Steve Gering

Steve Gering is the co-founder of Men of Color in Educational Leadership (MCEL) and a seasoned educator with over 40 years of experience in urban and suburban school systems. His career encompasses roles as a teacher, coach, assistant principal, principal, district administrator, deputy superintendent, and consultant. Notably, Gering led the "First Things First" reform initiative in Kansas City, Kansas, which significantly improved student achievement and garnered national recognition.

In 2008, Gering was recruited by then-Chicago Public Schools CEO Arne Duncan to spearhead the district's High School Transformation efforts. He focused on enhancing the leadership capacity of high school principal supervisors, facilitating the implementation of the nationally acclaimed "Freshman on Track" strategy, which contributed to improved graduation rates and ACT scores. Later, as Chief Leadership Development Officer, he launched the Chicago Leadership Collaborative to prepare 100 new principals annually and established the Chicago Executive Leadership Academy to support regional leaders. Gering is widely regarded as an expert in developing leadership capacity to drive student success.