Louis King brings more than 30 years of experience in education, youth empowerment, and workforce development to his work as the President & CEO of OIC of America (OICA). Since January 2022, he has led a network of 27 affiliates nationwide, spearheading a bold transformation centered on the Sullivan Training Network—a groundbreaking initiative in career and technical education (CTE).
Designed to uplift “forgotten people in forgotten places,” this endeavor expands OICA’s national reach, forging strategic partnerships that create economic opportunities and serves as a direct response to America’s labor crisis. Under Mr. King’s leadership, OICA launched the Delaware Valley Alliance (DVA), a Philadelphia-based coalition integrating workforce development, housing, healthcare, and public safety to build pathways to economic independence for underserved communities in the region.
A staunch advocate for economic empowermentand civic engagement, Mr. King was selected by TED as a Philadelphia Flash Talk speaker at TED Democracy Philadelphia: Founding Futures, held in honor of America’s 250th anniversary. His talk, “A Better Tomorrow,” presents a vision for democracy and economic freedom that is rooted in education, economic mobility, and active citizenship, drawing on his decades of coalition-building in communities across the country. The talk reinforced a conviction he has carried throughout his career: that access to opportunity is the foundation of both economic independence and civic power.
Since 2016, OICA has partnered with the U.S. Department of Labor to expand career pathways for justice-involved individuals through the SOAR Reentry program, serving more than 4,500 participants nationwide and empowering them to build meaningful careers and sustainable futures.
Before taking the helm at OICA, Mr. King was the founding CEO of Summit Academy OIC, where he built the organization from a modest two-person operation into a $15 million annual powerhouse, delivering education and career training to more than 1,000 adults each year.
A driving force behind connecting youth STEM education to workforce pipelines, Mr. King played a pivotal role in the Northside STEM District in the Twin Cities and has since integrated STEM programming into OICA via its STEMLinx model. His leadership also extended to HIRE Minnesota, an initiative that ensured 37% of the workforce on the Minnesota Vikings stadium project were people of color, generating an estimated $41 million in wages.
Beyond his professional leadership, Mr. King actively contributes to the community as a board member of the African American Museum in Philadelphia, Allina Health, American National Bank, and the Ciresi Walburn Foundation.
A native Floridian and a Morehouse College graduate with a B.A. in political science, Mr. King served 10 years in the U.S. Army, achieving the rank of major. He is married to Beverly and has three children—Aja, Kamaria and Lauryn—and the family dog, Penni.
