Our Team

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, James Shepard found his love for teaching and working with youths while in high school. As a standout basketball player for St. Ignatius HS, in Cleveland, he would work as a counselor for their youth summer basketball camps, providing knowledge and teaching the campers the fundamentals of the game. After graduating from St. Ignatius, James attended the College of Wooster and in 1994 graduated with a BA in Sociology and a minor in Psychology. During his years at Wooster, James continued to play basketball, but an injury ended his collegiate playing days during his sophomore year. Shortly after the injury, the head Women’s basketball coach approached James with an offer to be an assistant coach on her staff. It was this opportunity that sparked the passion for James to think about a career in teaching, as he was assigned to develop the post and wing players for the team.   After graduating, Mr. Shepard began working for the Children’s Aid Society in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, where he provided support as a counselor/caregiver for adjudicated youths who were wards of the State. While there, he began to learn about the human growth and development of adolescents, and how to establish rapport and relationships with his clients, which would later serve him well in later career opportunities.   Two years later, Mr. Shepard moved from Cleveland to the nation’s capital with his fiancé. In a new city and basically starting a new life, Mr. Shepard jumped at the opportunity to begin a new career path in education.  Mr. Shepard started teaching kindergarten at Jewels of Ann Private Day School in Northeast D.C. Here his passion for education grew as he acquired new skills in the classroom and began to understand pedagogy.  After one successful year at Jewels of Ann, while under the mentorship and with blessing of the Headmaster, Dr. Ruth Baxter, Mr. Shepard moved on and eventually transitioned to Prince George’s County Public School System. While there, Mr. Shepard taught 4th and 6th grade math, science, and health education for several years.  On a provisional contract at the time, Mr. Shepard knew that he was ready to commit his life to education.  So, it was time to find a teaching program to get certification. So, Mr. Shepard applied and was accepted into the first cohort of men for Prince George’s County African-American Males into Teaching program and received his teaching certification through a partnership with Howard University. While enrolled at Howard University, Mr. Shepard accepted an offer to return to Washington D.C. and teach at the newly founded, Friendship-Edison Public Charter Schools. Mr. Shepard spent seven years there teaching 3rd, 4th and 5th grades, served as a lead teacher for six years and was a founding member of the school’s Boyz2Men mentoring program. In 2003, Mr. Shepard was accepted into New Leaders for New Schools, a national non-profit organization that recruits, trains, and supports outstanding public-school leaders. Mr. Shepard successfully completed the program and received his administrator’s certification and his Masters of Science in Administration. Mr. Shepard was promoted from teacher to the principal of Friendship-Edison’s Chamberlain Campus (Pre-K3-8) in 2004 where he served for several years. During his tenure, Mr. Shepard lead Chamberlain through the Middle States Association Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS) accreditation process. After careful consideration, Chamberlain was awarded full accreditation by MSA IN 2007, which measures and recognizes schools and educational institutions for their commitment to excellence, and for providing their students with a high quality education.   After ten plus years of serving as a middle and high school principal/instructional leader for several charter and public schools inside and outside of the Washington D.C. area, Mr. Shepard transitioned to 

Daniel was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, and although he has lived in a few cities across the country, Daniel has called the Greater Phoenix area home since 2015 and enjoys the southwest lifestyle. An educator for over 25 years, Daniel has a passion for young people and those who serve them.

The passion for serving young people was first developed while in college when he was a political science major at Morehouse College. Daniel forged his path for teaching and mentoring young people when he was asked to be counselor/teaching assistant for the pre-freshman program at Morehouse College, and subsequently asked to step in to teach an English Class for a professor on maternity leave. The spark started from the first lesson, and Daniel has remained connected to education, foregoing aspirations of a career in law. From working with prestigious boarding schools to large public schools, and charter school organizations in several major cities, Daniel believes that every child can achieve when they develop their vision for the future, and focus on the steps to fulfill them. A mantra that he teaches is, “…once you get past the what you know, it’s the who you know that makes the difference. But, when your name has been called…you better know what know!”

Education/Credentials

• Bachelors Degree in Political Science from Morehouse College

• Masters Degree in Education Administration from National Louis University

• Sarah D. Barder Fellowship in Education/Teaching from Johns Hopkins University

• Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Curriculum from Howard University

• Certified Education Administrator: authorized by the State of Illinois

• Certified Education Administrator: authorized by the State of Arizona

A highly skilled educator and administrator with an unshakeable commitment to diversity and inclusion, Daniel has demonstrated strong team, administration, student, and family orientation.  Areas of expertise include demonstrated accomplishments in leadership, curriculum planning, teaching, training, teacher coaching, and counseling, while implementing and communicating educational programming to staff, students, and parents.  Experienced in collaborative strategic planning to achieve bold outcomes, Daniel possesses a strong “out of the box” critical thinking skills used to spearhead innovative initiatives. Furthermore, he has proven abilities to collaborate and mediate with complex stakeholders including: philanthropic organizations, corporate and nonprofit partners, education service providers, and community leaders.

Additional Accomplishments

• Served as a behavior coach/mentor for youth that are in the child welfare system

• Coached teachers struggling with classroom management, lesson planning and delivery

• Accomplished tennis player and avid golfer

• Hosted radio shows focusing on current topics and entertainment

Daniel and his wife of 20 years are both Chicago natives, but are more than happy to call the Greater Phoenix area as home. You will find the couple often taking in the beautiful scenery of Arizona on long drives, or simply having friends over to enjoy great food and conversation. Daniel is engaging and passionate about moving obstacles out of an individual’s path towards success, and is grateful to share his knowledge and wisdom.