Byron V. Garrett
Chairman of the National Family Engagement Alliance

One of the most compelling voices of our time, Byron V. Garrett is Chairman of the National Family Engagement Alliance (NFEA); a nonprofit dedicated to transforming education through meaningful family engagement. Byron serves as the Director of Educational Leadership & Policy for Microsoft and is a consulting author for Scholastic.

In 2017, Scholastic launched the Byron V. Garrett Social Emotional Learning Collection. Inspired by his bestselling book “The ABCs of Life” (Scholastic 2013), the collection was created to foster social and emotional learning, making it a powerful and inspiring resource for today’s classroom.

Currently, he serves on the Advisory Board for The Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, is a trustee for The Guyana Foundation and the CeCe Peniston Youth Foundation and was named to The Root 100 which recognizes emerging and established African-American leaders under 45 who are making extraordinary contributions.

Throughout his career, he has been a visionary agent of change promoting the idea that everyone has an obligation and opportunity to serve the best interests of our nation’s most precious resource – children. Byron is a Huff Post blogger and former columnist for Parenting, where he wrote “Parent University” monthly and served on their Editorial Advisory Board. Byron served as a lead strategist and planner for NBC News’ Education Nation and produced the 1st Annual Building a Grad Nation Summit for the America’s Promise Alliance which featured Vice President Joe Biden.

The former CEO of the National PTA, Byron has a unique combination of experience from both the non-profit and governmental sectors, having served as the first Chief of Staff for the Office of Public Affairs at U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Prior to this, Garrett served as National Program Leader for the National 4-H Headquarters at the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the program’s seven million participants and 90,000 clubs. While at USDA he was appointed by The White House as co- convener of the Helping America’s Youth initiative, an interagency effort to address challenges facing youth and to promote successful solutions.

Earlier in his career, Garrett spent a decade in Phoenix as an education advocate and community leader. He served as Policy Advisor for Faith and Community Initiatives for then Governor Janet Napolitano (former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security); prior to that role, he was the Director of the Governor’s Division for Community and Youth Development, where he administered multiple boards and commissions. A former K-8 charter school principal, Byron has been a guest on the Today Show, MSNBC, Fox and the Dr. Phil Show, and featured in a number of publications, such as the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and JET Magazine. Ebony named Garrett to its “Power 150,” an annual list of “The Most Influential Black Americans.” Garrett is the author of several books and has delivered presentations all across the U.S., Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean.