Tameka Ellington, motivational speaker, educator and professional development strategist, will be at MTSU’s College of Education next week to speak about the importance of building relationships with students at a Tuesday, Feb. 21, keynote address for faculty, staff and the public and a Wednesday, Feb. 22, lecture event for students. 

“We invited her to speak to students, faculty and staff because she is a first-generation college graduate who earned her Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from Kent State University and who is an author who inspires students to go after their dreams,” said Michelle Stevens, director of the Center for Fairness, Justice and Equity officially hosting the event. 

The center, part of the College of Education, opened almost a year ago and works to cultivate an inclusive and diverse college by intentionally recruiting diverse faculty, teacher candidates and educational personnel from a multitude of backgrounds.

Since last fall, center staff have put on multiple student success workshops, student forums, faculty and student lunch-and-learns, students of color collective meetings, cultural awareness and humility workshops and now next week’s lectures. 

Both lectures will be held at the College of Education Building located at 1756 MTSU Blvd. The Feb. 21 in-person event for faculty, staff and public will take place from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. in Room 160, and the Feb. 22 event for students will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Room 164. Those interested in attending do not need to register beforehand. 

Ellington, known as the “The Black Beauty Activist” according to her website, grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and overcame a difficult childhood to attend college, earn her doctorate, work in higher education administration, become an author and found her own company. 

“Dr. Ellington believes strongly in education and taught at Kent State,” Stevens said. “She served as assistant dean for the College of the Arts and director for diversity initiatives for a team of over 3,000 faculty, staff and students. She is dedicated to helping people achieve new levels of self-confidence and helping them break down cultural barriers in their personal and professional lives … and sharing her perspective of integrating principles related to equity and student empowerment in the classroom.”

For off-campus visitors planning to attend the event, an MTSU parking map is available at https://bit.ly/MTSUParking.

To learn more about upcoming events hosted by the Center for Fairness, Justice and Equity, visit the website at https://www.mtsu.edu/fjecoe/events.php. 

To learn more about the opportunities at MTSU’s College of Education, visit the website at https://www.mtsu.edu/education/ and the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/MTSUEducation/. 

— Stephanie Wagner (Stephanie.Wagner@mtsu.edu)