Gemar Mills is the Chief Academic Officer of College Achieve Public Schools (CAPS) and the Executive Director of CAPS Paterson. Born and raised in Paterson, New Jersey, Mills earned a B.S. degree in math education from Montclair State University, and began teaching math at East Side High School in Newark, New Jersey.
While working full-time, he earned a Master’s of Educational Leadership at American Intercontinental University and later a doctoral degree in administration, policy, and curriculum from Seton Hall University. Later, at Malcolm X Shabazz High School in Newark, Mills served for two years as Math Department Chairperson and one year as Vice-Principal. At the age of 27, Mills was made Principal of this school, one of the most troubled in the Newark Public Schools District. With a history of low-test scores, MXS was threatened with the possibility of closure. The school’s turnaround has been featured in the Sports Illustrated award-winning series “Underdogs,” NBC’s “Positively Black,” an Emmy award-winning documentary “Saving Shabazz” produced by NJ.com, and articles by the Atlantic, Fortune, and Crain business magazine.
