Dr. Michael L. McIntosh serves as Associate Professor & Director of the Masters in Education Program in the College of Education at American University in the Emirates, bringing over 28 years of comprehensive educational leadership experience spanning K-12 administration, university instruction, and international educational development. He holds an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership & Cultural Foundations from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (1996), an M.S. in Educational Administration from North Carolina A&T State University (1992), and a B.A. in United States History with a minor in African-American Studies from UNC Chapel Hill (1983). His areas of expertise include social justice educational leadership, culturally responsive teaching and leadership, special education leadership development, educational policy analysis, school turnaround and improvement, trauma-informed educational practices, alternative education programming, educational equity and access, HBCU institutional development, and post-conflict educational reconstruction.

Dr. McIntosh’s research focuses on social justice educational leadership, systemic inequities in education, and the role of HBCUs in addressing educational disparities. His current research projects examine minority educational leaders’ experiences in post-Brown era school reform, analyze North Carolina’s Leandro decision failure to reform eastern school districts, and develop strategies to address disciplinary sanctions affecting students of color in the school-to-prison pipeline. His recent publications include “Defining the Leadership Role of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in Eradicating American Systemic Inequities” (2024), “The Negro Morton’s Fork: How the 1954 Brown Decision Forced African-American Educators to Choose between Decimation and Assimilation” in the International Journal of Social Policy and Education (2021), and “From Ally to Activist: Embracing Activism as an Essential Component of Social Justice Educational Leadership” in the Journal of Leadership Equity and Research (2020).

His academic career includes faculty positions at Virginia State University (Associate Professor/Department Chairperson, 2017-2025), University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana (Visiting Assistant Professor, 2015-2016), North Carolina A&T State University (Assistant Professor/Program Coordinator, 2011-2014), Hampton University (Assistant Professor/Program Coordinator, 2008-2011), and Livingstone College (Assistant Professor, 1997-2000). His extensive K-12 administrative experience includes principalships across Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Washington D.C., with particular expertise in alternative education settings. As Executive Director of the Virginia State University Special Education Leadership Academy, he leads innovative leadership development programs serving Virginia school leaders while serving as Principal Investigator for multiple research initiatives funded by the Wallace Foundation and Hayek Fund for Scholars.

Dr. McIntosh holds professional certifications in educational administration for North Carolina and Virginia, is a Fulbright Specialist (2019-2022), and serves as an Affiliate Scholar at the Rutgers Center for Minority Serving Institutions. His major achievements include securing $2.69 million in federal funding for the Hampton University Leadership Academy, receiving the Virginia State University Outstanding Faculty Award (2021-2022), and being selected for the Virginia State University Faculty Fellowship in Educational Leadership (2023-2024). His current international initiatives include the Tigray Education System Revitalization Project in Ethiopia (2025-2030) and the African Higher Education and Economic Empowerment Research Fellowship (2025-2030), demonstrating his commitment to global educational equity and post-conflict educational reconstruction.