Dr. De’Shawn Washington is the 2024 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year and the Founder and President of Cultivating Changemakers, LLC. A believer and follower of Jesus Christ, he is committed to rooting academic and social learning in joy. As a professor, TEDx speaker, education policy fellow, and keynote presenter, Dr. Washington champions the power of education to transform communities. He earned his doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College, focusing on K–12 leadership. Through his company, Cultivating Changemakers, LLC, he develops social-emotional learning content for school districts nationwide. Dr. Washington believes it is his duty to empower students not only to achieve academically but also to become upstanding individuals with the courage and capacity to ignite change.