Seth Andrew

The founder of Democracy Prep Public Schools is accused of using more than half of the allegedly stolen money from that network to maintain a bank account minimum that gave him a more favorable interest rate for a mortgage on his and Lana Zak’s Manhattan residence. Zak was not charged in the case. In July 2022 he was sentenced to a year and one day in federal prison. He was also was fined $5,000 at his sentencing in U.S. District Court in Manhattan. He had previously paid $218,005 in restitution to the network, Democracy Prep Public Schools, and $22,537 in forfeiture. Seth Andrew is a serial entrepreneur & CEO who leads Democracy Builders, a social sector studio that has launched more than $1b in enterprises that are changing the face of education, democracy, and technology around the world. Seth has served as a Senior Advisor at Johns Hopkins University, Adjunct faculty at Harvard, Global Director at Bridge International Academies, and an independent consultant on education and civic technology projects for dozens of universities, school systems, and companies serving tens of millions of students. From 2013 to 2016 Seth served in the Obama White House as Senior Advisor in the Executive Office of the President and for Secretary of Education Arne Duncan where he led the Education and Civic Technology portfolios. He launched Vote.gov, Computer Science for All, Next Generation High Schools, and #FutureReady among other signature White House initiatives. Prior to the Obama Administration, Seth is best known as the founder, teacher, principal, and superintendent of Democracy Prep, a network of 25+ public charter schools in Harlem, The Bronx, Camden, Baton Rouge, Las Vegas, & San Antonio. Democracy Prep was the number one middle school in all of NYC and Harvard, Princeton, and NYU researchers have independently determined it to be one of the most academically and civically impactful institutions in the nation through randomized control trials. He recently launched REV: Revolutionary Education Ventures as well as Washington Leadership Academy which won the XQ $10m SuperSchool prize funded by Laurene Powell Jobs. WLA has been called a "High Tech Hogwarts" in the Washington Post and serves as a laboratory and incubator for educational technology with an emphasis on virtual reality as featured on VICE. Seth started his career as a special education teacher in South Korea and Massachusetts. A zealot for civic learning and engagement, he has testified before Congress and been featured by dozens of media outlets, think tanks, & universities. Born and raised in Upper Manhattan, Seth was named a “Hometown Hero” by the New York Daily News. He is a creative problem solver and expert decision maker who holds an Ed. M from Harvard and a BA from Brown. Having traveled to ~83 nations on all seven continents, he looks forward to seeing the rest with his wife @LanaZak and 3 curious kids.