Terris Todd began his motivational speaking career with quite a critical audience – 30 sixth graders in his classroom. More than 20 years later, Terris has significantly expanded his public speaking portfolio to include topics including politics, education and ministering the gospel to crowds who are inspired by his message. Terris was born in Battle Creek, Michigan, and grew up there with his mother and two brothers in the home. His grandparents lived nearby and played a significant role in raising Terris, as well as his father, with whom Terris spent school breaks or weekends in Detroit. In the fall of 1991, he attended Norfolk State University before returning to Michigan to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Education degree from Western Michigan University. He later received from WMU a Master of Education degree in Educational Leadership. Terris launched his education career as a sixth-grade teacher. His student data showed student successes in reading comprehension and writing, but many of his students have shared anecdotal stories with Terris and will tell you that Mr. Todd’s motivational stories played a much larger role in their classroom success than did a history book or classroom notes. After teaching for six years, Terris moved into middle and high-school administration for more than a decade. During this time he also was an adjunct professor at the collegiate level, was a top-level administrator at an alternative high school and was director of programming at a youth residential treatment center. Terris and his wife, Karen are the co-founders of My Brother’s Keeper, Inc., a guardianship and conservator enterprise. In addition to owning a business, Terris is an ordained minister. Along with his wife, the two founded The Green Pasture campus ministry at Michigan State University and ministered the gospel to college students for several years. In 2020, Terris was appointed by The White House to be the Executive Director of White House Initiatives on Educational Excellence for African Americans, where he highlights successful educational initiatives across the nation and spotlights them on a national platform. His initiative also aims to strengthen the nation by improving educational outcomes for students. One of his first initiatives after being sworn into office was hosting a Virtual Roundtable on “Fatherhood as an Essential to Student Success, viewed by educators and fathers across the country. Terris and Karen reside in Michigan, and have one teenage daughter, and two young adult daugthers Destinny Marie, Naomi Leigh and Taren Elise.WEBSITE: https://www.terrisetodd.com/Dr. Pamela RobinsonContact information: Dr. Pamela Robinson via email: emerginghope@gmail.com or via Dr. Pamela Robinson’s Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/author/emerginghopeSOCIAL MEDIA INFORMATION:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reginavituou...Facebook: Emerging HOPE Ministrieshttps://www.facebook.com/emerginghopefspInstagram: dr_pamela_robinsonTwitter: @HopeEmergingAudio PlatformTune in on RSS Feed:https://rss.com/podcasts/lotusflower/