Academy of Hope is proud to announce that Lecester Johnson, CEO of Academy of Hope Foundation, has been named a 2026 Luminary for The 1954 Project, a program of The CAFE Group.
The recognition includes $1 million in unrestricted funding, strategic support, relationships, and connection to a national network of leaders advancing education in Black communities. For Academy of Hope (AoH), this investment creates room to deepen an adult education model that connects high-quality learning, career preparation, and personal support to direct pathways toward economic mobility.
“Academy of Hope has spent more than four decades building education and career pathways alongside adult learners in Washington, D.C.,” Lecester Johnson said. “This recognition creates room to deepen that work, strengthen the organization around it, and expand what is possible for learners, their families, and their communities. I am grateful to The CAFE Group and proud to share this moment with the learners, alumni, staff, partners, and supporters who make Academy of Hope what it is.”
The Luminary Award is designed to meet leaders and organizations at an inflection point, when meaningful work is already underway, and deeper investment can create room for what comes next.
For AoH, the award comes as we open our new location: Sycamore Campus. The campus is AoH’s third location in Washington, DC, its second site in Ward 8, and the school’s hub for workforce training programs. The new campus includes 12 instructional and workforce spaces, along with central office and administrative areas, testing facilities, learner-support services, and flexible spaces for learning and collaboration.
Like the Luminary Award, the Sycamore Campus represents an important milestone in AoH’s growth, as we expand the organization’s capacity to provide adult education, career training, and learner support across the District.
In addition, Lecester Johnson joins four other leaders selected as 2026 Luminaries:
- Taylor Toynes, Co-Founder and CEO of For Oak Cliff
- Choquette Peterson, Founder and CEO of The RISE Center for Liberation in Early Childhood Education
- Jenn Charlot, Co-Founder of RevX
- Verneé Green, CEO of Mikva Challenge
Together, the 2026 Luminaries span early childhood, K–12 learning and school design, place-based community infrastructure, civic education, and adult education and economic mobility.
To learn more about The 1954 Project and the 2026 Luminaries, visit thecafegroup.org.