Name: Lloyd Hopkins
Current Profession(s): Executive Director, Million Dollar Teacher Project
Please describe your role(s) in your profession(s): I am the Executive Director and Founder of Million Dollar Teacher Project. A nonprofit organization I launched in 2016 to partner with schools around increasing their capacity to recognize, support and compensate their teachers.
Please describe your pathway to your current profession(s): I have worked in and around the education profession for 20 years. I have worked with youth offenders, after school recreation and in dropout prevention. But, the time that inspired the work I am doing today is the 6 years I spent in the classroom as a teaching assistant. This time exposed me to the plight of teachers first hand. How they are often underpaid, under valued, under resourced and over worked. That is a community issue and something we all should care about. After realizing that, in the work of creating an equitable education system, it's important for us to make sure that we are taking care of our teachers, I created Million Dollar Teacher Project because EVERY teachers deserves to feel like a million dollars!
What is your education/training background? I have a Bachelors of Science degree from Arizona State University in Nonprofit Leadership and Management.
Advice you'd give to your younger self: Focus on your dreams relentlessly and you can make them reality.
Who has influenced you? My mother, Deborah Bolden, influenced me. She was the most caring and compassionate person I ever met who always put family and community first. We sadly lost her on January 11th, 2024 and I will be accepting this award in the honor of her memory.
Tell us about anything you are passionate about outside of your profession(s): I'm passionate about Hip Hop music and culture. I love the opportunities to prosperity that the industry has created for so many. I'm passionate about the community of Maryvale on the west side of Phoenix, where I was raised. I always want to be an ambassador for that community and an example of the types of changemakers that come from those streets. I'm passionate about the arts and our creative community and want to see an industry created where our creatives can thrive.
Please feel free to tell us anything else that you'd like to share: Education is the great equalizer. So many of societies ills can be addressed through strong education. If you truly want to empower people you have to give them the tools to create their own solutions. That starts in classrooms. That starts with teachers. It is a responsibility for us all to support educators in some capacity.
