What is your personal story and who influenced you?

I was raised on the Southside of Richmond, Virginia by a single mother. I was supported in everything I found interesting. As an only child, I spent a great deal of time with my maternal grandmother and grandfather. The dynamic environment of our households was focused on reading and sports. My grandmother was one of the first of a large family to move from Petersburg, Virginia to the city but I also spent time as a youth in the country, on farms, and learning from failure. I always felt nurtured and heard, but knew the importance of listening. Listening and spoken word were of great value within the professions that my mother, grandmother, and grandfather worked. There was a great sense of pride from the communities where I played and high expectations were a norm in my mother's home. "Why settle for number 2, when you can be number 1?" is a question that she posed to me often and I simply translated this to mean that at all times I was to "do my best." 

 

My mother believed in hard work and accountability. As a "latchkey" kid, I was self-driven to do as she asked, 1) Homework as soon as I came in the house with the snack she left out. 2) Play outside until the streetlights came on. 3) Take a bath or shower, warm my dinner, and read before going to bed. 4) Do, but do as if I am watching you. She  is an organic intellectual and the application of her lessons and my grandparent's wisdom resonates with me daily. This triumvirate of souls are the shoes I am still trying to fill.

 

What was school and learning to you?

"School is for learning, and you can play when you get home" is another directive my mother shared, and she was resolute about the importance of learning. My Saturday mornings began with reading and cartoons, but always reading and then sports. My mother supported my extracurricular activities with attendance and a loud voice. She disciplined me with truth. You shouldn't complain if you are not going to do the work that prepares you for success in class or on the courts/fields. The point for my mother was not to allow the "ball to use me, but to use the ball". A solid work ethic and repetitious behavior leads to success. I excelled academically in what would now be known as STEM and attended what was then arguably one of the best school systems in the country, in Chesterfield County, Virginia. A year of attendance at Blue Ridge Preparatory School and a return to public school was enlightening. 

I served in the Air Force and afterwards went back to school at South Dakota State University majoring in English on a full athletic scholarship with the University Men's Basketball team. I honed leadership habits that have placed me in positions to impact generational success within higher education, economic and community development. 

Successful leadership is about more than work and attention to detail. It is about preparation and relationships. It is the ability to connect and communicate across social norms.

I later earned a PhD and rose within the ranks at the Motlow State Community College. I serve the faculty and students every day so that they can be the best in their roles now and in the future. My role requires that I work with Tennessee State government officials, national government officials, HBCU partners in the community college network, other inclusive tech companies and partners. One of which is GlobalMindED that has extended opportunities for our students and faculty.  

 

I dress the way I remember my grandfather dressing. I dress in a suit and tie daily. If you feel good about what you have on, the rest is about your preparation. I hope that discernment is a quality I have inherited from my grandmother. Actions do speak louder than words, so I use both to treat others with dignity and respect no matter what the ultimate outcome must be. I am my mother's son, so I hope I have her work ethic and sense of humor. She lives in the light and I do my best to do the same. I am passionate about what I have been entrusted to do. I am in love with my family and grateful for their support.

 

What inspires you?

My inspiration comes from a place of service. I am inspired by the faces that I see every day and solving my personal question about supporting humanity; how does the integration and advancement of emerging technology improve the human condition? I am moved by this question and seek to explore the bounds of its possibilities through AR, VR, MR, XR, AI, Voice Technology, Predictive Analytics, CAV Technology, Robotics, Gaming, and of course design thinking and sharing. I believe that we are all interconnected in ways that we don't always acknowledge nor recognize. I believe that equity, inclusiveness, and diversity exist as domain descriptors to be annexed from our language. What we are is simply universal. I am inspired by the design of "things" that are applicable and look as if they are senseless. Seeing the world through my children's eyes allows passage betwixt responsibility and exploration. This is the space that overturns and infuses life into the creative within me. My happy is simple: wake up! This is why the Bold Goal means so much to me and the impact to influence so many lives at scale.

 

It is an honor to have received the GlobalMindED Inclusive Leader Award in the Higher Education sector. I will use this honor to strengthen my resolve to get more First Gen and underrepresented students to college and career success, so that they can win one of these awards in the future. I am committed to the hard work that will make this happen.