Dr. Ramona Bishop

Dr. Ramona Bishop, a Bay Area native, is a dedicated administrator, scholar, and activist with over two decades of experience in education. She is the visionary/owner/CEO of ELITE Public Schools, a charter school network founded in 2019 to bridge the opportunity gap for black and brown students. Bishop holds degrees from UC Berkeley, University of San Francisco, Cal State East Bay, and University of the Pacific. Her research and publications primarily focus on improving educational outcomes for marginalized students, with a dissertation on leadership strategies for enhancing academic achievement among African-American students.

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Bishop is a distinguished advocate who has held leadership roles on various boards and commissions. She is a past president of the California Association of African-American Superintendents and Administrators, where she received prestigious awards for her efforts in rebuilding the organization. Notably, she was appointed by Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye to a task force focused on addressing equity issues in school attendance, alongside esteemed judges, educators, and community leaders. Currently, Dr. Bishop serves as the Vice-President of the Black in Schools Coalition, working to ensure academic success for Black students in California. Moreover, she was recently elected President of the Community Democratic Club in Solano County, one of the largest democratic clubs in the area. Throughout her career, Dr. Bishop has been recognized with several awards, including Runner-Up for District Teacher of the Year in the Oakland Unified School District, Regional Superintendent of the Year by the Association of California School Administrators, National Administrator of the Year by the Coalition of Community Schools, and the Ida B. Wells Risk-taker Award from the National Alliance of Black School Educators.

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Dr. Bishop's exceptional achievements in serving predominantly Black, Brown, and low-income communities are a testament to her impactful work. From receiving the Governor's Performance Award for driving a significant academic improvement (122 point increase) at Anna Yates-Emeryville, her first principal position, resulting in $10,000 bonuses for each staff member, to achieving notable increases in enrollment, attendance, graduation rates, academic performance, and college acceptance, while reducing suspensions, expulsions, and chronic absenteeism in the Vallejo City Unified School District (her second superintendent position), as evidenced by the California State Dashboard.

Dr. Bishop leads a groundbreaking institution dedicated to closing the achievement gap for historically underserved, particularly, Black and Brown students. ELITE stands out as the first charter school approved by the Solano County Office of Education and the first black-owned and operated charter school in the county. In addition  to founding ELITE, Dr. Bishop is a renowned educator who has taught at UC Davis and Sacramento State, engaging students at both the undergraduate and doctoral levels. She is a sought-after speaker, having presented at prestigious events such as summer institutes at Georgetown University, the Parent Teachers Association conference, and the Association of California School Administrators Superintendents Academy. Her expertise led her to be a featured speaker at the White House during the Obama administration, addressing national leaders on issues related to disproportionate school discipline.

Beyond her professional accomplishments, Dr. Bishop cherishes her role as a wife and mother of two daughters. In her leisure time, she enjoys reading, writing, traveling, spending quality time with loved ones, and unwinding by the water.