The pursuit of excellence—in academia, within the community, through organizational leadership, and otherwise—is core to the professional identity of Dr. Jonathan Mathis. His work spans both secondary and postsecondary educational institutions, with a focus on college access and success. He was appointed to serve as the Executive Director of The Next Step Public Charter School, of Washington, DC in December 2017. In this role, Dr. Mathis provides vision and leadership for a learning community serving nearly 400 adult-learners, ages 16-24, with a focus on college and career readiness. Prior to this appointment, he served as the inaugural director of the National Honor Societies at the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). His efforts impacted nearly 2 million students, advisers, and leaders annually. Dr. Mathis has also served as the director of education and training at the National Association for College Admission Counseling, where he was responsible for the professional learning and leadership preparation for more than 14,000 college admission professionals.

Dr. Mathis has contributed to college access efforts nationally. He completed his PhD in Urban Education Policy at the University of Southern California (USC). While in Los Angeles, he served as the regional director for the Collegiate Identity and Participation Model with Partnerships to Uplift Communities (PUC) Schools in Los Angeles. He also served as an adjunct assistant professor in USC’s Rossier School of Education. Dr. Mathis has also earned a bachelor of science in business administration from American University (DC), and a master of science in administration for educational administration (K-12) from Trinity Washington University (DC).

In 2016, Dr. Mathis was recognized by the American University Alumni Association; he was selected as a 2016 Congressional Black Caucus Week Honoree by the American University (AU) Black Alumni Alliance. This special recognition is awarded to a select group of AU alumni who demonstrate a high commitment to advancing the global black community in one of four ways: assuring quality healthcare, advancing through education, increasing equity in foreign policy, and ensuring justice for all.

Dr. Mathis continues his commitment to the field by providing executive leadership through volunteer board service to American University Alumni Association, and thought leadership through national presentations to advance student achievement and educational leadership in both secondary and postsecondary educational environments. Most recently, Dr. Mathis was selected to participate in the prestigious American Express Leadership Academy 2.0 at the Aspen Institute: A Fellowship for Emerging Nonprofit Leaders and the American Express Leadership Academy Global Alumni Summit in Washington, DC.