2010 Local Legend

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast committee is pleased to recognize outstanding community leaders who represent Dr. King’s dream: a testament that a dream is a growing reality.

Louis J. King II

Louis J. King II believes education is the key to change. That’s why he dedicates his days to helping Twin Cities adults gain the skills they need to become self-sufficient.

As President and CEO of Summit Academy, Louis oversees a vocational center that helps students learn a skilled trade in 20 weeks. This leading-edge curriculum includes “green” job training in areas such as weatherization and renewable energy. Before training, most earn less than minimum wage. Last year alone, 120 Summit Academy graduates found jobs -- earning an average of $14 per hour.

Louis is proud to watch his students — welfare recipients, ex-offenders, non-native English speakers, single parents and low-income individuals — transform their lives, taking care of themselves and their families.

But the work is not yet done. Louis plans to expand his center’s training and job placement efforts into St. Paul and other communities.

An active volunteer, Louis led the revival of North Minneapolis’ Glenwood-Lyndale Community Center. He also co-founded HIRE Minnesota, a coalition that is holding public agencies accountable for meeting their minority hiring, training and contracting goals.

For his leadership and commitment to making a difference in his community, The General Mills Foundation and UNCF are pleased to recognize Louis J. King II as a 2010 Local Legend.