National Campaign to Advance Achievement among Boys and Young Men Announces Launch of Minority Male Youth 2050
Project will focus on solutions
Washington, DC – November 16, 2011 - The Boys Initiative (www.theboysinitiative.org) today announced the launch of its project Minority Male Youth 2050 with the appointment of the project steering committee.
Achievement is declining among all young males, regardless of race or ethnicity. With that said, the risk factors for underachievement are most pronounced among minority males. By 2020 the combined minority population in grades K-12 will exceed the white population. By 2050 Hispanics will comprise a majority of the US population. Yet today among males, only 28% of African Americans, 24% of Native Americans and Pacific Islanders and 16% of Hispanic Americans have at least an associate degree.
In response to these trends, The Boys Initiative has launched Minority Male Youth 2050. The mission of the project is to facilitate a cooperative endeavor among organizations and stakeholders in male minority youth. The purpose of the endeavor is to 1) exchange and collect information on solution-focused research, demonstration projects and strategies that enhance minority male achievement; 2) develop and support recommendations for research, best practices and "what works"; and 3) facilitate pilot projects and advocacy efforts that focus on solutions.
Detailed information about the project can be found at the project page on The Boys Initiative’s website.
“The members of our project steering committee are among our nation’s leaders in the field of minority male youth. They understand the obstacles that our minority male youth face today, and have dedicated their careers to finding solutions to this pressing problem.” said Dennis Barbour, CEO of The Boys Initiative. “We are honored that they will be guiding this effort.”
Members of the steering committee are as follows:
Jermane Bond, Ph.D.
Health Policy Institute, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies
Washington, DC
jbond@jointcenter.org
Dr. Jermaine Bond is currently a Research Associate in the Health Policy Institute at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. His research interests include paternal involvement in pregnancy outcomes, men”s preconception health and care, preterm birth, infant mortality, and men”s reproductive health.
With funding from the Office of Minority Health in the Department of Health and Human Services, Dr. Bond recently formed and currently directs the Commission on Paternal Involvement in Pregnancy
Outcomes, (a transdisciplinary working group of social scientist and public health professionals) to raise awareness for the importance of paternal involvement in pregnancy and family health by reframing debates, informing research, policy and practice to support greater involvement of expectant fathers in pregnancy.
Dr. Bond is also Vice President of the Board of Directors at the Family Health and Birth Center in the District of Columbia, a member of the American College of Epidemiology and has been recently appointed to serve on the Editorial Board of the American Journal of Public Health.
Lamont A. Flowers, Ph.D.
Eugene T. Moore School of
Education at Clemson University
Clemson, SC
lflower@clemson.edu
Lamont A. Flowers is the Distinguished Professor of Educational Leadership in the Department of Leadership, Counselor Education, Human and Organizational Development and the Executive Director of the Charles H. Houston Center for the Study of the Black Experience in Education in the Eugene T. Moore School of Education at Clemson University.
Dr. Flowers received a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Virginia Commonwealth University. He received a Master of Arts degree in Social Studies Education as well as a Doctorate in Higher Education from the University of Iowa. Dr. Flowers also received a Master of Industrial Statistics degree from the University of South Carolina.
Dr. Flowers has authored several scholarly publications pertaining to the educational experiences and outcomes of African Americans from pre-kindergarten through college, diversity issues in education, as well as organizational and leadership issues in education.
Juan Gomez
Fellow
The California Endowment
1414 K Street, 5thFloor
Sacramento, CA 95814
jgomez@calendow.org
Juan Gomez is currently a Fellow at The California Endowment where he focuses on efforts to increase youth opportunity. In addition, he serves as a trainer with The Council for Boys and young Men; a gender responsive model promoting healthy male development. Prior to his fellowship at TCE, he was at Barrios Unidos of Santa Cruz, as a community organizer, and was active in addressing Juvenile Justice issues on a national level. He has served on The Robert Wood Johnsons Foundation: Reclaiming Futures Initiative, where he worked with selected jurisdictions on enhancing juvenile treatment models. Mr. Gomez has also provided technical assistance to the VERA Institute’s, Youth Justice Learning Group. Mr.Gomez was raised in Watsonville, CA where he grew up with his grandma Amelia and grandpa Ampelio.
Jame’l R. Hodges, Ed.D.
Association of Public and
Land-grant Universities
Washington, DC
jhodges@aplu.org
Dr. Jame"l Hodges received his Bachelor of Arts degree in English with a minor in Mass Communication from Virginia State University and his Masters of Science degree from Florida State University in Higher Education Administration. For three years he worked in the Division of Student Affairs at the University of Georgia prior to accepting the position of Coordinator of Greek Life and Education in 2005 at Cal Poly Pomona followed by a promotion as the Coordinator of Residential Education and Leadership in 2007. Obtaining his Doctorate of Education from the University of Southern California"s Rossier School of Education, he is passionate about the access, retention and graduation rates of males of color through the pipeline of higher education.
Dr. Hodges is well versed in presenting leadership programs and workshops at local, national and regional conferences. He has worked as a facilitator with Harbor Institute & co presented with Warmack and Associates. He served as the Director of Multicultural Affairs at Lehigh University and is an active member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. On July 1, 2011 he began working as the Staff Associate for the Office for Access and the Advancement of Public Black Universities at the Association for Public &Land-grant Universities where he provides advice and support to the Vice President for OAAPBU on programmatic efforts such as the Minority Male STEM Initiative, as well as planning, managing and coordinating special projects/initiatives and meetings sponsored by OAAPBU. He also manages the development, design and delivery of all routine communication with Councils, Commissions, and boards supported by the office, to include the Commission on Access, Diversity and Excellence, the Council of 1890 Universities, and the OAAPBU Advisory Board.
Under his leadership, his students have won regional and national awards and scholarships. He was named Rookie of the Year within the Division of Student Affairs at Cal Poly Pomona, and was a recipient of the Amelia Hammond Staff Council Scholarship in 2009.
James L. Moore III, Ph.D.
Associate Provost | Office of Diversity and Inclusion
The Ohio State University
Columbus, OH
moore.1408@osu.edu
Dr. James L. Moore III is an associate provost in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, where he also serves as the inaugural director of the Todd Anthony Bell National Resource Center on the African American Male at The Ohio State University. Additionally, he is a full professor in Counselor Education in the College of Education and Human Ecology.
Dr. Moore has a national- and international-recognized research agenda that focuses on (a) how educational professionals, such as school counselors, influence the educational/career aspirations and school experiences of students of color (particularly African American males); (b) socio-cultural, familial, school, and community factors that support, enhance, and impede academic outcomes for preK-20 African American students (e.g., elementary, secondary, and postsecondary); (c) recruitment and retention issues of students of color, particularly African Americans, in preK-12 gifted education and those high-potential college students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors; and (d) social, emotional, and psychological consequences of racial oppression for African American males and other people of color in various domains in society (e.g., education, counseling, workplace, athletics, etc.). In a short span of time, he has made significant contributions in school counseling, gifted education, urban education, higher education, multicultural education/counseling, and STEM education. Dr. Moore has also published over 80 publications, obtained over $4.5 million in grants and contracts, and given over 150 scholarly presentations and lectures throughout the world (e.g., United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, India, China, and Spain).
Throughout the country, he is frequently invited to serve on national committees, boards, and taskforces, such as the Policy and Advocacy Committee for the Coalition of Schools Educating Boys of Color, National Career Development Association Diversity Committee, Public/Private Ventures’ Marginalized Males of Color Practitioners’ Network, Journal of African American Males in Education Advisory Board, AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) Center’s African American Male Advisory Board, National Association for the Education of African American Children with Learning Disabilities Board of Trustees, and Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities’ Minority Male STEM Initiative Task Force.
Luis Ponjuan, PhD
Assistant Professor, Higher Education Administration
Director, Institute of Higher Education
College of Education
University of Florida
Luis Ponjuan, Ph.D. is currently an Assistant Professor in the College of Education and the Director of the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Florida (UF). He holds graduate faculty member status in the College of Education and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Dr. Ponjuan also holds faculty affiliate status in the Center for Latin American Studies.
In his tenure at UF, he has developed a comprehensive research agenda focused on access and equity in higher education for underrepresented students and faculty of color. Dr. Ponjuan has published research articles focused on the educational pathways of Latino students. In addition, he has published on the educational experiences of undergraduate students in STEM academic degrees and research lab settings. Finally, he also explores the work life experiences of faculty members in higher education institutions. He has published his research in premier higher education academic journals (e.g. Research in Higher Education, Journal of Higher Education, Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, Thought and Action), higher education policy briefs for national education organizations (e.g. Association for Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU), Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP).
Due to his research agenda and accomplishments, Dr. Ponjuan was awarded the 2011 NEA New Scholar Prize for his research on Latino faculty, recognized as a 2009 Faculty Fellow for the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education, and a 2008 ASHE and Ford Foundation Fellow for the Institute on equity research methods and critical policy analysis. He has been selected as a research scholar for the 2010 National Academy of Engineering and National Science Foundation Colloquy on Minority Males in STEM and the 2009 AERA Institute on Statistical analysis for Education Policy. At the University of Florida, he received the 2007-2008 College of Education Scholarship of Engagement faculty award. The SAGE publishing company recently recognized his co-authored article The Vanishing Latino Male in Higher Education as A SAGE 2010 most downloaded article designation.
He earned his Ph.D. in Higher Education with concentrations in Quantitative Research Methodology and Organizational Behavior and Theory from the University of Michigan. His Masters of Science in Higher Education Administration from The Florida State University and his Bachelors of Science in Psychology from the University of New Orleans.
Contact:
Dennis J. Barbour
dbarbour@theboysinitiative.org
202-841-7475
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