Shomari Jones(he/him)

Shomari Jones is the Director of Equity and Strategic Engagement at the Bellevue School District in Washington State, where he leads work around racial equity, family engagement, student belonging, and policy reform. His job is to make sure every student — especially students of color who've historically been left out — has real support to succeed in school and beyond. He oversees major district-wide programs like BOOM and SOAR, student conferences built to create belonging, and he helped build coalitions like the Black Excellence Coalition and BEAT to push for systemic change at the school and policy level. What makes Shomari's story especially powerful is how nonlinear his path was. He grew up in Chicago wanting to be a pilot, went to Tuskegee University for aerospace engineering, married into a military family, and ended up in Seattle with no clear career plan. His first real opportunity came two days after arriving in the city — a chance encounter at a church breakfast led to a job at the University of Washington working with youth. From there, he moved through roles at the YMCA's Black Achievers program, a foundation, and eventually the Urban League of Seattle before landing at the Bellevue School District. He never planned any of it — and that's exactly the point. Shomari is honest about what it's like to be a Black man in a leadership role focused on equity. He talks openly about feeling the weight of racism even in his own workplace, navigating HR conversations after standing up for himself, and the exhausting tension between showing up authentically and being heard in spaces that weren't built for people like him. His story doesn't sugarcoat the challenges — it names them directly and shows how he keeps moving forward anyway. His biggest advice? Your college major matters way less than your experiences and the mentors you build relationships with. He went from aerospace to education equity, and says the most important education he received came from the work itself — from listening to young people, from people who believed in him, and from taking opportunities that didn't seem like an obvious fit. He's a living example that your path doesn't have to be straight to be meaningful. For students of color thinking about careers in education, equity work, nonprofits, or public service, Shomari's story is a reminder that you don't need a perfect plan — you need curiosity, people in your corner, and the willingness to show up for your community. His message to students is simple: find mentors, give back, and help open doors for the people coming behind you.