Meet the authors
Dwayne Ashley
Dwayne Ashley is Chief Executive Officer and President of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. In this position, he is responsible for the national organization’s long-term planning and overall strategic direction to raise funds for merit scholarships, programmatic and capacity-building support to the 47 public Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). A descendant of a long line of philanthropists and educators–his greatgrandmother donated the land for the first colored school in Ringgold, Louisiana–Mr. Ashley joined the Thurgood Marshall College Fund in 1998 as Executive Director and was appointed President the following year. Under his leadership, the Fund has become one of the principal voices for equality in higher education. With Mr. Ashley at the helm, TMCF’s revenues have surpassed the $68 million mark, representing an increase of more than 700% - more than 75% of the organization’s total revenues since its founding. In 2004, the organization’s Board of Directors named him Chief Executive Officer, and as the organization’s primary spokesperson, he works closely with the Board in steering the company to achieve its goals.
A cum laude graduate of Wiley College, the oldest black college in Texas, Mr. Ashley holds a Master’s Degree in Governmental Administration from the University of Pennsylvania’s Fel’s School of Government. The recipient of numerous awards and honors for his accomplishments, Mr. Ashley was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws in 2001 from the University of the District of Columbia, a Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund member school.
Valery Yvonne Rose Bates-Brown
Dr. Valery Yvonne Rose Bates-Brown has been employed at Virginia State University (VSU) for 25 years in higher education. In 1981, she began as an instructor through full professor with tenure in Visual Communications (Art and Design). Her Ph.D. is in Mass Communications from Howard University. Each semester, she teaches one course in the Department of Music, Art and Design. In the classroom and in her leadership roles, she practices quality education that is supportive and equal. Currently, she is the Assistant Vice President for Academic Support Services at Virginia State University. She reports to the Provost/Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs.
Clinton Bristow, Jr. (Deceased)
Clinton Bristow, Jr. was named President of Alcorn State University on August 24, 1995. As President of Alcorn, he doubled the percentage of students attending graduate/ professional school, improved retention and established a faculty research incentive program to enhance research in the life sciences where Alcorn is a national leader in the production of African American baccalaureate graduates in the life and agricultural sciences. His research efforts centered around the historical and contemporary development of management theory as it applies to profit and not-for-profit organizations. Before becoming President at Alcorn State University, Dr. Bristow’s administrative experiences included having served as President of the Chicago Board of Education, Dean of the College of Business at Chicago State University and Vice President at Olive-Harvey College in Chicago. Dr. Bristow held the B.A., J.D and Ph.D. Degrees from Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois and an MBA from Governors State University, University Park, Illinois.
Dara N. Byrne
Dr. Dara N. Byrne is an Assistant Professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York in the Department of Speech, Theater, and Media Studies. Dr. Byrne holds a Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Intercultural Communication from Howard University in Washington, D.C. She earned a B.A. Honors Degree in English and Sociology as well as an M.A. in English from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. Dr. Byrne is a specialist in critical language studies, intercultural communication and African Diaspora studies. She is the editor of Diverse Issues in Higher Education’s (formerly Black Issues in Higher Education) contributed volume, The Unfinished Agenda of Brown v. Board of Education (2004, Wiley), The Unfinished Agenda of the Selma-Montgomery Voting Rights March (2005, Wiley). Dr. Byrne is also the editor of Thurgood Marshall College Fund’s first publication, Brown v. Board of Education: Its Impact on Public Education 1954-2004 (2005, Word for Word Publishing).
Thomas W. Dortch, Jr.
Thomas W. Dortch, Jr., Chairman Emeritus of 100 Black Men of America, Inc. and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of TWD, Inc., has established himself as a leader by diligently working to dismantle systemic barriers to empowerment. Under his guidance, 100 Black Men of America expanded from 43 chapters in the U. S. to now include 102 chapters throughout the United States, Africa, England and the West Indies. Formed in 1986, the mission of the “100” is to improve the quality of life and enhance the educational and economic opportunities for African Americans. He earned his B.A. in Sociology and Preprofessional Social Work from Fort Valley State University in 1972; a Master of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice Administration from Clark-Atlanta University in 1986. He also attended Georgia State University as a Ford Fellow in the Urban Administration Program. Dortch received Honorary Doctor’s Degrees from Fayetteville State University and Jarvis Christian College.
Anthony Graham
Dr. Anthony Graham is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. His research agenda focuses on the academic experiences of African American boys and the professional experiences of African American men teachers in the United States public school system. More specifically, he examines the impact of curricula, policies that perpetuate inequities and cognitive factors such as self-efficacy, academic identity and stereotype threat.
Russell Harper
Mr. Russell Harper is the Principal of the Middle College at North Carolina A&T State University, the first all-male public school in North Carolina. As an experienced public school administrator with a passion for cultivating the knowledge, skills and dispositions of young people, Mr. Harper leads the Middle College with enthusiasm, purpose and optimism. His primary research interest is improving the academic performance of all students on reading, writing and mathematics standardized assessments with a special emphasis on the performance of African American youth.
Shaun R. Harper
Shaun R. Harper is an Assistant Professor and Research Associate in the Center for the Study of Higher Education at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a 1998 graduate of Albany State University in Georgia. Since earning his Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from Indiana University, he has become one of the most visible, productive and highly regarded new scholars in his field. Best known for his research on Black male college students, Dr. Harper has written numerous articles, presented over 75 sessions at national higher education conferences and authored three chapters for the book African American Men in College (Jossey-Bass, 2006). The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation awarded him a grant to study the effects of mentoring on increasing Black male representation in highly selective graduate and professional schools. Dr. Harper’s dissertation study on the gains and outcomes associated with leadership and engagement among high-achieving Black male undergraduates received the 2004 National Association of Student Personnel Administrators Melvene D. Hardee Dissertation of the Year Award. Moreover, he authored a policy report for national dissemination on Black male success for the Dellums Commission in Washington, D.C. Dr. Harper is lead editor of the forthcoming book, College Men of Color: Toward Productive Identity Convergence and Equitable Outcomes in Higher Education.
Kandace Leigh Harris
Kandace L. Harris, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Communication Arts at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina. A longtime researcher on African Americans and the Internet, Dr. Harris’s work addresses gaps in information retrieval, health communication and qualitative issues regarding access and the digital divide. Her current research investigates several of the factors related to African American retention and engagement at leading Historically Black Colleges and Universities. A native of Oakland, California, Dr. Harris received her Ph.D. from Howard University in Mass Communication and Media Studies with a cognate interest in Public Policy.
Robin A. Jackson
Robin A. Jackson, MSW, is the School Social Worker at the Middle College at North Carolina A&T State University, the first all-male public school in North Carolina, and an Adjunct Professor at Bennett College for Women. Her diverse work experience includes clinical interventions with adult male sex offenders, agency, school and institutional social work. Her research interests include the impact of single-gender education on African American students and Higher Education Leadership.
Patricia A. Joseph
Dr. Patricia Joseph earned her Ph.D. (1994) from the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania. Her dissertation, “Against All Odds: Determining the Effects of Social Support on the Academic Development of African American Male College Students,” offered a unique view and salient recommendations to improve the college environments to support the African American male college student. She is a licensed and certified social worker who currently serves as Professor and Chair in the Sociology and Anthropology Department at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania.
Rita T. Lamb
Dr. Rita Lamb is the Director of The Center for Student Success at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Her diversified work experience covers teaching and administration in public schools and universities, complemented by enriching international study and travel experiences. She has garnered national recognition with her expertise in academic advising and retention, speaking frequently at the North American Enrollment Management Institute and the National Conference on Student Retention as well as serving as a consultant for other four-year universities.
Robert E. Millette
Robert E. Millette, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology and Ambassador-at-Large (Grenada), received his B.A. in Sociology from Brooklyn College and an M.S. and Ph.D. from the New School for Social Research. He is the author of Academic Leadership and Shared Governance at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Caribbean American Families in Crisis: The Impact of Migration and Change and The Grenada Revolution: Why it Failed. Dr. Millette, the former president of the Caribbean Studies Association (CSA), has also published several articles in scholarly journals.
Lillian B. Poats
For the past sixteen years, Lillian B. Poats has served as a faculty member in the Department of Educational Administration and Foundations at Texas Southern University where she teaches courses in the social and cultural foundations of education and higher education. During this time she also served as Associate Department Chair and Director of Certification for the college. She currently serves as Chairperson of the Rank, Tenure and Promotions Committee for the College of Education. Prior to coming to Texas Southern University, Dr. Poats served as Director of Student Support at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. Other positions in higher education include serving as Coordinator of Academic Advising at Purdue University’s Calumet Campus and serving as a Faculty Fellow in the U.S. Department of Defense Pentagon Headquarters. Poats has numerous professional presentations and publications. Her publications include “Achieving Cultural Diversity: Meeting the Challenge” in Diversity, Disunity and Campus Community; Challenges for Women of Color in Historically Black Colleges and Universities” in Women As School Executives: Voices and Visions; “Working Collaboratively: Strategies for Success” in Student Retention-Success Models In Higher Education; “Voices From the Field” in Portraitures of Teacher Preparation in Texas: Critical Stories of Learning to Teach in an Era of Field- Based Reform and “Cultural and Ethnic Diversity in Texas Schools: Implications for Leadership Effectiveness” in Texas Public School Organization and Administration. She has recently been actively involved in work focusing on the use of Critical Friends Groups (CFG) in higher education. Poats earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Education from Purdue University. She also holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling and a Doctorate in Higher Education Administration from Texas Southern University.
Lettie M. Raab
Lettie M. Raab, having served for the past eleven years in various capacities at Prairie View A & M University; in 1995, received the opportunity to implement the Academy for Collegiate Excellence and Student Success (ACCESS), a new summer bridge program for students considered “at risk” to graduate from college. Over the last ten years, this program has evolved into a residential program called the PLACE (The Panther Living and Academic Community Experience); and then into University College, a unit that provides services for all entering freshmen at PVAMU. In addition to the executive directorship of University College including ACCESS, Lettie Raab serves on various university committees and is the proud advisor of the League of Latin American Citizens (LULAC) chapter at PVAMU. She received a BA in Education from Arizona State University, an MA in Public Administration and Human Relations from Webster University and Facilitator Certification from the Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
Marilyn J. Ross
Marilyn J. Ross is Professor of Higher Education, Division of Humanities, at Florida Memorial University, a 127-year-old Historically Black College. She has been on the faculty for 35 years and teaches English. She has a broad teaching range, such as Ethnic American literature, African American Women Writers, African American literature, American literature through the centuries and Shakespeare. Dr. Ross is the author of Success Factors of Young African American Males at a Historically Black College (Bergin & Garvey 1998) and Success Factors of Young African American Women at a Historically Black College (Praeger 2003).
She received her B. A. in American Studies in 1969, M. A. in American Studies in 1972, Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership in 1998.
Edward J. Schauer
Edward J. Schauer was instrumental in the recent development of the Texas Juvenile Crime Prevention Center, the College of Juvenile Justice and Psychology, and the first doctoral program in juvenile justice, all at Prairie View A&M University. His research interests lie in the areas of Black male success, women’s issues in criminal justice, and sex trafficking and prostitution. He has taught critical thinking in the Academy for Collegiate Excellence and Student Success (ACCESS) – an award-winning, summer academic enrichment program. He has also been continuously involved and interactive with University College – a residential learning community for college freshmen. He received his Ph.D. from Sam Houston State University.
Ila J. Schauer
Ila J. Schauer is an Academic Advisor with University College, the residential learning community for freshmen at Prairie View A&M University. For the past six years, she has mainly advised African American males –– most of whom have become academically successful, but some of whom have not. She has experience in social work, having worked for several years in Children’s Protective Services in Louisiana. In addition to her Professional Advisor duties, she also serves as training coordinator for the Advisement Center at PVAMU, and chairs the First Generation College Student Interest Group for the National Academic Advising Association. She earned her Master of Education Degree in Counselor Education from Sam Houston State University.
Rosa A. Smith
Dr. Rosa A. Smith is the President and CEO of The Schott Foundation for Public Education. Prior to joining Schott, Smith served as a school superintendent in Columbus, Ohio and Beloit, Wisconsin. She also served as assistant superintendent, high school principal and teacher in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota and South Bend, Indiana. Smith received degrees from Indiana State University, her Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and an Honorary Doctorate from Ohio Dominican University. Smith has earned numerous awards including: the AASA Effie Jones Humanitarian Award, the Wisconsin Superintendent of the Year, Martin Luther King Humanitarian Award, Sprugeon Award, YMCA Outstanding Achievement Award, NAACP Service Award, Urban League Living Legend Award and the HOSTS Champion for Children Award. Smith's work has been enhanced by opportunities to participate in several fellowships, think tanks and long-term professional development experiences, including: NEH Fellowship, Bush Executive Fellow, Rockefeller Foundation Fellow, Superintendents Prepared and The Danforth Forum for the American Superintendent. Doing and leading work that improves the lives and education of children, and especially poor children and children of color, are the core purposes of Smith's work and life. Smith joined Schott on July 1, 2001 to forge its mission to develop and strengthen the movement for equity in public education and child care.
Lelia Vickers
Dr. Lelia Vickers is the Dean of the School of Education at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Dr. Vickers has established herself as a leader who advocates designing curricula, standards and policies that improve the quality of learning for all students. Her research agenda focuses on literacy and its impact on the academic achievement of African American students. However, her administrative role has broadened her expertise to focus on the role that administrators play in creating engaging, challenging learning environments for students, faculty and community.
