By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
Last week, the Academy for Creating Excellence Academy (ACE), a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering Black male youth and adults through various educational and community programs, announced the recipients of two inaugural awards at its 3rd Annual Night of Excellence Fundraising Gala. The two inaugural awards included The Black Male Educator of the Year and Black Male Administrator of the Year.
The awards, launched as an initiative through ACE’s Black Educator Institute, a network dedicated to supporting and empowering Black educators across the state and beyond, celebrates the commitment, passion, and transformative impact of Black male educators and administrators within the Greater Seattle King County area and awarded to recipients whose dedication to education and leadership has made a lasting difference for students, families, and educational institutions.
In a highly competitive peer selection based on the nominees’ outstanding contributions, ACE named Chris Carter, Seattle Public Schools Executive Director of Southwest Region, the Black Male Administrator of the Year, and Alex Rankin, South Shore K-8 Extended Resource Teacher, as the Black Male Educator of the Year.
“We’re honored to recognize these leaders in education. Their work is critical in shaping the future and inspiring students to reach their full potential,” says Chelsea Oguike, Black Educator Coordinator for ACE. “We are committed to highlighting their achievements and amplifying their impact, and we look forward to making these awards a longstanding tradition.”
According to Rankin, the award has inspired him to do even more in the future to help his students succeed, and to be a resource and role model for the Black community as a whole.
“The award from ACE is more than just an award to me. It is an inspiration for me to keep pushing students and other like-minded educators,” says Rankin. “I appreciate ACE for giving Black educators a place to be themselves and grow.”
By offering resources such as mentorship, financial support, and academic guidance, ACE Academy aims to create opportunities that foster the growth and development of future leaders. Continuing its tradition of honoring outstanding Black male educators and administrators, ACE will celebrate future awardees at its annual Night of Excellence Gala. Carter and Rankin, this year’s honorees, have also agreed to join the selection committee for the 2025 awardees.
As part of its commitment to supporting Black youth, ACE also awarded $1,000 F.A.M.E. (Family, Academics, Motivation, and Environment) scholarships to seven Black male students from Seattle at its gala. The F.A.M.E. scholarship provides students with supplemental funds to help cover expenses related to their post-secondary education. These resources are intended to help students navigate unforeseen costs that can become obstacles to completing their academic programs.
According to ACE, the F.A.M.E. scholarship will be a recurring annual award, supporting the educational journeys of young Black men as they work toward earning their degrees.
The following is a list of post-secondary institutions where the scholarship recipients are currently enrolled:
• Clark Atlanta University (1 student)
• Eastern Washington University (1 student)
• Embry Riddle University (1 student)
• Howard University (1 student)
• Paul Quinn College (1 student)
• Pierce College (1 student)
• University of Idaho (1 student)
• University of San Diego (1 student)
• University of Washington (4 students)
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