Dr. Chezare A. Warren hails from the South Side of Chicago. He began singing at an early age, and is a proud alum of Walt Whitman and the Soul Children of Chicago. Grandson of a Jamaican immigrant and parents who spent their careers in public service, Chezare graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education with a minor in Mathematics. While teaching is Chezare’s first love, music has always brought him immeasurable joy. As an undergraduate, he was a soloist in the University of Illinois Black Chorus and lead singer in a men’s Acapella group.

After nearly a decade of K-12 teaching and leading, Chezare began a career in higher education. He earned his PhD from the University of Illinois-Chicago. Dr. Warren’s training in policy studies, urban education, and critical race studies has led to the publication of three books and more than 50 articles, chapters, reports, and commentaries since 2013.

Chezare’s academic achievements have garnered national and international recognition. He received two early career awards from the American Educational Research Association. In 2019, he was the first faculty member in Michigan State University College of Education history to be awarded the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine/Ford Foundation postdoctoral fellowship. Dr. Warren has keynoted several national conferences, as well as delivered distinguished lectures or invited talks at some of the nation’s most prestigious colleges and universities. He has also held visiting faculty appointments at Stanford University, New York University, and the University of Pennsylvania. When not reading, writing, teaching, or speaking, you might find Chezare performing for a special event or at a local karaoke spot.