Adebunmi Savage

Adebunmi leads with the belief that every child and every educator, regardless of zip code, background, or circumstance, deserves access to a school community that cultivates growth, fosters resilience, and affirms identity. Her life was shaped by powerful teachers who believed in her before she believed in herself, and her career has been devoted to creating those same conditions for others.

As Chief Academic Officer at Pharos Academy Charter School, she designs instructional systems rooted in equity, powered by coherence, and driven by the unwavering conviction that schools can be places of transformation.

With over a decade of experience and a Doctorate in Education from NYU, Adebunmi's approach blends strategy and heart, leading to measurable gains in student achievement and substantive growth in educator practice.

Her leadership sits at the nexus of academic rigor, relational trust, and high expectations. She has led teams through charter renewal, pandemic recovery, and structural redesign with a focus on advancing equitable outcomes for historically marginalized students.

Adebunmi also understands personally the stakes of this work. As a child refugee, her life was changed by two public school teachers who saw her not just as she was, but as who she could become. She does this work not just because it is admirable or fulfilling, but because she knows what it means to feel lucky, and she wants to make that luck structural, not exceptional.