Convocation Keynote Speaker

Dr. Tommie Mabry grew up in one of Jackson, MS roughest neighborhoods. Trouble followed him everywhere before and after fifth grade when he was arrested for breaking into the state fairgrounds. After that arrest, he was suspended or expelled from several schools due to his behavior. A judge once prophesized that in five years his attitude would either get him killed or incarcerated. Tommie grinned at the judge who did not know that the “monster” lurking within him was fueled by the prophecy.

Things started to change for Tommie when he joined an AAU basketball league that traveled around the world. He was the first person in his family to graduate from high school when he crossed the stage at Bailey Magnet in 2007. Although he was shot in the foot after skipping school during his senior year, Tommie healed and received a full basketball scholarship to Missouri State University-West Plains. He later received a B.A. cum laude in Education from Tougaloo College and his M.A. in Child Development in 2017.

After his undergraduate studies, Tommie was hired as a teacher by the same Jackson Public School District that had suspended and expelled him many times during elementary and secondary education. He joined Tougaloo College as the Director of Enrollment in 2016.

Tommie received his Doctorate Degree – an Executive Ph. D. from Jackson State University in 2020 where he majored in Urban Higher Education. He has written and published four books that target all age groups. He travels the world sharing his story to motivate and inspire others – and he lives by the motto, “I cannot walk in my future with my foot in my past."