March 11, 2025 • 5 mins
Foundation Academies CEO Sheria McRae is a native of Trenton, NJ. She returned home to join the organization in 2010 as a 6th and 7th Grade English Teacher. After serving as a teacher and then Dean of Instruction for three years, she became the Middle School Principal in 2013 as a part of the organization’s expansion project. In 2017, McRae went on to become Foundation’s Chief Academic Officer, with a focus on Assessment, Curriculum, and Instruction. In 2022, Sheria was appointed CEO,with a bold agenda to transform urban education through the organization’s efforts.
Prior to joining Foundation, McRae was a Teach for America Corps member in Newark, New Jersey where she taught 3rd, 5th, and 6th grade English for four years. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Howard University in Washington, DC, a Master of Arts in School Counseling from Montclair State University, and a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Administration and Supervision from National Louis University.
https://www.foundationacademies.org/
Prior to joining Foundation, McRae was a Teach for America Corps member in Newark, New Jersey where she taught 3rd, 5th, and 6th grade English for four years. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Howard University in Washington, DC, a Master of Arts in School Counseling from Montclair State University, and a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Administration and Supervision from National Louis University.
https://www.foundationacademies.org/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I'm Lorraine ballad Barrow with CEOs you should know, brought
to you by Comcast Business.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
My name is Sharia McCrae and I'm the proud CEO
of Foundation Academies in Trenton, New Jersey.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Describe your company and its mission.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Foundation Academy is a K through twelve charter school in
the city of Trenton. Our mission is to empower our
scholars to excel in learning and lead purpose fill lives.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
How do you do that?
Speaker 2 (00:25):
We do that through really pushing for excellent quality instruction
every single day. And so what that looks like at
Foundation Academy is ensuring our scholars have all the skills
necessary to equip them and rise up the ladder of
Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Everything from food and shelter to
(00:48):
coming to school to participate in enrichment activities and tutoring
and sports, going on college tours and field trips. Equipping
them and opening the opportunity and the door for opportunity
and access for every single scholar to pursue their passions,
whatever that might be.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
What makes the Foundation Academies unique?
Speaker 2 (01:10):
What makes us unique? One? I am the CEO, first
black woman CEO who was actually a Trend native born
and raised. And so you know, my story was that
when I graduated from high school, I was leaving Trenton
and never coming back. And so with that, I don't
want that to be the story for our scholars. I
(01:33):
do want them to go off and explore the world
and meet new people, but readily do what I did,
come back and lend their talents and skill sets to
their community. And so because I have that experience growing
up in the community, I know what the community's needs are.
We understand that education is the key, and quality education
(01:56):
is the key to breaking all sorts of cycles and
ensuring the growth of the Trend community. Triton is often
forgotten about place. That was one of the reasons as
a child that I would say, you know, I don't
want to be here, but there's a lot of gems there.
It is our responsibility to make sure that we're exposing
(02:18):
our scholars to those gems and seeing how they can
lend their talents and skills to put Trenton on the map.
We're doing education differently, so we don't do traditional education
at Foundation Academy. We love traditional events and things like that.
We have our annual events, but we want kids to
(02:40):
really engage critically. We want them to have problem solving skills.
We want them to have fun. When I walk into
a classroom, I want to hear noise, right, which is
not traditional schooling. I want to see scholars engaging with
each other, engaging with their teacher, and everyone just having
fun learning. That's what it's all about.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Does Foundation Academies have any philanthropic causes.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Yes, we provide access to our scholars when it comes
to after school activities, anything from lacrosse to karate. These
are oftentimes, you know, things that parents may pay for,
especially at young ages, but we feel as though it's
our responsibility and our opportunity to provide that, and so
(03:26):
we are raising money to give our scholars that experience.
Sports are very expensive and even field trips right the
field trips that we want to go on. Again, I
mentioned college tours. We want the kids to go on
a college tour this summer and jump from college to
college in ninth and tenth grade so that they have
(03:48):
that exposure. The other philanthropic opportunity we have is we're
building a third campus, a state of the art high
school that we'll have maker spaces, opportunities for stem creativity.
As I spoke about really creative, innovative spaces. We are
so excited and there's opportunity as well to contribute to
(04:13):
making that a space where kids and families and the
community want to be. They walk away learning, they're enjoying learning.
We're excited to kick off a capital campaign for that
new third campus.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
If you were able to go back in time and
give your eighteen year old self a piece of advice,
what would that advice be?
Speaker 2 (04:34):
If I were to go back to my eighteen year
old self, I would tell her to be confident and
live life with purpose and on purpose and it'll never
let you down.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Is there anything else you'd like to add before we close?
Speaker 2 (04:48):
During this time that we're living in, there's a lot
of fears and a lot of uncertainties, but the one
thing everyone can be certain about is the opportunity to
impact the life of a child. And so at Foundation Academy,
we're always calling on folks who want to be a
part of that, who want to have the impact, have
the heart for children, because they're not just our future.
(05:10):
There are today. We have open doors. Come busy, but
just join us in this movement to really change lives
through education.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
If people would like more information about Foundations Academies, how
do they find out more?
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Yes, of course, you can visit us on our website
at www dot Foundation Academies dot org.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
CEOs you should know brought to you by Comcast Business,
offering the complete connectivity solution, cybersecurity, Internet and mobile, all
from one provider, Comcast Business, powering possibilities
I'm Lorraine ballad Barrow with CEOs you should know, brought
to you by Comcast Business.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
My name is Sharia McCrae and I'm the proud CEO
of Foundation Academies in Trenton, New Jersey.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Describe your company and its mission.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Foundation Academy is a K through twelve charter school in
the city of Trenton. Our mission is to empower our
scholars to excel in learning and lead purpose fill lives.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
How do you do that?
Speaker 2 (00:25):
We do that through really pushing for excellent quality instruction
every single day. And so what that looks like at
Foundation Academy is ensuring our scholars have all the skills
necessary to equip them and rise up the ladder of
Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Everything from food and shelter to
(00:48):
coming to school to participate in enrichment activities and tutoring
and sports, going on college tours and field trips. Equipping
them and opening the opportunity and the door for opportunity
and access for every single scholar to pursue their passions,
whatever that might be.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
What makes the Foundation Academies unique?
Speaker 2 (01:10):
What makes us unique? One? I am the CEO, first
black woman CEO who was actually a Trend native born
and raised. And so you know, my story was that
when I graduated from high school, I was leaving Trenton
and never coming back. And so with that, I don't
want that to be the story for our scholars. I
(01:33):
do want them to go off and explore the world
and meet new people, but readily do what I did,
come back and lend their talents and skill sets to
their community. And so because I have that experience growing
up in the community, I know what the community's needs are.
We understand that education is the key, and quality education
(01:56):
is the key to breaking all sorts of cycles and
ensuring the growth of the Trend community. Triton is often
forgotten about place. That was one of the reasons as
a child that I would say, you know, I don't
want to be here, but there's a lot of gems there.
It is our responsibility to make sure that we're exposing
(02:18):
our scholars to those gems and seeing how they can
lend their talents and skills to put Trenton on the map.
We're doing education differently, so we don't do traditional education
at Foundation Academy. We love traditional events and things like that.
We have our annual events, but we want kids to
(02:40):
really engage critically. We want them to have problem solving skills.
We want them to have fun. When I walk into
a classroom, I want to hear noise, right, which is
not traditional schooling. I want to see scholars engaging with
each other, engaging with their teacher, and everyone just having
fun learning. That's what it's all about.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Does Foundation Academies have any philanthropic causes.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Yes, we provide access to our scholars when it comes
to after school activities, anything from lacrosse to karate. These
are oftentimes, you know, things that parents may pay for,
especially at young ages, but we feel as though it's
our responsibility and our opportunity to provide that, and so
(03:26):
we are raising money to give our scholars that experience.
Sports are very expensive and even field trips right the
field trips that we want to go on. Again, I
mentioned college tours. We want the kids to go on
a college tour this summer and jump from college to
college in ninth and tenth grade so that they have
(03:48):
that exposure. The other philanthropic opportunity we have is we're
building a third campus, a state of the art high
school that we'll have maker spaces, opportunities for stem creativity.
As I spoke about really creative, innovative spaces. We are
so excited and there's opportunity as well to contribute to
(04:13):
making that a space where kids and families and the
community want to be. They walk away learning, they're enjoying learning.
We're excited to kick off a capital campaign for that
new third campus.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
If you were able to go back in time and
give your eighteen year old self a piece of advice,
what would that advice be?
Speaker 2 (04:34):
If I were to go back to my eighteen year
old self, I would tell her to be confident and
live life with purpose and on purpose and it'll never
let you down.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Is there anything else you'd like to add before we close?
Speaker 2 (04:48):
During this time that we're living in, there's a lot
of fears and a lot of uncertainties, but the one
thing everyone can be certain about is the opportunity to
impact the life of a child. And so at Foundation Academy,
we're always calling on folks who want to be a
part of that, who want to have the impact, have
the heart for children, because they're not just our future.
(05:10):
There are today. We have open doors. Come busy, but
just join us in this movement to really change lives
through education.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
If people would like more information about Foundations Academies, how
do they find out more?
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Yes, of course, you can visit us on our website
at www dot Foundation Academies dot org.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
CEOs you should know brought to you by Comcast Business,
offering the complete connectivity solution, cybersecurity, Internet and mobile, all
from one provider, Comcast Business, powering possibilities
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