By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
The Academy for Creating Excellence (ACE) has named Daman Hunter of the Kent School District and Ryland Brown of O’Dea High School its 2026 Black Male Administrator and Black Male Educator of the Year, respectively.
The Seattle-based nonprofit, which supports Black male youth and adults, established the statewide awards to recognize educators and administrators whose work contributes to schools and communities across Washington state. The honorees were selected through a competitive peer-selection process.
The recognition comes as ACE seeks to highlight Black male leadership in education and encourage more Black men to pursue careers in the field. Willie Seals III of ACE said representation is central to the organization’s mission and to the significance of the awards.
“At ACE Academy, we believe representation matters, and we are honored to celebrate educators who are making a difference in our schools and communities. It is an honor to recognize Ryland Brown and Daman Hunter as our 2026 ACE Black Male Educators of the Year. Both of these men embody the dedication, leadership, and passion we strive to cultivate at ACE Academy. Black men make up less than 2% of educators nationwide. By recognizing our leaders, we help pave the way for the next generation of Black male educators. Ryland and Daman’s work in education is transformative, and they serve as vital role models for the students and educators we support,” Seals said.
Hunter, an associate superintendent in the Kent School District, was named the 2026 Black Male Administrator of the Year. His career in education spans several decades and includes leadership roles in school communities across the Puget Sound region, including Tukwila, Federal Way and Highline.
His work across multiple school districts has emphasized continuity in leadership, equity-centered initiatives aimed at supporting student achievement and well-being, and collaboration among educators, administrators and families. Colleagues have recognized his approach to leadership for its consistency, integrity and commitment to working with others to support school communities.
While Hunter’s work focuses on leadership at the district level, Brown’s contributions center on the classroom, where he teaches Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 at O’Dea High School in Seattle. Brown, who was named the 2026 Black Male Educator of the Year, also serves as a basketball coach and has worked in Seattle’s public and private schools.
Brown comes from a family of educators. His grandmother taught at Garfield High School, his uncle served as a principal in Seattle schools, and his aunt worked as a school counselor. That family tradition is reflected in his commitment to sharing knowledge, opening doors for young people and helping students recognize their potential.
In his mathematics classes, Brown uses teaching strategies such as “think, ink & share” to encourage students to work through challenging material, put their reasoning into words and discuss their ideas with others. His approach emphasizes academic preparation, discipline and helping students develop confidence in their abilities.
Beyond the classroom, Brown’s work as a basketball coach provides another opportunity to connect with students and reinforce lessons about preparation, responsibility and perseverance. His approach to education also emphasizes understanding students as individuals, including their interests, experiences and family backgrounds.
For Brown, representation is about more than students seeing a Black male educator at the front of the classroom. It is also about creating an environment where young people feel confident in who they are and prepared to navigate spaces where they may not always see people who share their experiences.
“Once you’ve experienced my classroom, like, the goal is to be equipped for every room you step into, and it’s not going to be harder than what we’ve been through. So, being able to find those ways that you learn, which is important, but then speak to those. Just trying to find out, learn about the young people, learn what’s important to them, and what’s important to their family, and then just reminding them that, especially for, for ones that look like me, you’re enough, you know, just being yourself is enough. You don’t have to shrink yourself when you’re stepping into these rooms.”
