Adrian, MI – A well-known advocate for students in K-12 to higher education, Tyrone Bledsoe, Ph.D., will be Adrian College’s Convocation speaker at 12 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 7, in Herrick Chapel. Bledsoe’s address is titled “Learning Throughout a Lifetime.”
Three awards will be presented to Adrian College faculty members during this Dr. James Borland Convocation Series. This event is free and open to the public.
Bledsoe has more than 36 years of post-secondary educational experience and is the founder and current CEO-President of the Student African American Brotherhood (SAAB), a national organization with over 355 chapters in 41 states. The organization endeavors to instill a “spirit of care,” and enhance the experiences of young males of color in the country.
Before transitioning to his role with SAAB, Bledsoe served as Vice President for Student Life and Special Assistant to the President at the University of Toledo. He received his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Education degrees from Mississippi State University, and went on to complete a Ph.D. in Counseling and Student Affairs Administration with an emphasis in Counseling Psychology at the University of Georgia. Bledsoe was recognized as Outstanding Doctoral Student in Georgia, and as Outstanding Doctoral Alumnus by the University of Georgia and Mississippi State University.
Of the articles and book publications he has written, Bledsoe notes he is most proud of his contributions as an author who helped inspire the book “African American Men in College.”
Bledsoe has appeared on several talk shows where he discussed issues pertaining to African American and Latino males, and has assisted an international research team to help address issues and challenges affecting men of color in London and Germany. He is universally recognized by several professional associations for his research, publications, presentations, and scholarly achievements. Because of his many contributions to student affairs in higher education, his membership with the American College Personnel Association led to his being distinguished as a Diamond Honoree. The University System of Georgia awarded him an “Impact Award” for his contributions and impact to Georgia’s efforts to graduate more African American males in its state system. His work has been featured in the Harvard University Educational Review Journal and recently the College Board awarded him the Dr. Asa G. Hilliard Model of Excellence
Award for his considerable work mentoring and supporting African American males in the country.
The Campaign for Black Male Achievement awarded Bledsoe its “Beloved Community Award” for his impact on black males. In 2020, an article in Forbes Magazine cited him as a “Contemporary Inspiration.”
Bledsoe’s international work has earned him notoriety with Ashoka, a global association of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs, which selected him in 2006 as one of the most outstanding social innovators in the world. He has been a member of Bermuda College’s editorial journal board for the “Voices in Education,” since 2014.
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton invited Bledsoe to participate in the “Clinton Global Initiative,” to help shape discussions on how America could strengthen its workforce. Bledsoe was also invited by the White House to attend a National Summit on the Success of Black Males, hosted by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, as a direct response to former U.S. President Barack Obama’s executive order for an initiative to address the success of African American students.
He was recently featured in the national newsletter of the Campaign for Black Male Achievement and deemed a “national treasure” by CEO Shawn Dove. Lumina Foundation for Education’s President, Jamie Merisotis, recently celebrated Bledsoe as an enduring and inspiring leader who is helping America develop future talent the country needs, and the City of Detroit bestowed the “Spirit of Detroit Award” to him for his work in and around the Greater Detroit Metro area.
Bledsoe was nominated to the “CNN Heroes” Class of 2015 for his contributions to humankind and his impact as a world innovator, followed by an invitation to the White House the next year to receive the Presidential Service Volunteer Award for his innovation with SAAB as a best practice in the country, coupled with SAAB’s impact to communities across the nation.
He has been a member of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. for the past 40 years, and is one of the past presidents of the Rotary Club of Reynolds Corners in Toledo, Ohio. Bledsoe is also an Eagle Scout who serves the Erie Shores Council of the Boy Scouts of America in Northwest Ohio.
Bledsoe was born and raised in Grenada, Miss., and currently resides in Springfield, Mo. He is the father of three sons, Tyrone Jr., Exon and Ronnie.
Tune into our local and state newscasts, anytime day or night, for this story and more.
#wlenradio #wlennews #lenaweenews
*Media courtesy of Adrian College*