Michele Mason

Michele Mason has spent the last 20 years working as an education advocate committed to access and success to higher education and access to high quality schools for black and brown children. She is the Founder and CEO of Kamau Strategies. Most recently she served as the Executive Director of the Newark Charter School Fund where she worked to ensure that every student in Newark was enrolled in a great school that prepared them for college and future success. She spent the 1st 10 years of her career supporting 1st generation college bound students to navigate the college application process at KIPP, Uncommon Schools, Friendship Public Charter Schools and Sidwell Friends. The last ten years she has been advocating in non-profits and charter schools at the State and City level at Teach for America and JerseyCAN.

A New Jersey native, Michele has served on the boards of the Newark Education Trust, New Jersey Charter School Association, and on NJPAC'S subcommittee on Arts & Education. She is a proud auntie, Philadelphia Eagles fan, and Arlington, VA resident.

Michele received her bachelor's degree from the College of William and Mary, where she was a four-year letter winner on the varsity soccer team and pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She has a master's degree in education policy and management from Harvard University's Graduate School of Education and an advanced certificate in nonprofit business management from Washington University-St. Louis.