Introduce yourself — Who are you, and what do you do?
Dr. Pamela Tolbert-Bynum Rivers and I am a college administrator, visionary higher education strategist, and mentor to faculty and administrators. I create projects for progressive educators to feel empowered when they’re working with adult learners.
Where are you from?
I was born and raised in Gary, Indiana. I’ ‘ve lived in the American South, NYC, and currently reside in the state of Connecticut.
How do you see entrepreneurship fitting into the life of someone who has academic credentials?
Entrepreneurs create economic value from their work. Since it entails critical thinking, a degree of risk-taking, and strong organizational skills, entrepreneurship dovetails well with traits assumed by most academics.
How can they use those credentials outside of academia?
Academics can use their credentials to unlock doors for further opportunities.
How does the educational system help or hinder academics who want to make an impact at scale?
Any type of system may potentially hinder, but it is up to the individual to shatter glass ceilings and misperceptions. Systems may potentially help academics by offering the gift of time.
Could you touch on why amplifying your platform is important to you?
Amplifying my platform is critical to me simply because this work is not about me. There are countless numbers of academically underprepared individuals who matriculate into higher education each year or into workforce development programs and yet fail to complete programs and credentials that might elevate them socioeconomically.
What will that mean for you and the communities you are trying to impact?
Since such adult learners are disproportionately first-generation and of color, it would mean that this work has the potential to positively impact entire communities and a generation.
Over the last year, what are some mindset shifts that have been important for you in terms of increasing your visibility, authority, and income?
The pandemic, with its incalculable learning loss and disruption to academic life, certainly caused a mindset shift. Standardized test scores, such as the ACT, dropped to their lowest in 30 years. Minoritized students, who already suffer academically, suffer even more. As such, there is an urgency for me in terms of sharing this work.
Who are some of your inspirations (in any medium) behind your work and goals?
Educator Marva Collins is certainly an inspiration, as are the teachers I have called mentors in the past. The Jesuits and their conception of “cura personalis” (educating the whole student – mind, body, and soul) are also inspirations.
In an ideal world, where do you see your career and what you are building five years from now?
Ideally, I would like to continue educating and training faculty around these critical concepts of authentic care and inclusive teaching. In 5 years, I would like to see most institutions that facilitate the learning of adults embrace the development of the whole person.
Any advice for others who are looking to begin their brand-building journey but are unsure how to start?
What have been some of the biggest lessons you’ve learned along the way?
I’ve learned how liberating it is to put that brand statement in writing. It broadens one’s outlook and perspective on the work itself. Once you see it and realize this is not about me, an urgency grips you.
Recent Comments