Johnathan Williams

Johnathan Williams founded The Accelerated School in 1994 and is currently the Chief Executive Officer of The Accelerated Schools. The Accelerated School was the 1st charter school in South Los Angeles, and among the first in the state. Under his leadership, The Accelerated Schools completed construction of a $50-million dollar comprehensive pre-K—12th grade school complex. In 2001 TAS was recognized by TIME Magazine as “Elementary School of the Year.” Graduates of The Accelerated Schools have been accepted to, or have graduated from numerous universities, including UCLA, USC, Yale, Cornell, Berkeley, and MIT, among others. Johnathan is also a founding board member of California Charter Schools Association (CCSA), the National Alliance of Public Charter Schools (NAPCS) and Education Sector. He was appointed by Governor Schwarzenegger to the California State Board of Education (2004-2011), and currently serves as an appointee of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to the LA City Recreation and Parks Board of Commissioners, and as Vice President of the LA Memorial Coliseum Commission. Mr. Williams is also a lifetime member of the Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO).

Mr. Williams received the Legacy Award at the 20th Annual Charter Schools Conference. The Legacy Awards were created to celebrate those outstanding charter school supporters, funders, operators and elected officials who have been stewards of the movement over the last 20 years. Each Legacy Award winner represents the hope and dedication of two generations of California Charter School students.