Neffitina Thompson | Advancing Education & Workforce Development 

I am a transformational leader, lifelong learner, and first-generation college graduate whose lived experiences directly inform my scholarly and professional work. Growing up in Baltimore City and navigating a nontraditional path to higher education—earning degrees in Elementary Education, Human Resource Management, and Educational Leadership—I came to understand lived experience as a form of expertise, not a deficit.

This belief is the foundation of the Funds of Knowledge–Educator Well-Being (FoK-EWB™) Framework, an original conceptual model I developed to center educators’ cultural, experiential, and emotional knowledge as essential assets for leadership, psychological safety, and sustainable workforce development. Rooted in resilience, faith, and equity, my work reframes educator well-being not as individual self-care, but as a systemic responsibility shaped by leadership behaviors, organizational culture, and relational trust.

Through FoK-EWB™, I use my journey to inspire and equip educators—especially those from underrepresented backgrounds—to recognize their worth, reclaim their voice, and pursue growth with confidence and purpose.