President, Baltimore City, Term 2023 - 2026
Member, Education Transformation and Finance Committee
Joshua L. Michael, Ph.D., is the Executive Director of the Sherman Family Foundation, which provides grants to non-profit organizations to promote education and opportunities for young people in Baltimore, focusing on early childhood and K12 education. Born and raised in Maryland, he attended public schools and began his career as a public school teacher.
Previously, Dr. Michael served as the Director of Baltimore School Partnerships at UMBC with the Sherman Scholars Program, where he cultivated a pipeline of STEM educators and oversaw several signature partnership programs with Baltimore City schools, including the UMBC-Lakeland partnership. He designed evidence-based intervention programs, including the Reach Together Tutoring Program and the UMBC Summer Math Program. He taught middle school math and served as an instructional leader for six years at two turnaround schools in Baltimore City -- Booker T. Washington Middle School and Commodore John Rodgers Elementary/Middle School.
Dr. Michael received his Ph.D. from the UMBC School of Public Policy. His research focuses on mathematics achievement and education interventions for struggling students. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from UMBC in political science and secondary education and a Master of Science in school leadership from Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Michael is a board member of the Maryland Family Network, Cherry Hill Strong, and the Teach For America Baltimore Advisory Board. He lives in Baltimore City with his wife, Leslie, and their three children.