Demetrius Lancaster
Joy Education Foundation

Personal Bio

Demetrius Lancaster is the founder and CEO of Joy Education Foundation, a social impact organization that harnesses the power of technology and human relationships to help students become confident readers. As an early reader, Demetrius benefited immensely from a community reading program that fundamentally changed the trajectory of his life and instilled in him a lifelong dedication to literacy. His journey led him to become a reading teacher, coach, and founding school leader of a school serving low-income communities. Then, as a learning experience designer, Demetrius collaborated with educators nationwide to redesign systems for better learning outcomes for students, especially those who are culturally, linguistically, and neurodiverse. He offers his experience as a community leader, school leader, and technologist to help communities expand their capacity to address unmet reading needs. Demetrius received his Master of Education degree from Columbia University and Master of Public Administration Degree from James Madison University.

Project Description

For the Roddenberry Fellowship, we will focus on launching our mobile reading clinic model—a hybrid of a bookmobile, game truck, and virtual reading clinic. Our mobile reading clinics are designed to extend reading support to students and families in underserved areas, especially in digital deserts. By combining the best of AI, transportation technology, and personalized tutoring, these clinics deliver reading interventions directly to those who need it most. Through partnerships with local community networks, we deepen our impact and create a robust support system that emphasizes proximity, accessibility, and community engagement.