Ben Locke (he/him/his) is the Michigan Executive Director of Teach Plus. Since 2021, he has worked in partnership to launch and lead the Michigan Teacher Leadership Collaborative. Prior to coming to Teach Plus, Ben recruited, trained, and mobilized hundreds of educators across Chicago, Illinois as Outreach Director, Specialist with Educators for Excellence. He worked with educators on a range of education policy issues, including equitable school funding, equitable staffing, and social-emotional learning.
Earlier in his career, Ben led partnership efforts between BallotReady and other civically-minded organizations, and volunteered with Teach Plus to develop and host the 2018 ECET2 conference in Chicago. Ben also brings eight years of teaching experience, having taught in Baltimore, Maryland, and Chicago at both the middle and high school levels.
Ben holds a B.A. in History and Political Science from Augustana College (Rock Island, IL) and a M.A. in Teaching from Johns Hopkins University. Ben lives in Grand Rapids, MI with his wife Anna and sons Thomas and Henry. Together, they enjoy exploring new parks, restaurants, and locations.
