Area of Presentation Expertise

• Leadership Development

• Fraternity and Sorority Advising

• Within higher education, using college student development theory to inform practice.

• Enhancing organizational effectiveness through values congruence practice.

• Developing a holistically dynamic organizational environments

Issues of Diversity and Inclusion

• Speaking to intersectionality of identities: class, race, and gender

• LGBT theories of development and emerging trends impacting the community

• Working with new professionals: developing competencies and self-efficacy

• Faith and spirituality

Keynote Topics

• Leadership

• Diversity and Inclusion

• Inspiring a Shared Vision

• Developing Powerful Practices (for work and life)

Areas of Research

• LGBTQ College Student Experiences

• Leadership

• Spirituality Within Higher Education

• People of Color Experiences in Higher Education

A Storyteller

At my core, I am a storyteller. Storytelling is not simply a communication style for me—it is a pedagogical tool. Through story, I make complex ideas accessible, human, and actionable, helping organizations, institutions, and individuals see themselves and their possibilities more clearly.

One of my guiding inspirations comes from the late Dr. Maya Angelou, who said, “When you get, give. When you learn, teach.” That philosophy captures the arc of my own journey. My education has been shaped by both formal academic study and the powerful schooling of lived experience—each informing the other, each essential.

My formal education includes the study of business at Wingate University, graduate training in education at the University of Maryland–College Park, where I earned a Master of Arts in Education Policy and Leadership, and the completion of my PhD at the University of Georgia. These experiences equipped me with the theoretical frameworks to examine the questions that matter most to me: How do we recognize and celebrate leadership in ourselves and others? How do we live authentically and view diversity as an asset rather than a liability? How do we cultivate what LeaderShape® refers to as a “healthy disregard for the impossible,” reframing challenges as pathways to opportunity and failure as a gateway to excellence?

My insights at the intersection of leadership, identity, and personal growth have also been featured in national publications, including Bustle, AskMen, and The Huffington Post, extending my voice beyond the stage and classroom to broader public audiences.

Equally formative have been the lessons of life—some born of joy, others of deep challenge. In 2015, I published The Invitation to Love: Recognizing the Gift Despite Pain, Fear, and Resistance, a deeply personal work that explores resilience, healing, and self-worth. In it, I reflect on being raised by a single parent navigating immense pressures, on strained family relationships that shaped my early understanding of identity and belonging, and on childhood trauma that left lasting emotional imprints. These experiences revealed my vulnerabilities, but they also became powerful teachers.

From those moments emerged a profound understanding of perseverance, courage, and self-love—the inner work required not only to speak one’s truth, but to live it. This perspective allows me to connect authentically with audiences, meeting people where they are while challenging them to grow beyond where they have been.

When you combine formal education with the schooling of life, the result is an educator, a consultant, and a storyteller who brings insight, empathy, and clarity to every room. As a speaker, I draw from research, reflection, and real-world experience to inspire individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, embrace complexity, and transform adversity into opportunity.

Areas of Consulting Concentration

Organizational effectiveness: understanding how to invoke a culture of evidence-based practices within your organization. With that, developing a strategic plan based on a shared vision with measurable and meaningful outcomes.

How to formulate a culture of assessment and evaluation.

Leading with purpose: invoking various theories of leadership to develop action plans for organizational improvements. Second, see work with a greater purpose, for a greater good that leads to higher rates of productivity and staff retention.