Dr. Valencia Hicks-Harris, executive director and founder of Empower All, Inc., boasts over 13 years of expertise in elementary and STEM education. As one of the first two graduates in the Educational Equity Doctoral Program from North Carolina State University, she is a trailblazer, dedicated to diversifying the teacher pipeline, increasing representation in STEM, addressing the mental-health crisis facing our youth, and ensuring equitable education for all students.

She is an educator that has taught both elementary and STEM education for over 12 years in Wake County Public Schools. Her doctoral dissertation focused on Educational Equity. Her educational and career experiences have fueled her drive to diversify the teacher pipeline, push culturally relevant pedagogy as standard, increase the presence of students of color in STEM, and create an equitable education for all students.