Eva Moskowitz founded Success Academy Charter Schools in 2006 to tackle the monumental crisis in public education in the most prominent city in the United States. Over the past 14 years, Success Academy has become the fastest-growing, highest-performing network of public charter schools in the country, with 45 schools enrolling 18,000 students. In 2017, Success Academy won the Broad Prize for outstanding achievement, and six Success Academy schools have been awarded national Blue Ribbons for excellence.

A native New Yorker, longtime Harlem resident, and mother of three, Eva began her leadership in education reform as chair of the City Council’s Education Committee. Through her intense investigation of all aspects of the city’s school system, she held more than 100 oversight hearings about everything from math instruction to union contracts. At every turn, she uncovered a system deeply entrenched and dysfunctional. Success Academy’s distinctive school design, effective teaching practices, and robust curriculum grew out of these experiences, as did Eva’s impassioned advocacy for national education reform.

As a national leader, Eva speaks to diverse groups across the country and has shared her expertise with thousands of educators and visitors from around the world. She has testified before Congress about education and economics, and has worked with political leaders of both parties — from presidents and governors to mayors and state legislators — to advocate for children’s educational futures. In 2013, the Robin Hood Foundation honored Eva with its Hero Award for Success Academy’s “groundbreaking efforts helping to combat poverty in New York City,” and she recently took her place among Crain’s 50 Most Powerful Women in New York as well as City & State’s New York City Power 100.

Eva earned a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and a Ph.D. in American history from Johns Hopkins University. She received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Tufts University in 2019. She was a history professor and taught civics at Prep for Prep, a program for gifted minority students, before running for elected office. Her memoir, The Education of Eva Moskowitz, details Eva’s fight for education reform and the personal journey that brought her — and Success Academy — to where we are today.