Earl Martin Phalen
“Phalen has become one of the country’s leading education reformers.” - David Von Drehle, Time Magazine
With over 5 million children attending failing schools in the United States and over 5,900,000 minority adults trapped in marginal employment which robs families of promising futures, Earl’s work over the last three decades has directly impacted the poverty epidemic.
A founder and CEO of multiple successful nonprofits, Earl Martin Phalen’s mission is to deliver workforce development solutions and educational excellence to low-income communities and transform families across the nation.
BELL
After graduating from Yale University, Earl Martin Phalen began his phenomenal 30+ year career in education and workforce development while studying at Harvard Law School, where he founded the after school and summer academic programs called Building Educated Leaders for Life (BELL). With his dynamic vision, BELL grew from 10 volunteers serving 23 children to a national non-profit with 52 full-time and 750 part-time employees who educated 12,000 scholars annually. Today, Earl’s vision continues through the organization which has been renamed BellXcel. In its combined 25 year history, BELL has impacted 172,000 students across 135 sites in 28 states across the nation.
Summer Advantage USA
Earl went on to launch Summer Advantage USA, which became another successful scientifically proven academic program. Summer Advantage USA’s mission is to harness the power of summer to help all children maximize their tremendous innate potential.
Leveraging the summer months, Summer Advantage has helped over 50,000 scholars nationwide gain 2 months in reading and math skills and has provided meals for low income children. Summer Advantage has been profiled by TIME magazine (cover story), the BET Awards, MSNBC, Wall Street Journal, Essence and the Chronicle of Philanthropy. Most notably, it gained the attention of then Senator Obama who drafted legislation for increase summer learning programs centered around the success of Summer Advantage.
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Phalen Leaderships Academies
The Summer Advantage USA model was so successful, that Earl was invited to expand it into a full year school model in 2012 by the Indiana Charter School Board. Since 2013, Phalen Leadership Academies has operated 22+ schools in 6 states and the District of Columbia, serving over 10,000 children year-round and poised to grow to 100,000 in the next 10 years. PLA’s focus is to turn around currently failing schools into top schools, providing students of any background the opportunity to attend quality schools in their own neighborhoods. PLA is the largest Black owned charter school system in North America. During its short history, Phalen Leadership Academies has transformed 10 schools from an F rating to A and B.
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Great Jobs KC
In 2021, Earl became CEO of Great Jobs KC which is one of the nation’s most impactful programs in supporting young people and adults who live in low-income communities on the pathway to good careers. Great Jobs KC has two core programs which focus on scholarships and workforce development. Last year, Great Jobs KC awarded 775 scholarships to low-income students totaling over $38 million. Two independent studies reviewing 5 years of Great Job KC’s work, reported that scholars are on track for a 75% graduation rate - - 3 times the national average for low-income and first-generation students. Within his first year at KC Scholars, Earl secured a $50M grant from the Kauffman Foundation for workforce development and certification. Over the next decade, Great Jobs KC will help 100,000 adults secure careers that will dramatically impact family income.
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Skilled US
Skilled US founded and led by Earl, also focuses on workforce development and offers adults skilled training in the areas of Information Technology, Advanced Manufacturing, Supply Chain and Logistics, Healthcare and Life Sciences, and Entrepreneurship. The program has delivered tuition free job certification learning to Americans across the nation.
A former Board Member of the $2 billion Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Earl has received many awards and fellowships including:
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The Presidential Service Award from President Clinton
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The Silver Anniversary Award from NCAA
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The Black Entertainment Television (BET) Shine a Light Award
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Fast Company’s Social Capitalist Award (3x recipient), and
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Fellowships with Echoing Green, Ashoka and the Pahara-Aspen Institute.
His work has been noted in: Time, Forbes, MSNBC, Parent Magazine, Education Week, Black Entertainment Television, Education Week and the New York Times.
Phalen is the author of two books: Giving My All (a memoir) and From Vision to Impact: The Secrets to Building a Successful Social Enterprise.
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