Neubauer Fellows Community
Nicole Unegbu

Nicole Unegbu

Head of School
Hope Partnership for Education
2020 Neubauer Fellow
Sector
Independent
Education
M.S., Educational Leadership, Administrative Certification, Chestnut Hill College
B.S., Elementary Education, Central Connecticut State University
I believe all children deserve a high-quality education, and I want to support teachers in providing an exceptional learning experience for children. Also, growing up I did not have teachers, much less school administrators, that looked like me. Representation matters in schools for both students and staff.

In December 2025, Nicole Unegbu began as the Head of School at Hope Partnership for Education. In her previous role as Partnership and Implementation Manager at Children’s Literacy Initiative, Nicole worked with 13 Philadelphia schools and 3 suburban schools to drive an instructional vision that aligns early literacy instruction and practice with culturally and linguistically relevant pedagogy, identity affirmation, and antiracist literacy instruction.

Prior to this, Nicole served as the principal of New Foundations Charter School (2020-2022) and, prior to that, at St. Thomas Aquinas School, which achieved 65% of students at or above the 50th percentile on the Terra Nova test in math and 75% of students in reading. Additionally, in 2020, St. Thomas Aquinas moved 2 points up to a score of 6 (out of 10) on the Great Philly Schools overall rating reflecting growth in academics, attendance and school climate

Nicole has been an educator since 2002. Prior to becoming a principal, Nicole served as a teacher and assistant principal. Nicole is a Leading Systems Fellow and a member of the INITIATIVE network, a group of African American educators dedicated to support and leadership in urban schools.

Fellow Listing
Nicole Unegbu