Ali Shama is a trailblazer at the intersection of education, leadership, and technology. As the founder and CEO of EONS Education, Ali brings over three decades of visionary leadership experience across New York City’s public schools—from art teacher to principal of one of the city’s largest high schools, to District Superintendent and president of a national nonprofit. What sets Ali apart is his unwavering commitment to using technology not as a gimmick, but as a transformative force for equity, access, and student agency.
Long before AI was in the spotlight, Ali was pioneering tech-integrated learning. In 1996, he introduced HTML and web design at Lehman High School in the Bronx—just as the internet was taking shape. His early embrace of digital learning later evolved into comprehensive CTE pathways in media, design, law, engineering, and entrepreneurship, helping thousands of students gain real-world skills, creative outlets, and future-ready confidence.
Today, Ali is at the forefront of the AI revolution in education. Since the release of ChatGPT, he has participated in the national conversation on how school leaders can harness Generative AI—not to replace teachers, but to empower them. Through his writing, strategic frameworks, and hands-on leadership, Ali has helped schools reclaim time, elevate instructional quality, and utilize data more effectively. His R.E.A.L. Framework for deep learning, his AI-enhanced leadership guide (Leading with Insight in the Age of AI), and his work on prompt literacy and equity-centered AI integration are becoming essential tools for forward-thinking educators.
Ali’s message is clear: AI isn’t just the future—it’s the lever for transforming how we lead, teach, and learn today. His work continues to inspire a new generation of school leaders to embrace innovation not as disruption, but as liberation.
Ali was named to the Cahn Fellowship for Distinguished Principals in 2012 and created this video and presentation highlighting practices during his time as principal of Francis Lewis High School in Queens, NY.
Senior portfolios process: Cahn Fellowship presentation
