The Skillman Foundation recently announced the 2026 Skillman Visionary Awards recipients, honoring 10 leaders who are helping transform public education across Detroit and Michigan.
The Skillman Visionary Awards recognize individuals who are shaping the education system and how young people experience it. At their core, the awards reflect a simple idea: lasting change happens when people across classrooms, communities, and policy spaces work together to build an education system that better supports the well-being and potential of all students.
Each recipient receives a $50,000 unrestricted, no-strings-attached award, recognizing their impact and investing in the future they are building. Together, they reflect the education ecosystem, from educators and organizers to policy influencers, business leaders, and media voices.
The 2026 cohort includes:
- Alice Thompson, CEO, BFDI Educational Services, Inc.: For decades of leadership combining frontline youth services with policy advocacy to better respond to young people’s needs and aspirations.
- Alycia Meriweather, Deputy Superintendent, Detroit Public Schools Community District: For connecting students, community partnerships, and public policy to remove barriers to learning across Detroit.
- Armen Hratchian, Executive Director, Teach For America Detroit: For strengthening Michigan’s educator pipeline and elevating teachers as leaders in policy and systems change.
- Curtis L. Lewis, Ph.D., Founder & President, Boldly Moving Education Ahead: For advancing culturally responsive education and creating more pathways for Black educators to enter and thrive in the profession.
- Imani Foster, Communications Lead, 482Forward: For elevating youth and community voice through education organizing and storytelling.
- Ines de Jesus, Community Leader & Education Advocate: For decades of leadership advancing bilingual education, education for all, and community voice.
- Mike Jandernoa, Founder & Chairman, 42 North Partners: For leveraging business and philanthropic leadership to help ensure every Michigan school is a launch pad of opportunity.
- Dr. Omar Hakim, Vice President of Education, Detroit Public TV: For expanding access to learning through public media and fostering connections between schools and communities.
- Dr. Seydi Sarr, Founder & Executive Director, ABISA: For supporting community advocacy that supports access to education for immigrant students and families.
- Venessa Keesler, President & CEO, Launch Michigan: For bringing a diverse array of education stakeholders around shared strategies to strengthen Michigan schools.
“Across Detroit and Michigan, there are people doing the hard, often unseen work of strengthening public education. They are building trust, opening doors, and creating new possibilities for young people every day,” said Angelique Power, President & CEO of The Skillman Foundation. “The Skillman Visionary Awards recognize that leadership and invest in it, because when the people closest to students have a voice in shaping what comes next, real change begins to take root.”
Together, the Skillman Visionary Awardees represent a span of generations, roles, and perspectives, demonstrating that strengthening public education requires collaboration across sectors and experiences. They are working across communities and sectors to improve how the education system supports students every day.
“Transformation does not come from one place or one perspective. It grows when people come together with a shared belief in young people and a willingness to do the work differently,” added Power. “What we see in this year’s recipients is a collective force, people building something stronger, more responsive, and more human for the next generation.”
By recognizing and connecting these leaders, the Skillman Visionary Awards help build common ground and momentum for education systems change across Michigan, demonstrating that progress is not only possible but already underway.
For more information and updates, please visit www.skillmanvisionary.org
The Skillman Foundation is a grantmaking organization established in 1960 by Rose Skillman. We have granted out more than $730 million and have served as a vocal advocate to strengthen K-12 education, afterschool programming, child-centered neighborhoods, youth and community leadership, and racial equity and justice.
We are in the process of developing a new strategic framework, co-designed with Detroit youth and their champions.
