Tim King (born June 15, 1967) is an American teacher, leader of a non-profit organization, and the founder and chief executive officer of Urban Prep Academies, a group of all-male public charter high schools in Chicago. Tim King and Urban Prep Academies have gained attention worldwide because since the school's first graduating class in 2010, every graduate has been accepted into a four-year college or university.
Personal life
King was born in Chicago. He attended St. Ignatius College Prep and earned his bachelor's degree and Juris Doctor from Georgetown University. While studying at Georgetown University Law Center, King worked as a teacher at a nearby Catholic high school. Later, he decided to become a teacher full-time. King is a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. In 2010, he was named one of People Magazine's Heroes of the Year. He earned honorary doctoral degrees from Adler University and Dominican University.
Professional career
After finishing law school, King became President of Hales Franciscan High School in Chicago, an all-male school with mostly African-American students located on the city's South Side. While working at Hales, King appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, where Oprah described him as an "Angel." During King's five-year time as President of Hales, every graduate from the school was accepted into college.
Two years after leaving Hales, King started a group of all-male public high schools called Urban Prep Academies. He created this network to help improve Chicago's very low college graduation rates for Black males. Under King's leadership, Urban Prep Academies received approval from the Chicago Board of Education to open three high schools in different neighborhoods across the city. For his work with Urban Prep Academies, King is known as a national leader in education reform. In addition to managing Urban Prep, King has taught classes on urban education and philanthropy at Northwestern University. He has also written articles for The Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Crain's Chicago Business, The Huffington Post, and The New York Times. He has given talks to groups throughout the United States. On February 5, 2014, King was appointed to the Board of Commissioners of the Chicago Park District. In 2018, he joined the Georgetown University Board of Regents. In 2020, he was elected to the Georgetown University Board of Governors. In 2021, King became a member of the Advisory Board of WorkBox.
Awards and media
King has been acknowledged by several organizations, including Black Entertainment Television, Ebony Magazine, Jet Magazine, Crain's Chicago Business, and The Grio, for his leadership in the African-American and Chicago communities. In 2006, he was named one of Crain’s "Forty under Forty." In February 2009, he was named one of the top 100 African-American "History Makers in the Making" by The Grio. In March 2010, King was named ABC World News Tonight's "Person of the Week" along with the students of Urban Prep Academies. The honor was given to coincide with the school's announcement that 100% of the first graduating class had been accepted to a 4-year college or university. Later that year, he was further honored with the American Association of Blacks in Higher Education’s "Pacesetter’s Award" and the "Phoenix Award for Education" from Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. He was also named a "Man of the Year" by Men’s Journal and was a finalist in GQ Magazine’s "Better Men Better World" search and Chicago Magazine’s "Chicagoan of the Year." In 2014, King was invited to attend the 2014 BET Awards to receive The Shine A Light Award for his work with Urban Prep Academies. In 2012, King appeared on The Moth to tell the true story of welcoming one of his students into his home. On January 19, 2019, King was honored at the 27th Annual Bounce Trumpet Awards held in Atlanta with the Education Excellence Award.