Kevin P. Chavous is a founding board member and executive counsel for the American Federation for Children and the American Federation for Children Growth Fund, a noted author, and national education reform leader. As a former member of the Council of the District of Columbia and Chair of the Council’s Education Committee, Chavous was at the forefront of promoting change within the District public school system.

A leading national advocate for educational choice, Chavous helped to shepherd the charter school movement into the nation’s capital. Under his education committee chairmanship, the D.C. charter school movement became the most prolific charter school jurisdiction in the country, with now nearly half of D.C.’s public school children attending charter schools. In addition, Chavous assisted in shaping the District’s three-sector education partnership with the federal government. That partnership led to $60 million in annual federal dollars for D.C.’s public schools, public charter schools, and the first federal scholarship program which has provided access to private schools for nearly 6,000 children from low-income families since inception.

In recent years, Chavous has worked to advance charter school and parental choice programs in a host of jurisdictions around the country, most notably in Louisiana and Tennessee. A prolific writer and much sought after speaker, Chavous’ opinion editorials have appeared in many major newspapers and he has given education reform speeches in nearly every state. Former Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels calls Chavous, “the most effective advocate for children in America”.

Chavous is also an accomplished author, having published Serving Our Children: Charter Schools and the Reform of American Public Education, and his most recent book, Voices of Determination: Children that Defy the Odds. Chavous is involved with many education reform groups and is the Board Chair for Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) and former Board Chair for the Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO).

Chavous was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana and graduated from Wabash College, where he was an NCAA District All-American in basketball. He also graduated from the Howard University School of Law, where he was president of his graduating class.