OurTeam
Dr. Stephen G. Peters
Thought Leader
Prior to his career in education, Dr. Stephen Peters received a full scholarship and was a basketball star at Hampton University. Peters was inducted into the Colleton County Basketball Hall of Fame in January 2016 and continues to follow sports faithfully. Upon his graduation from Hampton, he went into teaching, and after demonstrating an ability to transform the classroom and school environment into one of success and achievement in even the most challenging circumstances, he rose up to become one of the most respected educators and school turnaround experts in the U.S. Equity, Diversity and Inclusion are at the forefront of his vast experiences in education and the non-profit world. Most of his experiences include working in underserved communities and providing opportunities for access and equity.
Stephen has been a classroom teacher, assistant principal, principal, director of secondary education, and superintendent of schools. He has served on panels as an education expert with former U.S. Secretary of Education, Dr. Rod Paige in Washington, D.C. He is also the author of several award winning and best-selling books including Do You Know Enough about Me to Teach Me and Teaching to Capture and Inspire all Learners.
Peters is the former Superintendent of Laurens County School District 55 (LCSD 55), Laurens SC. The county is an underrepresented community. During his four-year tenure as Superintendent, college scholarship funds received by graduating seniors increased by more than $14 million. LCSD 55 was named a 2018 National School District of Distinction under the leadership of Peters, an honor awarded to school districts that are exemplary models of how schools and school systems work. More recently the high school has been named the 2019 “National Tomorrow’s Tech School of the Year” by Tomorrow’s Tech Magazine.
Currently, Stephen is the CEO and president of the Peters Group, an education consulting company that is dedicated to creating and sustaining success in schools and districts by supporting educators. Key areas include: leadership, social justice, equity, diversity and inclusion. He is also founder of a national mentoring program that builds soft skills, STEM, literacy and leadership skills. The Gentleman’s and Ladies Club, which cultivates success in at-risk students through mentoring and self-empowerment, has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show as well as America, America. Peters was featured in the BBC documentary, “An American High School” in 2016.
“An American High School” was just named “Best Documentary of 2016” in London and began airing on the National Geographic channel in the U.S. in October 2017. Dr. Peters is an advocate for literacy and also served as President of the Board of Directors for the International Literacy Association (2020-2021). He is co-author of One., A process for Every One and Everyone.
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What Our Customers Are Saying
“Winterset CSD selected PartnerED to lead our district through the updating of our strategic plan and development of a Profile of a Graduate. Our board wanted a process that would encompass our entire district and foster the engagement of our entire community. The process that our consultants facilitated exceeded our expectations, as our community had numerous opportunities both in-person and virtual to provide their input throughout this process. The provocations and activities that were included in the process ensured that our Key Community Stakeholders were exposed to emerging trends in education and that our local community needs and values were considered as we developed our strategic plan and POG. We found our consultants to be knowledgeable, responsive, and supportive as we engaged in this process.”
– Justin Gross, Superintendent Winterset Community School District, Winterset, IA
“I reached out to Paula O’Loughlin and her colleague to potentially conduct a training for staff at my institution. From the very beginning, Paula was very timely and consistent in our communication. She showed a high level of enthusiasm about the opportunity and shared her ideas about the content. Her experience and expertise were a perfect match. Therefore, it was very easy for me to move forward with the training. Throughout the entire planning process, Paula was definitely a collaborative partner and maintained regular contact. At the training, Paula was an engaged and personable presenter which allowed attendees to easily participate. Her extreme knowledge of the subject matter greatly benefited the staff and evaluations were very positive. I would highly recommend Paula of PartnerED!”
– John Drussell, LICSW, MSW, Section of Social Work, Mayo Clinic
