Keith R. Brown

Founding Director, April 2026

Keith is dedicated to designing scalable, ethical, and globally relevant learning systems shaped by the realities of Detroit and the needs of working‑class communities worldwide. His experience spans Detroit Public Schools, nonprofit leadership, arts and activism, and a STEM/engineering foundation. He has contributed to organizations including Black Tech Saturdays, Take Detroit Media, the Metropolitan Museum of Design Detroit, AmeriCorps, the Community Economic Development Association of Michigan, and the Detroit Area Pre‑College Engineering Program.

Keith’s commitment to educational justice is rooted in his lived experience. A former ward of the state who faced childhood homelessness, hunger, a criminal record, and expulsion from Washington, DC Public Schools by age 11, he understands the stakes of inequitable systems firsthand. Education and Activism became the transformative forces in his life. He went on to earn a Presidential Service Award from the Obama administration, a college dual‑enrollment certification, and multiple academic and athletic scholarships upon graduation. As an inaugural football player at Lawrence Technological University, he also served on the Student‑Athlete Leadership Council and as an Alumni Relations Specialist raising funds for scholarships and the betterment of campus.

He later served in roles such as Community Fundraiser for Howard University’s MSA and participated in the Detroit Equity Action Lab (Cohort 8). Across every chapter, Keith has remained focused on expanding access, empowerment, and opportunity for those who have historically been overlooked.

Today, his leadership is guided by a long‑term vision: to transform Detroit‑rooted ingenuity into a global force for equity... ultimately liberating and empowering the working‑class across the world.