“As a mother, it is unacceptable that a great education is not a promise within every community, and that families like mine have to either commute to a great school or settle for a sub-par education in their own neighborhood.” Mamie Howard (she/her/hers) has spent several years working in the Denver area and believes that the city’s underserved communities deserve a high-quality education designed with their needs in mind.
Early on in her career, Mamie considered herself more than just her students’ teacher. She created a culturally relevant, inclusive space where students’ families were welcomed, their backgrounds celebrated, and their voices heard. She quickly learned that this was not a universal experience for students in her city. As Mamie embarks on building and leading her own school as part of the University Prep network, she’s committed to both leveraging the organization’s existing best practices and keeping the local community front and center. “Our school will be responsive to the wants and needs of the community and ensure academic excellence is achieved for all students. We will also focus on key issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion, making sure our families are directly involved in that work and striving for a truly diverse staff that intentionally represents the neighborhoods our students hail from.”
Mamie currently serves as the principal resident at University Prep Schools, where she is engaging with families to co-design their new K-5 campus through the Growth Track of the BES Fellowship. Prior to this, she was an assistant principal at Vega Collegiate Academy in Aurora, CO. Mamie previously spent five years working at Hill Campus of Arts and Sciences where she was a math teacher, senior team lead, and dean of instruction. Mamie received her bachelor’s degree in sociology from Pacific Lutheran University and holds a master’s in educational leadership from Western Governors University.
