Sharif El-Mekki is the Director of the Center for Black Educator Development (CBED) which he founded in 2019. Prior to that, Sharif was an educator in Philadelphia for nearly 30 years.

Sharif served as the principal of Mastery Shoemaker beginning in 2008 and under his leadership the school received a number of notable awards including the 2016 bronze medal on the U.S. News & World Report high school rankings, 2015 Schools That Can School award, and two Effective Practice Incentive Community (EPIC) awards (Silver, 2011; Gold, 2009). In addition, Mastery Shoemaker ranked as the 7th-best high school for Black student achievement in PennCAN’s Top 10 Schools Report Card.

Sharif has served as a 2013 U.S. Department of Education Principal Ambassador Fellow and America Achieves Fellow. Sharif blogs at Philly’s 7th Ward and serves on the Philadelphia Mayor’s Commission on African American Males as well as Excellent Schools PA.

And, in addition to all this, and I’m lucky to say it, El-Mekki was my principal and boss at Mastery Shoemaker shortly before he left to begin the Center for Black Educator Development.

Without further introduction, I give you Sharif El-Mekki.

Feel free to visit The Center for Black Educator Development here.