Dr. Robert L. Murphy is the CEO/Founder of The Masters Preparatory Academy (MPA), a single gender boarding school designed to meet the social, emotional, cultural, and academic needs of African American young men, grades 7-12. He has held leadership roles in parochial, private, and public schools. Dr. Murphy is married with two children and has been a member of World Harvest Church for 30+ years where he has served as an Elder at the church from 2003 to the present.
Dr. Murphy’s Ed.D in Educational Administration is from Ohio University where his doctoral research was focused on the impact of single gender schools on the social, emotional, and academic progress of low income African American males. He is deeply committed to expanding the educational opportunities for African American males through the creation and expansion of single gender schools and he continues that work today with the development of The Masters Preparatory Academy.
He is the Area Superintendent for Columbus City Schools and previously served as the Interim Director of School Leadership Development. From 1981 to 1985, he served as an Art teacher and coach at Bishop Ready High School. Dr. Murphy was the first African American teacher at The Columbus Academy when it was still an all-boys academy, serving as the Upper School’s ceramics and sculpture instructor.
Other past positions include Columbus City Schools Art Teacher and Coach, assistant principal at Whetstone High School, Director of Christian Education for World Harvest Church, overseeing the operation of the Pre K-grade 12 World Harvest Christian Academy (now known as Harvest Preparatory School) and the two-year World Harvest Bible College (now known as Valor Christian College). He also served as Principal at Africentric and Brookhaven High Schools and as an adjunct professor at Ohio Dominican University.