how we met

Curtis Valentine, Victorious Hall, and Albert Lewis met in 2014 to create the Male Educator Network of Prince George's County (MD) Public Schools (MENofPGCPS). The MENofPGCPS was founded in response to a growing need for quality male educators.

The mission of the MENofPGCPS is to recruit and retain quality male educators, especially men of color. #RealMenTeach is our campaign to reimagine the teaching profession for the next generation of educators.

Since the founding of MENofPGCPS and #RealMenTeach, PGCPS - the 17th largest school district in America - has the highest percentage of male educators, and highest percentage of male educators of color, in the entire DC Metro area. Curtis, Victorious, and Albert support school districts around the country to better recruit & retain male educators of color.

The creators

Victorious Hall

Curtis Valentine

Victorious Hall is an educational consultant and trainer. A former middle school administrator in Prince George's County, MD., Victorious has over 15 years experience as an educator, academic dean, and school leader. Victorious is also the founder of Spizzy Smoothie & Tea in Camp Springs, MD.

Curtis Valentine

Curtis Valentine is Co-Director of the Progressive Policy Institute’s Reinventing America’s Schools Project. Curtis is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Maryland, College Park and former At-Large member of the Prince George’s County (MD) Board of Education. Curtis began his career in education as an 8th grade language arts teacher

Albert Lewis

Curtis Valentine

Albert Lewis

Albert Lewis is currently Principal at Largo High School in Largo, MD. In 2013, Albert was named Teacher of the Year for Prince George's County (MD) Public Schools. As an educator, Albert has served as Advisor to award winning debate teams at Walker Mill Middle School and Charles Herbert Flowers High School.

Board of Advisors

AJ Crabill

Dallas Dance

Kevin Curry

National school board governance leader at the Council of the Great City Schools. Prior to this position, he was Texas Education Agency's Deputy Commissioner for Governance.

Kevin Curry

Dallas Dance

Kevin Curry

Founder of Fit Men Cook, an online community that inspires men and women to eat healthy and stay fit with food that is never boring.

Dallas Dance

Sharif El-Mekki

Internationally renowned leader, speaker, author, and coach. Former Superintendent of Baltimore County Public Schools.

Sharif El-Mekki

Marcellus Kirkland

Sharif El-Mekki

Founder and CEO of Center for Black Educator Development. Former Principal and Teacher. Founder of The Fellowship: Black Male Educators for Social Justice. Founding Member, Mayor’s Commission on African American Males.

Chris Emdin

Marcellus Kirkland

Associate Professor of Science Education at the Teachers College, Columbia University where he also serves as Director of Science Education at the Center for Health Equity and Urban Science Education.

Marcellus Kirkland

High School History Teacher in NY. Former Founder of Building my Brothers: Mentorship Initiative, which is purposed with challenging the upperclassmen of Morehouse College to guid their freshman brothers in their own journeys to becoming Morehouse Men.

Jeff Livingston

Earl Martin Phalen

Founder of EdSolutions. Most recently, Jeff was Senior Vice President of Education Policy and Strategic Alliances.

Earl Martin Phalen

CEO and Founder of Phalen Leadership Academies (PLA). PLA works with over 20 schools and nearly 10,000 children throughout the country to provide access to quality education and help children fulfill their innate potential.

Daryl Phills

Earl Martin Phalen

Daryl Phills

Vice President, Finance of Onex Credit. He oversees and coordinates all financial operations across the Firm.

Don Taylor

Darrell Williams

Daryl Phills

Director of Talent Recruitment at Uncommon Schools, a network of 55 public charter schools across New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts.

Tony Weaver

Darrell Williams

CEO of Weird Enough Productions, where he developed The UnCommons, an award winning webcomic with over 800,000 readers.

Darrell Williams

Executive Director of Miss Black Maryland Pageant. Daris is a former Alumni Relations and External Affairs Assistant at Columbia University Founder of the AUC Agency where he casted and recruited over 200 members annually, over 600 since 2016.