Salome Thomas-EL

Salome Thomas-EL is an award-winning educator, school leader, and speaker who has worked in Philadelphia schools since 1987 and later served as head of school at Thomas Edison Charter School in Wilmington, Delaware. He earned a bachelor’s degree from East Stroudsburg University and a doctorate in education leadership from Wilmington University, and he has received the Marcus A. Foster Award and the University of Pennsylvania’s Martin Luther King Award.

He first gained national attention as a teacher and chess coach at Vaux Middle School in Philadelphia, where his students became eight-time national chess champions. His published books include I Choose to Stay, The Immortality of Influence, Passionate Leadership: Creating a Culture of Success in Every School, and Meet Their Needs, and They’ll Succeed: Transforming Students’ Lives Through Positive Relationships.