On a mission to transform education for children of color
Author and educator Alexs Pate launched Innocent Classroom in 2012 with a vision to eliminate the power of racial stereotypes in our schools through authentic relationships between teacher and child. More than 8,000 educators in 300 schools are using the Innocent Classroom.
Alexs’s teacher-by-teacher, school-by-school approach shows results where other efforts have failed.
At work in more than 300 schools and programs.
Over 8,000 teachers practicing our strategies.
Meet Our Team
Alexs Pate
President & CEO
Alexs Pate is President and CEO of Innocent Technologies. He is a New York Times bestselling author who has written five novels, a children’s book, a book of nonfiction, and has curated numerous literary anthologies. His latest book The Innocent Classroom: Dismantling Racism for Children of Color was published in 2020 by ASCD.
Learn More About AlexsMatthew E. Brandt
Senior Vice President
Matthew is a Vice President at Innocent Technologies and is responsible for partnership development. Over the course of his career, Matthew has launched successful national programs and produced award-winning websites and documentaries, including the Bdote Memory Map site and the traveling exhibit Why Treaties Matter.
Contact MatthewJess Annabelle
Vice President
Jess is Vice President with Innocent Technologies, serving as CFO, as well as Director of Operations and Human Resources. They are Co-chair of the Board with Trans Lifeline, a peer-support crisis hotline and microgrants program for trans people. Jess was a keynote speaker for the 2017 Because Conference for Bi+ Communities.
Contact JessDua Ci Khang
Partnerships Coordinator
Kania Johnson
Program Trainer
Le'Shon Archie
Program Trainer
Partners
Our partners share our commitment to transforming the American education system. We work with school districts, individual school partners, and other organizations to build strong, positive, impactful connections between educators and students of color.
- — Northside Achievement Zone (Minneapolis, MN)
- — St. Paul Public Schools
- — St. Paul Promise Neighborhood
- — Onamia Public Schools
- — Omaha Public Schools
- — Washoe County Public Schools (Reno, NV)
- — Richfield Public Schools (MN)
- — Minnesota Reading Corps
- — Equity Alliance MN
- — Friendship Academy of the Arts
- — Minnesota Humanities Center
- — Providence Public Schools (RI)
- — ACE Charter School Network (San José, CA)
- — Partner for Student Success - StriveTogether Network Member
- — St. Cloud Public Schools
- — Keewaydin Elementary School - Minneapolis Public Schools
- — Eastern Carver County Schools
- — St. Paul & Minnesota Foundations
- — Mardag Foundation
- — F.R. Bigelow Foundation
- — McKnight Foundation
- — St. Paul Chamber Orchestra