Our visionary founder, Janie C. Whitney, has diligently led Trey Whitfield School’s development for over two decades. The School has been blessed with her continued guidance and leadership that has helped it cultivate young minds into the movers and shakers of tomorrow. With A.B. Whitfield and the dynamic faculty and staff at the School, Ms. Whitney is well prepared and supported in her efforts to provide the finest private school instruction for urban children.

Janie C. Whitney, CEO & Founder

For over a quarter of a century, Janie C. Whitney has been a trailblazer in delivering the highest quality education for inner city children in New York. Being one of the foremost pioneers of early childhood education Ms. Whitney founded Bethlehem Academy in the East New York section of Brooklyn. The Academy was later renamed Trey Whitfield School, where she steadily galvanized her philosophy, “Love is Learning…Learning is Love.” It has been and continues to be the norm for many graduates of Trey Whitfield School to achieve academic excellence, experience success in their careers and lead rewarding lives through Ms. Whitney’s approach. In addition, she actively secures educational scholarships for inner city students to New England Prep Schools as well as to New York City Schools, continuing to build on their strong learning foundation. Over the years, this has caught the attention of leaders in education both locally and nationally where Trey Whitfield School has gained media attention and praise.

IIn addition to being the Founder and CEO of Trey Whitfield School, she also co-founded and serves as President of the Trey Whitfield Foundation, Inc. The Foundation provides programs, resources and educational opportunities for deserving young people. Currently, Ms. Whitney is President of Association Historically Black Independent Schools (AHBIS), a Trustee of Eagle Hill School in Massachusetts, a Member of the Transfiguration Education Association and one of the Founding Members of the prestigious national program called Schools That Can. In addition, she was a former Trustee of Brewster Academy.

With her experience and influence in the education field, Ms. Whitney is well noted for her accomplishments and received numerous awards and citations. She has been honored with the following awards:

• Outstanding Leadership in Education Award from the Women of Brooklyn Incorporated
• Excellence in Education Award, District 19 Community Superintendent of New York City Public Schools
• Outstanding Woman Award from the Girl Scouts of Bethlehem Baptist Church (first such award presented)
• Honoree, Transfiguration Education Association
• Achievement Award for Outstanding Distinguished Educator, 2004, presented by Pro-Am
• The Humanitarian Award, 2008, presented by the Jesse Banks Foundation
• Award recipient of Women of the Year, 2006, one of the first recipients of this award from the Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes where Ms. Whitney served as an ambassador
• About Face Award, 2008 – Women who have made an ongoing commitment to improving the lives in young people

Ms. Whitney was born in Cuthbert, Georgia. She moved with her family to New York where she attended high school and then studied accounting at Long Island University. Her career in the finance industry was lucrative, but her calling in life started to beckon. When she was Assistant Controller at Dowell & Company, she established a Day Care and After School program in Bushwick, New York to help working parents. Eventually her humanitarian spirit drew her toward working more with people and helping them. Ms. Whitney’s love for children was the driving force in helping her make a career change and inspired her to become involved in the field of education, where she continues to set a high benchmark of excellence.

A.B. Whitfield, COO

A.B. Whitfield was born in Portsmouth, Virginia. He enjoyed distinguished high school and college careers—All Conference in football, wrestling, and track as well as winning The Most Outstanding Athlete Award in 1964 and 1965.

Following graduation, A.B. played professional football for the CFL and NFL. After his retirement from professional football A.B. continued his education, obtaining a Masters Degree in Education. His passion for sports and people was evident as he pursued several careers.

A.B. Whitfield Photo Productions: A.B. Whitfield, President. Clients include the NCAA, Prudential-Bache, Coca Cola USA, Colgate-Palmolive, and the National Basketball Association.

TreyWhitfield School: A.B.Whitfield, Administrator and owner. As Administrator, A.B. supervises the education of more than 500 young men and women. The school provides an advanced curriculum and character-based instruction. His 35 years of experience in the educational field has not gone unnoticed. He is currently retired from the NYC Board of Education where has worked as a teacher for 17 years. In addition to teaching at the elementary school level, A.B. was adjunct professor at York College.

Trey Whitfield Foundation, Inc.: A.B. Whitfield, Founder and Chief Executive Officer. The Trey Whitfield Foundation was established in memory of A.B.‘s son, Trey. The Foundation’s mission is to provide financial assistance to enable young men and women achieve their educational goals. Recipients are selected on a multi-cultural basis. The Trey Whitfield Foundation has assisted deserving youth obtain academic scholarships in excess of $1,000,000.00.

A.B. Whitfield was inducted into the Hall of Fame of his high school and college alma maters, I.C. Norcom High school and Elizabeth City State University, respectively. He is the author of The CIAA Professionals from 1950-1984.

A.B. is the recipient of numerous awards and citations for his humanitarianism, charitable and community activities. He serves as a board member of many organizations. He is a Trustee of New Hampton School, a preparatory institution located in New Hampshire.

A.B. is a member of the Board of Directors of several organizations.

A.B. is a Trustee at the New Hampton School in New Hampshire.