Featuring our Keynote Speaker: Dr. Tommie Mabry

Dr. Tommie Mabry grew up in Jackson, Mississippi. Due to a lack of positive role models, Dr. Mabry turned to life in the streets. He was expelled from numerous schools, and by age eleven had been arrested for breaking and entering. Things started to change for Dr. Mabry when he joined an AAU basketball team that traveled around the world. After completing his undergraduate studies at Tougaloo College, he taught school in the same district where he had been expelled numerous times. He earned his Ph.D. from Jackson State University and has published three books, A Dark Journey to a Light Future, If Tommie Can Do It, We Can Do It, and Little Tommie’s Four B’s.

Dr. Mabry’s platform tackles the experiences and challenges that minority students face in communities and educational environments. By focusing on real-life topics such as, bullying, life skills, classroom management, and more, he seeks to give students and staff a positive outlook on teaching and learning.

As an advocate for education and student success, Dr. Mabry travels around the country encouraging educators to focus on the whole student and motivating youth to never give up on hope.