Shayne Evans is a social impact entrepreneur, educator, and Founder and President of The Academy Group, an organization working to expand economic mobility and opportunity for young people and adults from some of the nation’s most resilient communities.
Founded on the belief that talent is ubiquitous but opportunity is not, The Academy Group has grown from a Chicago-based initiative into a multi-city ecosystem connecting education, career preparation, entrepreneurship, social capital, and investment. Its work helps members build economic agency, create wealth, and become economic, educational, and social change agents in their families and communities.
Evans’ work spans education, entrepreneurship, workforce development, and economic mobility. He has focused on building organizations, partnerships, and investment strategies that connect talented young people to companies, entrepreneurs, universities, mentors, and career pathways.
He was named the 2017 NAACP Educator of the Year and, in 2026, accepted the Trailblazer in Education Award from Boldly Moving Education Ahead on behalf of The Academy Group.
Before founding The Academy Group, Evans served as CEO of the University of Chicago Charter School and Managing Director of the University of Chicago Urban Education Institute. He also co-founded The Success Project, a college-access and persistence curriculum beginning in sixth grade.
Evans earned a B.A. in Political Science and African American History from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a master’s degree from Concordia University.