Meet Dr. J
I have always been curious about what sits beneath the surface—of institutions, ideas, relationships, and ourselves.
The person before the credentials
I grew up in inner-city Jersey City, New Jersey, where questions of access, institutions, resilience, education, and possibility were never only theoretical.
Education widened my world. Public service taught me to examine how systems function. Scholarship gave me language and methods for understanding patterns. Conversation taught me to listen for the knowledge held inside a life.
Over time, the inquiry moved inward, too. Creativity, reflection, relationship, and the living exploration of Self became part of the same landscape—not a new chapter so much as a fuller recognition of what the work had always been asking.
The body of work
I earned a Ph.D. in Political Science from Howard University with fields in American Government and Political Behavior, International Relations, and Public Administration. That study taught me to follow patterns across people, power, institutions, and possibility.
Across more than sixteen years of federal service, rigorous analysis became a form of public contribution—supporting accountability, evaluation, organizational learning, and better questions.
Education has been both a personal pathway and a field of practice. Through JMF Academy, Ready, Set, Grow, and student-centered learning, I create room for preparation, agency, and expanded possibility.
I build spaces where people can think together—workshops, trainings, conversations, and learning experiences shaped by curiosity, clear structure, and respect for what each person brings.
Meeting Myself, music, media, writing, and podcasting are not departures from the analytical work. They are an extension of the same inquiry: How do we recognize what is true, and live from there?
Selected credentials
Howard University
Program evaluation · Analytical work · Accountability · Organizational learning
Student development · College and beyond · Facilitation · Mentoring
JMF Academy · Meeting Myself · Music · Media · Podcasting