadership, and curriculum development. DeeArah has also facilitated artists’ development and community engagement initiatives as an entrepreneur as well as a consultant through organizations such as Creative Time, The Laundromat Project, The Field, and Urban Bush Women. She is a former Co-Director and current board member of JACK--an Obie-winning space in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn with a mission to fuel experiments in art and activism. DeeArah's current adventures also include writing, cooperative initiatives, and development of revolutionary educational framework and philosophy.
Aaron Marcus is a fifth-year lead teacher at Success Academy. He is a third year second-grade teacher at Success Academy Harlem 5 and Labsite teacher. Aaron received his BA in Political Science from Morehouse College, and his Masters of Science from Touro College in Childhood General and Special Education. Aaron loves reading and integrating this love into his classroom. Aarons spends his free time traveling, going to plays and museums, and spending time with friends.
The New York Public Library has been an essential provider of free books, information, ideas, and education for all New Yorkers for more than 100 years. Founded in 1895, NYPL is the nation’s largest public library system, featuring a unique combination of 88 neighborhood branches and four scholarly research centers, bringing together an extraordinary richness of resources and opportunities available to all.
Something happens in a room full of educators. Ideas get bigger, barriers shrink, defy-the-odds notions feel downright within reach. We believe in these rooms — in the power of bringing together our country’s fiercest believers in the capacity of kids to help them set it free. At the Robertson Center, makers of magical classrooms find the content, conversation and community they need to accelerate their inspiring work.Â
Â
Success Academy’s 47 free public schools serve over 17,000 K-12 students across New York City. These scholars — 76% of whom come from low-income households and all of whom are admitted by random lottery - are the highest performing in New York State.