Our Leader

Former KIPP teacher and leader Shannon Blankenship leads Hiawatha Leadership Academy, the first elementary school in Minneapolis that is helping all of its students climb the mountain to college! 
 
Shannon Blankenship is the Chief Executive Officer and School Leader of Hiawatha Leadership Academy in Minneapolis. Prior to leading Hiawatha, Blankenship worked for the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) for five years, as a classroom teacher and curriculum specialist, and he completed the prestigious Fisher Fellowship principal training program. Mr. Blankenship was a 2001 Teach for America Corps member in Harlem, New York.  He holds a B.A. in Political Science from Lewis & Clark College, a Master’s in Teaching from Pace University and a Master’s in Administration from National-Louis University.  He has come to Minneapolis to ensure that all of the students at HLA are prepared to go to college and have the chance to positively impact the world