Anthony McHenry has worked in education and the nonprofit sector to directly impact the lives of young people for his entire career. Since April 2016, Anthony has served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Milwaukee Academy of Science (MAS), a public charter school located in the Avenues West neighborhood that serves K4-12th grade students from across the city of Milwaukee. Although over 90% of the student population is considered economically disadvantaged (on top of the funding challenges MAS faces as a charter school), Milwaukee Academy of Science has flourished under Anthony’s leadership. Some of his proudest achievements include record-breaking enrollment each year since 2016, considerable growth in student and staff retention, and for the last seven years in a row, 100% of MAS seniors have graduated and been accepted into postsecondary education institutions.

Prior to joining MAS, Mr. McHenry served at the Silver Spring Neighborhood Center in the Westlawn neighborhood for nearly 20 years. He started out as a teacher, moved to Assistant Principal, Youth Program Director, Assistant Executive Director, and finally Executive Director from 2013-2016. Mr. McHenry led a bold initiative titled Westlawn WINS (Working to Improve Neighborhood Success). Westlawn WINS streamlined Silver Spring’s programs and collaborative partnerships to provide a conception to career pipeline in order to take ownership of the educational success for children in the area.

As a community leader, he was the chairperson for the Milwaukee Teen Pregnancy Prevention Network from 2007-14 and served as co-chair for the Milwaukee County Substance Abuse Prevention Project from 2011- 2014. Currently, Mr. McHenry is the volunteer director of Silver Spring's nationally known AAU basketball program. In this role, he serves as coach, role model and father-figure for a significant number of young adult males trying to overcome the many obstacles they face. Over 70 players have received full athletic scholarships to colleges and universities across the country, and of that 70, 54 were first generation college students. He is also an active member of the PEARLS for Teen Girls Board of Directors, which is an organization focused on providing pre-teen and teen-aged girls support and guidance for self-empowerment and development. Mr. McHenry is also a proud member of the Acts Housing Board of Directors. Acts Housing works with individuals and families seeking homeownership and financial counseling, along with helping families execute home rehabilitation, and reclaiming vacant foreclosures. In his most recent effort to positively impact the educational landscape of Milwaukee, Mr. McHenry now serves on the Teach for America Milwaukee Board of Directors. Here, the mission of the nonprofit organization is to strengthen the movement for educational equality by organizing recently college graduates to commit two years of service to teaching in disadvantaged communities. Mr. McHenry’s work within these organizations further extends his personal mission to lead and impact the lives of youth in Milwaukee.

Mr. McHenry was born and raised in Columbus, Georgia. He attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison on a full athletic scholarship and earned a Bachelor of Arts in African American Studies in 1993. In recent years, Anthony has received several distinguished awards including the Social Development Commission Incredible Person Award (twice), the Milwaukee Times Black Excellence Award and the Donald Driver Driven to Achieve Award (2016), the Black Excellence Community Honoree Award (2022), and an Honorary Doctorate Degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin (2022).