NABME Founders / Dr. Rictor L. Craig, Jr.
Founder & CEO
Dr. Rictor L. Craig, Jr.
Co-Founder and Head of Schools, Statesmen College Preparatory Academy for Boys · Washington, DC
For Rictor Craig Jr., going to school was never a drag. He knew early on that both giving and receiving an education would be major passions of his. He knew so much so, that he began taking college courses in the 11th grade in his hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Rictor began his educational career in 2003 teaching 11th and 12th grade English in the Baltimore City Public School System. In 2005, Rictor joined the Friendship Public Charter School system, where he taught 10th grade English, AP Literature, AP Language, and a Dual Enrollment Literature course. In 2011, Rictor became Principal of Friendship Woodridge Elementary and Middle School and in 2012, he led the school to receiving its Tier 1 status (high performing charter school) and to receiving its International Baccalaureate status in 2015, changing the name to Friendship Woodridge International Elementary and Middle School. Rictor is a Cohort 11 New Leader Alumni and a RELAY GSE Principals Cohort 1 Alumni. He serves on several boards including The Envest Foundation, EmPower Online Magazine, New Leaders National Alumni Advisory Board and CitySchools Collaborative (formerly CityTutor DC) Board of Directors. Rictor is the Founder of the National Association of Black Male Educators (2016) and the Co-Founder/Founding Director of Instruction for Statesmen College Preparatory Academy for Boys (2017).
Rictor holds a B.A. in Professional English from North Carolina A&T State University (2003), a Master of Arts in Teaching from Morgan State University (2005), a Masters of Science in Administration from Trinity Washington University (2011), and received his Doctorate in Educational Leadership (2025) from The University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Rictor attributes his love of learning to his parents, instilling in him the importance of education, even though they did not have the same educational opportunities as he did.
For Rictor, encouraging and overseeing scholars, similarly to how his parents and teachers did for him, is important in guaranteeing quality education and a hope for a better future, especially for Black and Brown boys. His mission as an educator is to provide a Tier 1 education to students of color. It is his goal to ensure that all scholars, no matter their socio-economic background or race, receive an exceptional education to ensure they are prepared to get TO and THROUGH college.