Dr. Anthony Lewis, Ph.D.

Dr. Anthony Lewis received a Bachelor of Science and Master of Education degree in Special Education and a degree in Educational Leadership from Alabama State University (Montgomery, Alabama). He also was selected and completed the Instructional Leadership Academy with Samford University (Birmingham, Alabama). Dr. Lewis received his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from the University of Missouri (Columbia, Missouri).

He began his educational career in Montgomery, Alabama as a high school Special Education Teacher then an Assistant Principal and Principal of E. D. Nixon Elementary School. While at E. D. Nixon the following were accomplished: the school's first National Elementary School Honor Society chartered; discipline decreased by more than 50%; daily student attendance increased; and most importantly the school became an Alabama Torchbearer School during the 2007-2008 school year - one of only nine in the state and again during the 2010-2011 school year – one of only eleven in the state. This is a prestigious award given by the State of Alabama recognizing high poverty schools (97% poverty rate at Nixon) where 90% or more of the students exceed national averages on Stanford Achievement Tests (SAT-10) and the Alabama Reading and Mathematics Test (ARMT). The school was also ranked number 18 out of 706 schools in the state of Alabama also making it a 90/90/90 School. In May 2011, Dr. Lewis was nominated to be the only principal in the State of Alabama published in the Inaugural Edition of Who’s Who in Black Alabama.

Because of his successes in Alabama, he was recruited to work in the Kansas City, Missouri School District where he served at Principal, Director of Elementary Schools, and Assistant Superintendent. While there, he assisted the district in receiving enough points to be fully accredited – which had not happened in over thirty years. In 2017, Dr. Lewis was selected, completed and received certification from the American Association of School Administrators (AASA)/The School Superintendents Association’s Urban Superintendents Academy in partnership with Howard University.

In January 2018, the Lawrence Public Schools School Board unanimously approved Dr. Lewis to become the first African-American Superintendent of Lawrence Public Schools in Lawrence, Kansas. Lawrence Public Schools in the 7th largest school district in the state, 2nd largest employer in the city, and serves nearly 12,000 students in 21 schools.

Dr. Lewis is also the Co-Author of the book entitled It Was All a Dream: If You Can Dream It, You Can Make It Happen which was released in the summer of 2016. He is a Co-Founder of TDI, Inc. (Turning Dreams Into Realities) a non-profit organization dedicated to providing scholarships and mentoring to young high school and college students. Dr. Lewis is married to Tiffany and they are the proud parents of six children: Jasmine, Akirah, Anthony II, Sierra, Kailey, and Braxton.