Ebony Keys | Founding Executive Director, PEACE Academy Charter School
Ebony Keys is a visionary educator, school founder, and the Founding Executive Director of PEACE Academy Charter School, Georgia’s only K–8 Afrocentric public charter school. With more than 20 years of experience in education, Ebony has dedicated her career to creating learning environments where underserved children are deeply affirmed in their identity, challenged toward excellence, and empowered to recognize their own genius.
Originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Ebony began her educational journey at the University of Delaware, where she studied Early Childhood Development and Education. She later joined the 2006 Metro Atlanta Teach For America Corps and spent five years teaching 8th-grade science at Long Middle School in Atlanta Public Schools. She earned a Master of Arts in Education with a concentration in Curriculum and Instruction and completed additional studies in Middle Grades Mathematics and Science.
Ebony went on to spend more than a decade with Teach For America, ultimately serving as Managing Director of Institute Program, where she designed curriculum, developed educators, and helped prepare new teachers and instructional staff to serve students across the country. Her commitment to developing the next generation of educators continued through her work as an Adjunct Professor at Johns Hopkins University.
Her greatest professional undertaking, however, has been transforming a bold vision into PEACE Academy Charter School.
As PEACE Academy’s founder, Ebony has led the school from an idea rooted in liberation, culture, love, and academic excellence into a thriving K–8 public school community in Decatur, Georgia. Her leadership has extended far beyond developing the academic model. She has led the growth and physical transformation of the PEACE campus, including two major renovation projects, working to turn buildings into spaces intentionally designed for children to learn, belong, dream, and thrive. The completion of the school’s latest renovation represents another chapter in a dream she has worked for years to bring to fruition.
Under Ebony’s leadership, PEACE Academy is building a different kind of educational experience; one where students see themselves reflected in what they learn, understand the power of their history and culture, and are prepared to become leaders who positively impact their communities and the world.
For Ebony, this work is deeply personal. While she carries many professional titles, the roles that keep her most grounded are those of mother, wife, sister, daughter, mentor, and friend. They are constant reminders that building a school is ultimately about building something lasting for children, families, and generations to come.