Sharif El-Mekki is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Black Educator Development (CBED). The Center exists to rebuild a National Black Teacher Pipeline. We do this by ensuring there is equity in the recruiting, training, hiring, and retention of quality educators that reflect the cultural backgrounds and share common socio-political interests of the students they serve. CBED’s core work is (re)building a National Black Teacher Pipeline by developing a nationally relevant model to measurably increase teacher diversity and support Black educators through four pillars: Professional Learning, Pipeline, Policies, and Pedagogy. Prior to founding the Center, El-Mekki served as a nationally recognized principal and U.S. Department of Education Principal Ambassador Fellow, and served as a volunteer member of the Biden-Harris Education Policy Committee. El-Mekki’s school, Mastery Charter Shoemaker Campus, was recognized by President Obama and Oprah Winfrey, and was awarded the prestigious EPIC award for three consecutive years as being amongst the top three schools in the country for accelerating students’ achievement levels. Over the years, El-Mekki has served as a part of multiple U.S. delegations to various international conferences on education. He is also the founder of the Black Male Educators for Social Justice Fellowship, an organization dedicated to recruiting, retaining, and developing Black male teachers. El-Mekki blogs on Philly’s 7th Ward, is a member of the 8 Black Hands podcast, and serves on several boards and committees focused on educational and racial justice.