Camelot VP Milton Alexander Celebrates 20 Years in Education

(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – June 1, 2015) – Camelot Education Vice President Milton AlexanderEven before Camelot Education Vice President Milton Alexander finished his bachelor’s degree in business management at Wesley College in Dover, Delaware, he began his educational career working at a residential facility working with court-adjudicated young men. He spent five years there teaching, counseling and mentoring his charges with the goal of helping them make better life decisions.

But Alexander, who celebrated his 20th anniversary in education in May, says as rewarding as that work was, he wanted to find a way to help these young men make those changes sooner, before they got into trouble.

“That experience made me want to work in the setting I’m in now so that I can help kids before they get in front of a judge,” he says. “We had success turning kids around in the residential setting, but for me it was taking that experience and trying to get out in front and mentor young men, and now young women, at an earlier point in their lives. Now, we do that mentoring and educating in regular schools in partnership with school districts. It’s way preferable to get to these kids sooner.”

Alexander, who earned his graduate degree in education at Arcadia University, arrived at Camelot in April 2005 as a principal. Under the Camelot model, that means his primary responsibility was working with the academic component of the program. He was then promoted to executive director, overseeing day to day operations of one of Camelot’s transition programs.

Then in 2010 he was promoted to his current role as VP. He oversees operations for a region that includes Philadelphia. (Camelot operates schools in PA, NJ, IL, TX, FL and CO.) He works with the executive directors to ensure quality programming and implementation of the Camelot model. He also works closely with the school districts Camelot serves “to make sure we are doing everything the districts expect us and need us to do.”
“The students keep me motivated,” Alexander says. “You watch students come in, unsure and apprehensive and then seeing them leave with much more confidence in their abilities, both academically and behaviorally, seeing them change socially, from being really reserved and fearful of positive relationships. The other side of that is working with our team and seeing the hard work and dedication of the adults. I think everybody in the Camelot system is driven by the desire to give back to the communities we serve.”

Alexander came from the inner city like most Camelot students. His mother passed away when he was young. He could have taken the wrong road, but thanks to support from adults he did not.

“I had family support, support from educators that made sure I was successful; I had support from my coaches. That positive experience in helping me make it drives me to want to give back.”

Camelot schools have been major contributors to helping school districts dramatically raise their graduation rates.