Born in Brooklyn and raised on Long Island, Khari graduated from the City University of New York at John Jay College of Criminal Justice with a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and a master’s in Public Administration and Urban Affairs. Prior to beginning a career in education, he was a police investigator with the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board, investigating allegations of police misconduct and leading his colleagues on a movement to reform the NYPD’s often illegal stop and frisk and racial profiling tactics. After working in law enforcement and police oversight, Khari started his tenure in education in 2003 in New York City schools in Brooklyn and the Bronx. In 2007, he joined Success Academy Charter Schools as the first Dean of Students for the school and network. In 2013, after two years of serving as an assistant principal, Mr. Shabazz became the principal of SA Harlem 5 Elementary School, where he led the school to rank in the top 3% in ELA and top 1% in Math for two consecutive school years. In 2015, he assumed the principalship of an underperforming, Title 1 middle school in Harlem. By the following year, he led the middle school to rank in the top 3.9% of schools in New York State in ELA and the top 1% in Math. Khari is a mission-driven and accomplished professional with expertise in professional development and instructional and people management. He’s especially effective in capacity building, identifying and multiplying talent, program management, and developing and delivering training content. He is widely recognized for his advanced skill sets in leadership, innovation, and driving positive culture change while cultivating key relationships at all organizational levels and with a wide variety of clientele. Khari is active in a number of community organizations and is currently serving on the Board of Directors of Metropolitan Lighthouse Academy Charter School in the Bronx.