Professor.

I’m an associate professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago in the Department of Educational Policy Studies where I teach and advise primarily in the Urban Education Leadership Ed.D. program. My research explores how equity-focused school leadership improves Black children and youth’s academic achievement and socio-emotional well-being across a range of K-12 educational settings. Specifically, I am interested in how adults make sense of and use their personal and collective influence and resources to transform educational spaces (including the self) to benefit students of color. 

In my work in higher education, I wear several hats. I teach classes in the areas of educational leadership, organizational change, and school improvement. In addition to supporting the Urban Education Leadership program, I work as a consulting advisor for UIC’s Center for Literacy and am Director of the College’s Call Me Mister Initiative. I’m a co-investigator for a $500,000 Spencer Foundation-funded study of Pk-12 district equity directors. I participate in a lot of meetings. And respond to a lot of emails. Did I mention a lot of emails? Learn more about my contributions to higher education below: