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Biography:
As a father, civically active community member, researcher, and educator, Dr. Stephan Blanford leads a team of committed staff, volunteers, and more than 7,000 members, fiercely advocating for improved outcomes for all of Washington's children. As an unapologetic advocate for racial and social justice for children and their families, Stephan has worked on direct service or advocacy projects across a wide spectrum from early learning to college entrance.
In 2013, he was elected by the voters of Seattle and served a four-year term on the Seattle School Board, where he received the “Leadership for Equity” award at the conclusion of his term. More recently, the Evergreen Chapter of the American Society of Public Administrators awarded him the “Billy J. Frank Race and Social Justice” award for leadership and advocacy. Extending his work at a national level, he is the board chair of Integrated Schools and serves on the board of Partnership for America’s Children, Balance our Tax Code Coalition, and several other progressive organizations.
Dr. Blanford holds a Bachelors’ degree in Social Justice from Antioch University, a Masters in Public Policy from the Daniel J. Evans School of Governance and Public Policy, and a Doctorate from the College of Education at the University of Washington.
Career Advice:
Many of us come from environments where we're not familiar or comfortable exercising our ability to make change. Recognizing which barriers are real and which are self-imposed and then working to eliminate both is the essential key to unlocking personal and societal change.