Dedicated to Our Students Futures

Walter Larkin, Jr. is the CEO of the University Preparatory Charter School for Young Men. Prior to that, he served as Principal of Edison Tech and Executive Director of Transitional Programs for the RCSD. After graduating from Edison, he earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Buffalo and his master’s in Educational Leadership from the University of Rochester.

Mr. Larkin is a lifelong city resident who is well-known to the Rochester community for his many years of service in education and mentoring. He coached the Edison boys track and field team from 1998-2010, leading them to 14 indoor and outdoor sectional team titles. He is also the recipient of the 2018 inaugural Rochester Black Men Achieve Awards, winning for the Distinguished School Leader of the year.

Mr. Larkin is passionate about bringing value and providing opportunities for young men to be successful in all avenues of their journeys.

“When you learn, teach, and when you get, give.”
Maya Angelo

Dr. Cam Lewis, a native of Rochester, NY, graduated with a B.A. in Communication and an M.A. in Informatics from SUNY Buffalo. Most recently, he obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Rochester’s Warner School of Education, with a focus on Human Development. His dissertation was focused on understanding the roles of families and organizations in supporting the needs of students who need academic re-engagement.

Cam has worked in Education for 16 years with organizations ranging from SUNY Buffalo and Rochester Institute of Technology. Most recently, Cam has worked with Uncommon School’s Rochester Prep at both middle school and high school levels. He is currently the founding Director of Operations for Rochester Prep’s newest middle school. Cam has a passion for mentoring youth and assisting them on their educational/professional pathways. In his spare time, he enjoys exercise, basketball, pool (billiards), and spending time with his nieces, nephews, and godchildren.

Maya Crane is the founder and principal consultant of Crane Solutions, where she leverages more than 20 years of experience serving leaders as a strategic thought partner. She helps organizations develop and implement high-impact strategies aligned with key priorities while accelerating the skills of staff members and executives to improve effectiveness, increase equity, and maximize impact.

Maya is passionately engaged in expanding life opportunities for all people, especially those in historically marginalized communities. Maya is blessed to do life with her husband, Jeremy and their two children.

Tracy Harris currently serves as the Career and Technical Education Director at UPrep. Prior to joining UPrep on July 29, Mrs. Harris was the Middle School Principal at YWCP. Mrs. Harris holds a Master’s Degree from St. John Fisher College in Educational Administration and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with Advanced Study coursework from the University at Buffalo. She is an alumnus of John Marshall High School, where she returned to teach from 1999 – 2012, during which time she taught a variety of business courses ranging from Career and Personal Finance to Virtual Entrepreneurship.

For over 20 years, Raheem Miller has been an integral part of the daily lives of the youth of Rochester, NY. Over the years, he has coached young men and women in various sports, such as track and field, football, basketball, and bowling. As an East High School graduate, Raheem recalls, “If you didn’t do sports, there was little else. Sports kept me on the right path.” Obtaining a scholarship to Michigan State for football and ultimately graduating allows Coach Miller to be an example for the inner-city youth that he works with on a daily basis. In 2014, Miller was inducted into the Section V Football Hall of Fame. Currently, he serves as an administrator for the University Preparatory Charter School, which he helped found. “I have always felt a need to work with youth; it is something that finds me.”

Jamaal T. Peavy is the Director of Student, Family & Community Support and Engagement. For over ten years, Mr. Peavy has worked in the realm of Youth Development and Support. He is passionate about supporting students and families through the transitions of life. Mr. Peavy has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering Technology from Georgia Southern University, an M.Div from Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School, and is currently working on an MSW from SUNY Brockport. Throughout his career, he has been involved in various initiatives throughout the Rochester community, like the Black Youth Leadership Development Program, the Historic Boy Scouts of America Troop #293, the Black Male Achievement Coalition, and the ROCCITY 48 No Excuses Symposium. Mr. Peavy believes as we move from a reactive community to a proactive community, we can help to develop young people who are self-aware, emotionally responsible, and process driven. This focus, coupled with trained professionals who identify and empathize with our youth, will help shift the paradigm within our society to a healthy and holistic community.