ACE Academy Honors Two Black Male Educators
ACE Academy named Daman Hunter and Ryland Brown its 2026 Educators of the Year in Washington state.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Administration
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ACE Academy, a Seattle-based nonprofit supporting Black male youth and adults, named Daman Hunter 2026 Black Male Administrator of the Year and Ryland Brown 2026 Black Male Educator of the Year. The awards were selected through a competitive peer-selection process.
Why it matters
The awards recognize educators and administrators whose work contributes to schools and communities across Washington state. ACE says the honors are meant to highlight Black male leadership in education and encourage more Black men to pursue careers in the field, where they make up less than 2% of educators nationwide.
The figure of less than 2% of educators nationwide being Black men is the share cited by ACE Academy. The stub does not provide the underlying count or methodology used to arrive at it.
The players
ACE Academy
A Seattle-based nonprofit that supports Black male youth and adults and established the statewide awards to recognize educators and administrators in Washington.
Daman Hunter
An associate superintendent in the Kent School District who has held leadership roles in Tukwila, Federal Way and Highline school communities over a career spanning several decades.
Ryland Brown
A mathematics teacher and basketball coach at O'Dea High School in Seattle whose grandmother taught at Garfield High School and whose uncle served as a principal in Seattle schools.
The details
Daman Hunter, an associate superintendent in the Kent School District, has spent several decades in education and has held leadership roles in Tukwila, Federal Way and Highline school communities. Ryland Brown teaches Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 at O'Dea High School in Seattle, where he also coaches basketball and uses the teaching strategy "think, ink & share" in his classes.
Timeline
2026: ACE Academy names Hunter and Brown its 2026 Educators of the Year.
Season Trajectory
The awards follow ACE Academy's stated mission to highlight Black male leadership in education and encourage more Black men to enter the profession. Recognizing current educators in Washington extends that mission by offering visible examples within the state's school districts.
Families and students in Washington's school districts may see more Black male educators and administrators in their schools as the awards and ACE's mission raise the profile of the profession. Prospective teachers considering a career in education can look to these honorees as local examples of the path.
The takeaway
Recognition of individual educators can serve as a practical signal to students and career-changers that leadership paths in schools are open to them. Readers interested in the profession can seek out local school district staff listings to learn about current openings and mentorship programs.
Further reading
For more on school leadership and staffing, explore Administration coverage across Washington schools.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Seattle Medium.
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