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I have been in education for 16 years.  My journey into the teaching profession began after I was honorably discharged from the United States Army. I served as a Youth Consultant for the Self-Expression Teen Theater (SETT) under United Way. After moving to Germany with my family, I began substitute teaching, then transitioned to a Special Education paraprofessional, was a school secretary, and eventually, an Administrative Officer. I then taught 8th-grade Language Arts and Reading to military-connected children at Faith Middle School in Fort Benning, Georgia, was an Elementary School Assistant Principal in New York, a Professional Development Specialist, and now work as a Chief of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Virginia.

I honorably served in the U.S. Army for six years and attained the rank of Staff Sergeant.  I am the author of Conversations (2006), Weeds & Seeds: How To Stay Positive in the Midst of Life’s Storms (2017), Promises and Possibilities: Dismantling the School to Prison Pipeline (2018), a contributing author of Becoming a Globally Competent Teacher (2019), and If I Could: Lessons for Navigating an Unjust World (2020). 

I am a 2017 State Teacher of the Year, a 2016 Association of Supervision, Curriculum, and Development (ASCD) Emerging Leader, and the 2017 University of Maryland University College (UMUC) Edward Parnell Outstanding Alumnus of the Year. I am the only educator on the Education Civil Rights Alliance (ECRA) Steering Committee, and a member of the Leading Educator Ambassadors for Equity (LEAE) with ECRA. As a member of the National Network of State Teachers of the Year (NNSTOY), I have led efforts for mentoring teacher leaders through a partnership with 100Kin10, and I am also a member of ASCD. I am also on the Advisory Board for the Learner Variability Project & Digital Promise, ASCD’s Global Advisory Council, and the ASCD College Football Playoff Foundation (CFP) Diversifying the Teacher Pipeline Working Group. I speak both nationally and internationally about discipline reform, equity, student engagement, and many other topics

I hold a Bachelor’s degree in English from UMUC, a Master of Arts in Secondary Education, and an Educational Specialist degree with a concentration in Curriculum, Instruction, and Educational Leadership from the University of Phoenix.

I credit my faith in God, and His grace, favor, and mercy as the key to my success.

Keynote/Motivational Speaking

Personalized Professional Learning

Team Building

Consultation

Transformative Leadership

Curriculum Planning/Development

Coaching

Book Writing & Publishing