About Dr. Michael Cormack, Jr.

Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Michael Cormack Jr. is the Chief Executive Officer of KIPP Atlanta Schools, a network of tuition-free public charter schools serving more than 5,500 students across Atlanta and East Point, Georgia. Appointed in December 2025 following a nationwide search, Dr. Cormack brings more than two decades of experience in education leadership across classrooms, schools, districts, and nonprofit organizations. He is recognized for driving measurable improvements in student achievement, building high-performing leadership teams, and advancing strong academic systems that support scholar success.

Prior to his appointment at KIPP Atlanta Schools, Michael served as the Deputy Superintendent for Jackson Public Schools (JPS). In this role, he directed and oversaw academic programs for nearly 18,000 students and worked in collaboration with leaders and administrators to develop and lead the implementation of meaningful professional development for teachers, principals, and staff. He led the post-secondary commitment of the district’s strategic plan, The Power of People & Possibilities, and supervised several key departments including Teaching & Learning, Exceptional Education, School Support, and Athletics. During his tenure, the district improved its accountability rating from an “F” to a “C” and secured a competitive $25.6 million grant to expand access to universal prekindergarten.

Prior to his work in Jackson, Michael served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Barksdale Reading Institute, a statewide organization dedicated to improving early literacy and teacher development outcomes in Mississippi and widely credited with helping move the state’s reading achievement on the NAEP exam from 50th to above the national average and among the fastest growing in the country between 2013 and 2024. The Institute provided teacher and principal literacy professional development and partnered with Mississippi school districts and families to improve kindergarten readiness.

Additionally, Michael served as the principal of Quitman County Elementary School in the Mississippi Delta. Working as a team, teachers, students, and parents dramatically raised student achievement at the school from an “At Risk of Failing” status to a “Successful” designation. His transformative work as principal is profiled in the New York Times bestselling memoir Dispatches from Pluto by Richard Grant. Michael has also worked as a classroom teacher and served in a variety of staff roles with Teach For America in Mississippi. He is also the voice for several education workout videos in the Move to Learn series.

Michael studied philosophy and political science at Boston College. He holds master’s degrees in education from Delta State University and Teachers College, Columbia University and completed his doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy at Vanderbilt University. He is a proud father of three children and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.