November 13, 2020
Samuel Wallis
Yonkers Partners In Education
Sam is deeply passionate about equity and has focused his career on using education
as a means to level the playing field for young people from diverse backgrounds.
Sam has been the Executive Director of Yonkers Partners in Education (YPIE) since
July 2019. YPIE partners with students to ensure that they are ready for, enroll in, and
graduate from college. Sam and his team at YPIE believe that a college education not
only opens doors to economic opportunity for students, but also opens up a world of
learning and curiosity to help students identify purpose.
Sam Wallis joined the YPIE team in 2015 as Chief Program Officer and was the
architect of the YPIE Scholars, YPIE Fellows, and YPIE College Success programs and
the driving force behind building the YPIE College Zone.
Sam began his work in education after graduating from Tufts University by joining
Teach for America (TFA). He was placed in a struggling rural Mississippi Delta high
school where, while teaching History, he led a team of teachers that quadrupled the
percentage of students enrolling in college after high school graduation.
Sam earned his master's degree in Public School Building Leadership from Columbia
University Teacher's College. He was part of the leadership team of the public charter
school network Democracy Prep Public Schools before joining the team at YPIE.
