On May 20, 2019, Atlanta Board of Education District 5, Board Member Erika Y. Mitchell appoints Dr. Bryant T. Marks to the Community Equity Advisory Committee.
The Community Equity Advisory Committee will provide advice and input to the Superintendent on equity issues within the school district. Each Board Member is required one appointment to this advisory committee and consist of no more than eleven members. The Superintendent shall develop a biennial equity plan in conjunction with the beginning of the budget process. The Board will review the Superintendent’s equity plan to ensure that all students are being provided equitable access to excellent educational opportunities. The Board and Superintendent will develop annual equity goals and the district shall review existing policies, programs, professional development and procedures to ensure the promotion of equity.
Dr. Bryant T. Marks, Sr. is a minister, researcher, trainer, and award-winning educator. His calling/passion/purpose is to develop the knowledge, wisdom, and skills of others that will allow them to reach their full potential and live their lives with purpose and passion. He is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Morehouse College, Founding Director and Principal Trainer with the
National Training Institute on Race & Equity. Dr. Marks served as a Commissioner with the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans and the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities with the Obama Administration. He was also a contributor to the White House’s My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) Task Force and serves on the MBK Task Force for Fulton (Atlanta) County, GA. Dr. Marks was a contributor/trainer with the Obama Administration’s My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) and 21st Century Policing programs.
As a diversity and implicit bias expert, Dr. Marks has provided implicit bias training to over 2,000 Police Chiefs and executives via a series of briefings at the White House in 2016, and several thousand patrol officers in local police departments including the entire Los Angeles Police Department. He has also provided training related to diversity and implicit bias to individuals in education (K-12 and higher education), philanthropy, non-profits, local and federal government, and several other sectors. He serves on several national boards and is a highly sought after speaker and trainer.
Dr. Marks holds a B.A. in psychology and a minor in economics from Morehouse College, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Michigan. He was an Assistant Professor of psychology and African American Studies at the University of Illinois-Chicago prior to returning to Morehouse. Dr. Marks conducts research and professional development in the areas of diversity and implicit bias, Black male psychology and development, the academic achievement of minority college students, innovations in STEM education, and personal passion and productivity. Dr. Marks is married to Kimberly Marks and father to Kim, Zion-Trinity, and Bryant II.
"I am honored to appoint Dr. Marks to the Community Equity Advisory Committee.
Dr. Marks will bring a wealth of knowledge and his expertise to this committee. I am more than confident that Dr. Marks will help to drive our equity work to achieve our district goals for a more equitable school distirct", says, Board Member Mitchell.
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