The Milwaukee Academy of Science, MAS, a nonprofit charter school in the Avenues West neighborhood near Marquette University, has selected a new chief executive officer.
Anthony McHenry, executive director of the Silver Spring Neighborhood Center, will take over in the next several weeks.
“I am both honored and humbled to join the Milwaukee Academy of Science Board of Directors, staff, partners and families in doing Milwaukee’s most important work — providing our children with the highest quality educational experience,” McHenry said. “My passion for ensuring high quality education for urban children and providing the resources, hope and skills needed for life long success is what attracted me to this position. MAS’ STEM focus and partnerships will prepare our children to be leaders in tomorrow’s workforce. “
McHenry has worked at the Silver Spring Neighborhood Center for nearly 20 years. He has also held leadership positions for several civic programs and task forces, including Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett’s Task Force on Poverty, the Milwaukee County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition and Milwaukee’s Teen Pregnancy Prevention Network.
“Anthony is a proven leader with the right skills and passion to help make MAS the ‘School of Choice’ in Milwaukee – a highly successful STEM school where students have the opportunity to become something special in our society,” said MAS Board Chair Mike Jones. “We are excited to have found someone of Anthony’s character and capabilities. He is committed to ensuring that MAS children will learn at high levels with leaders, teachers and parents working together on their behalf.”
McHenry was a scholastic all-american football player for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he attended on an athletic scholarship. He was a member of the 1993 Badger football team that won the Rose Bowl.
MAS enrolls around 1,000, predominantly African-American students.
“As we got to know Anthony and reviewed his experience and results, we knew we had to quickly hire this incredible leader,” said Chris Layden, who chaired the search committee for MAS’s new executive director. “We look forward to him as our next CEO and know he has the right skills and attributes to bring together students, staff, parents and community members to ensure the success of each MAS student.”
