In 1990, Denelle Wallace entered public education as an upper elementary classroom educator for Norfolk Public Schools, an urban school division. In 1993, Denelle Wallace relocated to the Atlanta metro area and became an upper elementary educator for Cobb County Public Schools in Marietta, Georgia. Dr. Wallace’s passion for the connection between cultural competency and research-based instructional strategies as the keys for promoting student achievement was ignited by the experiences of interacting with diverse student populations in two different states. Returning to the Norfolk Public Schools System in 1996, Dr. Wallace was encouraged by the school division’s commitment to instructional excellence and achievement for all students to pursue a doctorate in urban education. After eleven years as an elementary educator, Dr. Wallace entered a middle school educator experience with the Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools System. From 2001 through 2007, Dr. Wallace wore many hats within Toano Middle School. These many roles included Minority Achievement Leader for 5 years, Standards of Learning Resource Educator for 2 years, AVID Coordinator for 3 years, and Assistant Principal for 1 year. Currently, Dr. Wallace is an assistant professor for Norfolk State University and an educational consultant.
With a passion for assisting educators in understanding how important cultural competence is to academic achievement, community relations, and economic success, Dr. Wallace has been providing her services as a consultant in the areas of diversity, cultural competency, and sensitivity to profit and not for profit organizations. Additionally, as an active board member of the non-profit organization, Technology Uplift Inc, Dr. Wallace seeks to bring awareness to the public of the need to narrow the digital divide through mentoring, exposure to technology courses, and access to state-of-the art computer technology.
Dr. Wallace received a B.S. in Elementary Education from Old Dominion University, an M.Ed. in School Counseling from Georgia State University, and a Ph.D. in Urban Services with a concentration in Academic Leadership from Old Dominion University. Additionally, Dr. Wallace has received certification in the areas of diversity, professional competence, and coalition building through the Staub Leadership Institute in Greeensboro, North Carolina and the National Multicultural Institute in Bethesda, Maryland. She is a member of the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development, the Virginia Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development, and the National Staff Development Council.
Being a mentor with the National Urban Alliance is the union of my passion and beliefs with an organization that completely understands the urgency of uniting with educators to provide students with the very best we all have to offer. Maya Angelo said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Being a mentor enables me to help educators feel excited about how effective they can be in meeting the needs of a diverse student population.
Denelle Wallace, Ph.D.
dwallace@denellewallace.com
