Dr. Steve Gallon III is the Miami-Dade County Commissioner-Elect for District 1 and former District 1 School Board Member for Miami-Dade County Public Schools. After serving on the School Board since his election in 2016 and being re-elected unopposed in 2020 and 2024, Dr. Gallon was elected without opposition to the Miami-Dade County Commission and will assume office in January 2027. He brings nearly four decades of distinguished leadership and public service as a classroom teacher, principal, district administrator, Superintendent of Schools, elected School Board Member, author, documentary film executive producer, and community advocate.
Education & Early Career
A Magna Cum Laude graduate with a degree in English Education from Florida A&M University, Dr. Gallon became the first of his six siblings to graduate from college. He earned both his Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Educational Leadership and Administration from Florida International University and completed postdoctoral leadership institutes in educational leadership, school reform, and management at Harvard University and Stanford University.
Throughout his career, Dr. Gallon has been recognized as an innovative educational leader committed to improving opportunities and outcomes for children, families, and communities. He started his career as a classroom teacher before becoming an assistant principal and subsequently the principal of Holmes Elementary School. In his third year at Holmes, following dramatic academic gains and community involvement, the school was removed from Florida’s list of critically low-performing schools. He later served seven years as principal of Miami Northwestern Senior High School, earning one of the longest principal tenures in the school’s 60-year history.
Executive Leadership
In 2005, Dr. Gallon was promoted to Administrative Director in School Operations/Alternative Education, charged with overseeing programs for at-risk students. Under his leadership, the district saw marked improvements in student performance, attendance, and suspension reductions.
In 2008, he became the first Black administrator to rise through the ranks of Miami-Dade County Public Schools to be selected through a national search as Superintendent of Schools in Plainfield, New Jersey. Under his leadership, the district realized double-digit gains on all five indicators of the State’s School and District Accountability System (QSAC), increasing Curriculum and Instruction from 8% to 68% within 24 months. He was later honored by the City of Plainfield for his vision in establishing the Plainfield Academy of the Arts and Advanced Studies, which boasted a 100% graduation rate.
During his decade of service on the Miami-Dade County School Board (2016–2026), Dr. Gallon sponsored and advanced more than 100 Board agenda items focused on educational reform, student achievement, school safety, accountability, equity, and organizational excellence. His leadership helped secure voter approval of the 2018 and 2022 school district referendums, generating more than $2 billion in funding for teacher compensation and school safety initiatives. Under his leadership, District 1 transformed from having the highest number of failing schools in 2016 to having no failing schools, with more than 75 percent of its schools now earning A or B grades.
National Recognition & Community Advocacy
Nationally recognized for his leadership in urban education, Dr. Gallon received the prestigious Benjamin Elijah Mays Lifetime Achievement Award from the National School Boards Association in 2017, and later served as Chair of its Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE). A respected voice on education, governance, and public policy, he has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, and numerous local and national media outlets.
Dr. Gallon has continuously served his community, previously holding positions as a Board Member for the Miami-Dade Economic Advisory Trust—ensuring equitable participation in economic growth—and as a Board member of the Miami Children’s Initiative (MCI).
Author & Cultural Contributor
Beyond public service, Dr. Gallon is the author of Educating with Love and Without Compromise, When Morning Comes, and Light Found in the Dark. He is also the creator, producer, and host of the public affairs program Real Talk with Dr. Steve Gallon III. Dedicated to preserving community history, he has served as Executive Producer of multiple documentary films, including The Mecca: Legends of Traz Powell Stadium, which premiered during the 2026 Miami Film Festival, and Light Found In The Dark: The Life of Dr. Steve Gallon III.
Awards & Honors
His distinguished career has earned numerous honors, including the NSBA Benjamin Elijah Mays Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2022 Florida School Boards Association President’s Award for Unparalleled Leadership and Courage, the 2025 National Council of Negro Women Man of Honor Award, the 2025 Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce Garth C. Reeves Sr. Citizen of the Year Award, the 2026 Champion for Education Award from the Miami-Dade NAACP Youth Council, and the 2026 City of Miami Gardens Man of the Year Award presented during the Juneteenth Legacy in Black Gala.
A longtime resident of Miami Gardens, Dr. Gallon is a proud member of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated. As Miami-Dade County Commissioner-Elect, he continues a lifetime devoted to expanding educational opportunity, strengthening neighborhoods, promoting economic development, supporting children and families, preserving community history and culture, and improving the quality of life for all residents of Miami-Dade County.
