CLC Keynote Speakers

image of Anthony Graham

Anthony Graham, Ph.D.

Dr. Anthony Graham serves as the interim Chancellor at Winston-Salem State University where he previously served as the Provost and Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs since July 2018. Prior to these positions, Dr. Graham was a tenured Full Professor and dean of the College of Education at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. A graduate of Kinston High School, he attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he earned the bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in mathematics in 1997. He obtained the master’s degree in Secondary English Education in 1999 from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Curriculum and Teaching with a cognate in Multicultural Education in 2003 from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Prior to his work in higher education, Dr. Graham was a high school English teacher.

As a scholar, Dr. Graham leverages Critical Race Theory to examine the academic experiences of African American male students and the construction of their academic and ethnic identities in K-20 educational environments, specifically focusing on effective pedagogies to engage this special population. Using this theoretical framework, Graham explores the sociocultural and sociopolitical experiences of African American male K-12 students and teachers in United States public schools. He has published a variety of book chapters, peer-reviewed journal articles, and co-authored a book.  In addition, he has served as the managing editor of the historic peer-review academic journal The Negro Educational Review.

Dr. Graham has procured grants totaling approximately $25 million. With these funds, he has collaborated with educators and scholars to create initiatives that increase the number of classroom teachers, especially ethnic and racial minority teachers, who enter the teaching profession in under-resourced and hard-to-staff rural and urban schools. These programs include the Central Carolina Innovation Corps (iCorps) Program funded by the National Science Foundation, the Winston-Salem State University Adult Connections and Continuing Education Student Success (ACCESS) Program funded by the Lumina Foundation, North Carolina A&T Rural Teaching Fellows Program funded by the United States Department of Education, the North Carolina A&Teach STEM Scholars Program, funded by the National Science Foundation, the Winston-Salem Teacher Residency and the North Carolina A&T Teacher Residency funded by the United States Department of Education. Additionally, he has created and coordinated numerous initiatives to increase the number of racial and ethnic minority students who matriculate to four-year institutions of higher education. These initiatives include the Brother-2-Brother Mentoring Program, the Lunch with the Kings Program for Elementary Black Boys, the Charles Hamilton Houston Summer Leadership Institute for Adolescent African American Boys, and the Scholarship Search and College Admission Conference for Minority Students.

Dr. Graham’s commitment to the uplift of his community and to the improvement of K-20 education in North Carolina is demonstrated in his service to civic and professional organizations.  Dr. Graham chairs Governor Roy Cooper’s DRIVE (Developing a Representative and Inclusive Vision for Education) Task Force and co-chairs the University of North Carolina System Educator Preparation Advisory Group. He also serves on a number of boards and commissions, including those for Deans For Impact, Senior Services Incorporated, Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina, the North Carolina Professional Educator Preparation and Standards Commission (PEPSC), and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated and Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity among others.

Several organizations have recognized Dr. Graham for his contributions. In June 2023, he received the North Carolina State University’s Leadership Institute for Future Teachers (LIFT) Innovators Award. Additionally, the Piedmont Triad’s Business Journal magazine recognized him as one of its 40 Leaders Under the Age of 40 in 2014, and he received the Sarah Herbin Award from the Black Child Development Institute-Greensboro, also in 2014. The National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, Incorporated recognized him as one of its “Young Leaders on the Move, and the Empire Corporation named him one of the Top Young Executives and Professionals in the United States.

A much sought-after motivational speaker, Dr. Graham shares his message of optimism, collective efficacy, critical consciousness, servant leadership and social activism. He has delivered keynote addresses at international and national conferences; university Founder’s Day Convocations; and university, community college, and high school commencements.

image of Adam Dovico

Adam Dovico, Ph.D.

Dr. Adam Dovico is an accomplished Nationally Board Certified teacher, curriculum facilitator, principal, college professor, speaker, and author. For the past two decades, he has taught students of all ages through his engaging and rigorous teaching style. He has also provided professional development for educators around the world through his keynotes, workshops, and books.

You can often find Adam standing on a table or chair dressed in one of his signature suits. He has taught at esteemed institutions, including the Ron Clark Academy and Wake Forest University, and has been recognized by organizations such as the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund, Learning for Justice, and the Atlanta Falcons for his leadership and teaching.

He continues to work for greater equity in schools through his culturally responsive pedagogy. You can find Adam on social media at adamdovico and on his website adamdovico.com.