Harrison Peters, chief executive officer of MCEL United and former state turnaround superintendent of Providence Public Schools Department had his drive for education sparked by one tenth-grade teacher who said he was not college material and another who said, “I love you, I believe in you, and I refuse to allow you to fail.” He learned then that what we tell our children absolutely matters. Harrison was raised by his grandmother, who had only a second-grade education. As a result, he was completely dependent upon caring teachers to help him reach his academic potential. That’s why, for over two decades, Harrison has been fighting for children across the country.

He began his career as a fourth and fifth-grade teacher in Apopka, Florida. Since that formative time in the classroom, he served in many leadership roles. As deputy superintendent-chief of schools for Hillsborough County Schools, he was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the district’s 250 schools which educate 220,000 students. His team of eight area superintendents, 850 administrators, and 15,000 teachers achieved record-breaking graduation rates, industry certifications, college and career readiness, and a significant reduction in student achievement gaps.

While serving as chief of schools on the south side of Chicago, Harrison was credited with significantly increasing ACT scores, third-grade reading, math proficiency, and graduation rates. As a chief school officer in Houston, he and his team were credited with significantly increasing high school graduation rate. Harrison earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of West Florida in Elementary Education; a master’s degree in Education Leadership from Nova South Eastern University and a Specialist’s Degree in School Transformation from the University of South Florida. Harrison is the proud husband of Tarneisha and the proud father of Devin and Kenneth.