Dr. Michael Allen has been the recipient of the prestigious Jefferson Award for Public Service (2017), Valparaiso University’s Outstanding Young Alumni Award (2019), Elementary Principal of the Year (2020), and most recently, he was selected to Crain Chicago Business Magazine's Notable Black Leaders and Executives. He has spent 4 years as an assistant principal in East Chicago, Indiana and Waukegan, Illinois. In addition, he has 10 years of experience serving as principal at various schools in Chicago, Harvey, Country Club Hills, and Evanston, Illinois. Over the course of his career he has emerged as one of the most respected school leaders in the Chicagoland area. He has taught thousands of current practicing school and district leaders how to effectively implement comprehensive practices that prioritize emotional literacy as well as humanity in their schools to strengthen their student-centered learning environments. In addition, he has served as a mentor, coach and skilled researcher to various leaders and organizations specializing in emotional intelligence, equity, human resources, school improvement and climate and culture. Dr. Allen recognized the huge need for reading materials that depict young Black boys in a manner that is authentic and relatable as well as life affirming. To that end, he and his brother co-authored the best-selling children’s book, Brotherly Love. Michael tirelessly advocates to end policies that hold students of color down so it was not surprising that he was the only school leader that contributed to the Inclusive Education Act that Gov. Pritzker (March, 2021) signed into law mandating the teaching of pre-enslavement Black history to all students in Illinois. He has been an instrumental leader in various think tanks associated with Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, the Chicago Urban League’s IMPACT Leadership Development Program through the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago as well as Harvard University’s National Institute of Urban School Leaders. He currently serves as an Executive Leadership Coach for OneGoal.