Watts of Power Foundation

Peter Watts (he/him)

“I have seen it first hand as a Black male teacher over the past 27 years in the classroom. I feel called to this work because I was one of the students who didn't have Black male teacher until college.”

The Village Initiative, a part of the Watts of Power Foundation, is dedicated to addressing the pipeline gap for Black male educators in Los Angeles. By focusing on the recruitment and training of Black male teachers, the foundation aims to enhance educational and social-emotional learning outcomes for all children, with a particular emphasis on improving outcomes for Black children.

Dr. Peter Watts is the CEO and Co-Founder of the Watts of Power Foundation. He leads the Teacher Village program, which focuses on recruiting and training Black male teachers and providing affordable housing where they teach. Dr. Watts holds a B.A. in Mass Communications from Cal State Dominguez Hills, a Master’s in Education from the University of Phoenix, and both a Master’s and Doctorate in Theology from Fuller Seminary. With over 27 years of experience as a public-school teacher and school site administrator, Dr. Watts serves on the advisory board for Teach for America, Los Angeles, and the governance board for Innovate Public Schools. Motivated by his own experiences as a Black male teacher, he is committed to increasing the representation of Black men in the teaching profession to improve student outcomes and college readiness. Dr. Watts has been married to Dr. Didi Watts for 30 years, and they have three young adult children and two grandchildren.