The legacy of Black educators like Dr. Brown offers essential insights into the current shortage of Black teachers and the systemic barriers that have disrupted Black teacher networks over time. The desegregation efforts following Brown v. Board of Education, while vital to ending racial segregation, also led to the displacement of many Black educators and a significant disruption in the Black teacher pipeline. As we seek to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in North Carolina’s educator workforce, understanding the historical context of these disruptions is crucial. By paying attention to history, we can better address the root causes of the shortage and build stronger support systems for teachers of color today.
Through historical exploration, culturally responsive pedagogy workshops, and strategic discussions around research and policy, this summit will empower participants to take actionable steps to address systemic barriers and create a more inclusive, equitable future for education in North Carolina.
This event is co-sponsored by The Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum at Historical Palmer Memorial Institute.
This keynote will open the summit by exploring the life and work of Dr. Charlotte Hawkins Brown, emphasizing her contributions to Black education and how her legacy provides a foundation for today’s educational equity efforts. The keynote will draw parallels between the historical fight for educational access and the ongoing work of the DRIVE Task Force to promote racial and cultural diversity in North Carolina’s education system. Special attention will be given to the impact of desegregation policies, such as Brown v. Board of Education, and how they led to the displacement of many Black educators, contributing to the current shortage.
Participants will understand the historical context of Black education in North Carolina and its connection to current efforts to address systemic inequities in K-12 education, particularly the recruitment and retention of Black teachers.
This session will focus on strategies for building supportive professional networks that help retain educators of color in North Carolina’s schools. Participants will learn about mentorship models, affinity groups, and professional development programs that support retention and growth.
Participants will leave with concrete strategies for building and sustaining support systems that retain diverse educators in their schools and districts.
In this facilitated Q&A session, participants will reflect on the themes of the day and discuss the practical steps they can take to implement the lessons learned. The discussion will include how educators and coalition members can continue to push forward the goals of the DRIVE Task Force and advocate for lasting systemic change.
Participants will leave with a clear action plan and a renewed commitment to advancing educational equity in their schools and communities, guided by the lessons learned from Dr. Charlotte Hawkins Brown’s legacy.
Candance Thompson
Deanna Townsend-Smith
Dr. Cherrel Miller Dyce
Dr. Dudley Flood
Dudley E. Flood was born and reared in Winton, North Carolina. Since 1970, Dr. Flood has lived in Raleigh, North Carolina.
He began his career as a teacher of math, science and English at the eighth grade level. He later taught high school social studies and coached high school basketball and football. He served for three years as principal of a school covering grades 1 - 12 before joining the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction as a specialist in school desegregation and race relations.
During his 21 years of service with the Department of Public Instruction, he earned promotions first to Assistant and then Associate State Superintendent. After retiring from Public Instruction on December 31, 1990, he served for 5 years and 3 months as Executive Director of the North Carolina Association of School Administrators. Since April 1996, he has been a lecturer and consultant to groups throughout the country and abroad.
He has been a Visiting Professor at Meredith College and at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and has taught in the Principals Executive Program at the University of North Carolina.
He earned the bachelor’s degree from North Carolina Central University, the master’s degree in educational administration from East Carolina University and the doctorate degree in the same field from Duke University. He has studied further at Elizabeth City State University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Hampton University.
Dr. Flood has spoken in all 100 of North Carolina's counties. Also, he has spoken or conducted workshops in 48 of the 50 United States, in Bermuda, the District of Columbia, Canada, and Germany. His writings have been published in more than 25 journals and he has authored three books.
He has received more than 350 awards for civic service. He has been presented the Order of the Longleaf Pine Award (North Carolina's highest civic award), by three different Governors; Governor James G. Martin, Governor James B. Hunt, Jr., and Governor Mike Easley. He has received the Outstanding Alumni Award from both North Carolina Central University and East Carolina University, and has received the Doctorate of Humane Letters from both North Carolina Central University and the University of North Carolina in Asheville.
He served for twelve years on the Board of Governors of the University of North Carolina. He currently serves on the N. C. Minority Cancer Awareness Action Team; the Public School Forum of North Carolina Board; the Wake Education Partnership Leadership Council; the UNC Press Advancement Council and on several other boards and committees. He is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity and of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity. He is also a member of Martin Street Baptist Church in Raleigh where he serves as Sunday School Teacher. For fifty-five years, he was married to the late Barbara Thomas Flood whose inspiration he credits with any success that he has experienced.
Eugenia Floyd
Eugenia Floyd is the 2021 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year. Prior to this position, she was a fourth grade Teacher at Mary Scroggs Elementary School. Eugenia is a product of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, the district in which she teaches. After Eugenia received a degree in History from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2009, she became a teacher assistant. She then received her teaching credentials from North Carolina Central University in 2013. Eugenia also holds a Master in Gifted Education from Elon University, which she obtained in 2020. Eugenia is excited to advocate and support both the students and teachers of North Carolina.
Jamie Latham
Keryn Vickers
Kim Jones
Mary D. Williams
Matthre Scialdone
Saletta Ureña
- NEA Equity Leader
- NCAE Instructional Leadership Institute Graduate
- NEA Black Caucus, NEA Hispanic Caucus, NEA Peace and Justice Caucus and NCAE Black Caucus member
As an educator, Saletta follows her church’s motto of “Everybody is Somebody’. She is dedicated to fostering second language proficiency and cultural sensitivity. Her classroom focus is on advocating for social and racial justice and thus she has created a Spanish curriculum to both decolonize Latin American history and educate on marginalized communities within the Spanish-Speaking world. Equity advocacy compels her to take action to uncover, confront and respond to racial injustice and inequity in her school and curriculum.
In addition, she is the proud parent of Lincoln, Jefferson, Jacqueline and Joel. An active mother and teacher she believes, “We make a living by what we get, but make a life by what we give.” – Winston Churchill
Yvette Mason
