Vitae

I am a native of St. Paul and a product of St. Paul Public Schools. I attended Webster Elementary, Como Jr. High, and St. Paul Central as a youth.  During my senior year in 1969, I earned All-District  Honors as a swimmer for Central and was a member of the Central High School championship track team.  After graduating from Central, I left St. Paul to attend Tennessee State University. During my days in Nashville, I was active in the desegregation and civil rights movement and eventually joined the FOI of the Nation Of Islam.  

My professional career includes working for Ramsey Action Programs as a community organizer, the St. Paul Urban League as a program manager, and the IBM Corporation as a Marketing representative.  In February 1981, I founded New World Trading Company, Inc., organized for International and Domestic sales and services. NWTCo., Inc. eventually became an exporter of dairy animals to Seoul, Korea, and Taipei, ROC.  In addition, NWTCO, Inc. served the local contract market as a purveyor of floor coverings and related services. Projects and organizations such as the Ordway Music Theater, Prudential Business Campus, St. Paul Public Schools, Minneapolis Airport Commission, and the Honeywell Corporation were among my customers and major project management accomplishments.  In my role as President and Chief Executive officer, I employed a staff of 14 administrative, skilled, and semi-skilled workers. NWTCo. Inc. remains a chartered corporation in the State of Minnesota.

In 2010, I became passionate about juvenile social justice, which eventually led me to conclude that teaching was the best way to be instrumental in helping young people make better choices.  I inquired about and finally enrolled in the Urban Teacher Program at Metropolitan State University. I earned my Bachelor of Science Degree in Social Science with an emphasis on Urban Education in 2014.  As of August 3, 2021, I completed the Master of Science degree program from the School of Urban Education at Metropolitan State University.  My thesis topic involves encouraging student engagement and building competence in the individual.  My degree program is in Curriculum Pedagogy and Instruction.

I love reading, writing, swimming, and traveling.  My travels have taken me to Arabia, South Korea, the Republic of China, and Hong Kong, throughout Europe from Sweden to Italy (including Greece), the West Indies, throughout Mexico, Canada, and many locales across the United States. My new career as a teacher brings together the best of the days I have experienced as an adult and helps me to be a relevant and contributing member of society.  I couldn't write a better script for my life.

The 2022-2023 school year marks my 9th year of teaching, with 8 of those years spent with St. Paul Public Schools.  The first three years of my new career with St. Paul Public Schools were spent at Hazel Park Preparatory Academy (A authorized IB  middle school) under the leadership of Dr. Delores Henderson.  This is my 5th year as a member of the Social Studies department at Como Senior High. This year I am teaching AP Human Geography, Critical Ethnic Studies, Indigenous Studies, and African American Studies.

I am more than excited to serve my students, and every day, I look forward to being an active member of the Como Park Senior High learning community.