Tim King will deliver the keynote luncheon at MMEP’s Frontier in Racial Equity Conference on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2010

Tim King is founder, president and CEO of Urban Prep Academies. Urban Prep is a nonprofit organization operating a network of public (tuition-free) boys schools including the United States’ first all male public charter high-school: Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men—Englewood Campus. Urban Prep schools are the only public all-boys schools in the state of Illinois and their mission is to provide a high quality comprehensive education that prepares young men for success in college. Approximately 85 percent of Urban Prep students are economically disadvantaged and all are African American. Urban Prep students consistently outscore their counterparts in traditional public schools on standardized tests. Currently, Urban Prep is ranked 3rd of 98 CPS high schools in achievement according to the Educational Planning and Assessment System (EPAS).

Before launching Urban Prep, Tim was CEO of The Philanthropy Group (TPG), a consulting, information service and outsourcing firm serving donors. Prior to TPG, Tim was president & CEO of Hales Franciscan High School, an independent Catholic school serving African American boys on Chicago’s Southside. Tim was the first lay and youngest president in the school’s history. One hundred percent of the school’s graduates were admitted to college in each of the five years Tim served as president. Tim has been involved in education in some capacity his entire professional career including stints as instructor at the high-school, community-college, and university levels as well as serving as a founding Board member of the Alain Locke Charter Academy—one of Chicago’s highest performing public elementary schools.  

As a fourth generation Chicagoan, Tim has continued his family’s longstanding commitment to civic involvement in the city. He has been a member of several organizations including the 21st Century Urban Schools, Chicago Public Education Fund, Economic Club of Chicago, Leadership Greater Chicago, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago Legal Aid Clinic, and Donors Forum of Chicago among others. Tim is also an instructor at Northwestern University in the subjects of Philanthropy and Urban Education. An avid writer and public speaker, Tim is a contributor to the Chicago Tribune and has lectured to many groups. Tim was chosen by Ebony magazine as one of “30 Leaders of the Future” as well as by Crain’s Chicago Business for its annual “40 Under 40” list. Tim was featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, and Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, as well as other elected officials and community groups, have recognized him for his work with youth.  

Tim earned a bachelor’s degree in International Affairs and a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University. He completed additional studies at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy, and at the University of Kenya in Nairobi, Kenya. He credits his parents for instilling and nurturing his love of learning.  

During his eighteen years of work and service in the fields of education, business, nonprofit organizations and philanthropy, Tim has had many professional successes, and received several awards. These accomplishments are important to him, but he is most grateful for having had the opportunity to become the guardian of a former student orphaned when his mother and grandmother tragically died. That student, who was once homeless, has now graduated from college and is giving back to his community by working at Urban Prep. Having a positive impact on this young man’s life is the achievement of which Tim is the proudest.