Joycelyn Landrum-Brown, earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Michigan State University in 1984. Before retiring in 2021she that department helds a position as an adjunct assistant professor in Educational Psychology and was also a Program Coordinator with the Office of Inclusion and Intercultural Relations (OIIR) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In her Program Coordinator role she oversaw the EPSY203 intergroup dialogue courses offered with OIIR in collaboration with OIIR [now SSIB]  through the Diversity & Social Justice Education unit. Her professional interests include examining race, racism, internalized oppression, critical dialogic processes and Whiteness Studies, as well as exploring the intersection and impact of social identities on social and community relations. In retirement, Dr. Landrum-Brown is co-chair of the NAACP education committee; co-chair of the Race Relations Subcommittee of the UC Community Coalition, she has continued teaching a gen ed class in Educational Psychology, taught a class on “Conversations Exploring Structural Racism” at OllI at Illinois, served on the MLK “Living the Dream” scholarship application review committee. She is currently the co-chair of the Social Action Committee for her sorority, CUAC, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Dr. Landrum-Brown also has her own consulting business, specializing in diversity and social justice education and training, and has worked in this area for the last 34 years with a variety of educational, religious and business organizations, in the communities where she has lived.

Dr. Barbara Suggs-Mason

Dr. Barbara Suggs-Mason

Dr. Barbara Suggs-Mason grew up in Champaign and attended its local public schools.  She received her bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University and attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she received master’s degrees in music education and Voice Performance and Literature and her doctorate in Educational Organization and Leadership. 

Dr. Suggs-Mason worked in public education in Illinois for over 37 years, beginning her career as a teacher aide at Kenwood Elementary School in Champaign.  She served as a teacher in the school districts of Champaign, Evanston Township High School, and Oak Park, and as an adjunct instructor at several universities in the Chicago area.  She is a recipient of an Award of Merit from the Illinois State Board of Education for her work as a classroom teacher in Oak Park Elementary School District 97.   She led oversite committees in Oak Park and Matteson which resulted in the construction of three state-of-the-art middle schools. 

Dr. Suggs-Mason spent the last 16 years of her career in Elementary School District 159, serving as a principal, Assistant and Deputy Superintendent and Superintendent of Schools.  During her tenure there, the district (90% African American and 70% free and reduced lunch) was able to implement a comprehensive curriculum and innovative instructional practices that led to a 26% increase in overall ISAT results from 2005-2012 (82% meeting and exceeding). She firmly believes that given equitable and strategic resources, all children can and should achieve their full potential.

Most recently she has presented at Governor State University’s School for Extended Learning  Conference, speaking on Reimagining Parental Engagement in Post-COVID and was a panelist at the 2023 Council for Urban Boards of Education (CUBE) Conference for the presentation entitled Student Achievement Data Transparency (SADT) Moving Student Achievement to the “Right,” addressing the national crisis of African and Latino American achievement data.  Currently, she is the co-chair of the Champaign County African American Heritage Trail, a celebration of the lives and contributions of African Americans in the Champaign County area from 1850 to the present and is a member of the American Association of School Administrators, Phi Delta Kappa, The Horace Mann League, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and The Links, Incorporated.