Christopher J. Means
Founder & CEO/Executive Director, By All Means Leadership Alliance, Inc.
Associate Head of School, Broome Street Academy Charter High School
Doctoral Candidate, St. John Fisher University
I’m a mid-career professional who transitioned into education after 25 years of operational and leadership experience in New York City’s fine-dining restaurant industry. As a general manager, I built high-performing teams, coached individuals into leadership, and created job opportunities for youth entering the workforce. That commitment to mentorship and equity has fueled every chapter of my career.
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Today, I serve as the Associate Head of School at Broome Street Academy Charter High School, where I oversee instructional development, teacher coaching, and academic planning. I’m also the Founder and Executive Director of By All Means Leadership Alliance Inc. (BAMLA), a Brooklyn-based nonprofit that empowers underrepresented youth through culturally responsive mentorship, leadership development, and Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR).
Currently, I am a Doctoral Candidate in Executive Leadership at St. John Fisher University. My dissertation explores how Black male graduates perceive the long-term impact of their participation in a youth development program, using narrative case study and Positive Youth Development (PYD) frameworks.
I hold a Master of Arts in Teaching from NYU Steinhardt, with certifications in Social Studies, ELA, and Special Education, and a Bachelor’s degree from Indiana University. I’m a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and the Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society.
Across sectors, my leadership philosophy is rooted in inclusion, integrity, and building pathways of possibility for others. Whether in a restaurant or a classroom, my mission remains the same: to help people grow, lead, and thrive…by all means necessary.
Lee A. Means
Director of Education Policy, Strategy & Research, By All Means Leadership Alliance, Inc.
Doctoral Candidate, University of Pennsylvania
Lee is a founding member of By All Means Leadership Alliance, Inc. (BAMLA) and an accomplished educator, policy strategist, and non-profit leader with over 15 years of experience in K–12 education, instructional leadership, and equity-centered program design. He has taught and led in a range of educational settings across New York City and Newark, NJ, with a consistent focus on culturally responsive practice, inclusive school culture, and student empowerment.
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As BAMLA’s Director of Education, Lee designs and facilitates programming that supports the personal growth, leadership development, and civic engagement of underrepresented youth.
He brings an interdisciplinary background to his work merging legal training, public policy expertise, and deep classroom experience to create transformative learning environments for students and educators alike.
Lee holds a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from Indiana University, as well as a Master of Science in Education Policy from the University of Pennsylvania. He is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Education and Organizational Leadership at Penn, where his research explores the impact of race and gender identity on the leadership trajectories of Black men in K–12 education.
In addition to his work at BAMLA, Lee has led large-scale school improvement initiatives with the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE), directed national LGBTQ+ advocacy projects, and served on multiple equity-focused boards. His work bridges practice and policy, always to drive justice, belonging, and lasting change.
Shobita Mampilly
Director of Programs, By All Means Leadership Alliance, Inc.
Doctoral Candidate, The Graduate Center, City University of New York
Shobita Mampilly is a poet, scientist, and educator with over 20 years of experience teaching in urban communities from Brooklyn to Bangalore, India. Her work bridges the arts and sciences, driven by a commitment to justice, healing, and youth empowerment. As Director of Programs and a founding member of By All Means Leadership Alliance Inc. (BAMLA), Shobita leads initiatives that expand access to culturally responsive STEM education and leadership development for underrepresented youth.
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She is the creator of Chem4All, a BAMLA program that supports young adults, especially those from marginalized communities, in exploring pathways to careers in health science, environmental justice, and scientific research.
Shobita is currently completing her Ph.D. in Urban Education and Leadership at The Graduate Center, City University of New York. Her dissertation, Science OF AND FOR the People! Authoring Engaged Science through Spirituality & Transformative Activist Stance uses an Ecogram case study to explore how community members, youth, and educators collaboratively transformed a former landfill into a thriving indigenous ecosystem through activist science education, youth-led inquiry, and spiritual resilience.
She also holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (Poetry) from The New School. Shobita’s leadership philosophy centers on youth agency, ancestral knowledge, and interdisciplinary learning as powerful tools for personal and communal transformation.
