Dr. Tunette Powell
www.tunettepowell.com

Whether she’s speaking truth in a room full of policymakers or freedom dreaming out loud with youth, Dr. Powell is committed to disrupting injustice, amplifying joy, and helping people use what they already have: their voice, their story, their love, to change the world. ​

​Tunette Powell

Storyteller  | Disruptor  | Equity Practitioner  |  Activist Mama | Freedom Dreamer
​
​Interactive  Matinee Talk Title:   
        MIC CHECK FOR JUSTICE:  YOUR MIC.
          YOUR MOMENT. YOUR MOVEMENT.

Dr. Tunette Powell is the mother of three beautiful Black boys. That—existing in this world as a Black mother raising free Black boys—is an act of resistance, of boldness, of defiance. Her career embodies that same boldness, resistance and defiance across sectors, including in educational, nonprofit and entertainment spaces. She freedom dreams and moves through connection and collaboration in pursuit of liberation. She is an equity practitioner, published author, and an award-winning public speaker. 

Her commitment to historically and contemporarily marginalized groups is evident in both her personal and professional pursuits.  As a professor and the Director of Parent and Family Partnerships at the Children's Equity Project, Dr. Powell works to make sure research, policy, and practice actually reflects the lives of real people, especially Black Indigenous, Latine, Asian, immigrant and other historically excluded communities. 

In academic spaces, Dr. Powell is known as a scholar who studies kinship, race, racism, and school-induced collective trauma. She supports schools and universities to acknowledge and repair historic harm, and promote affirmation and healing in curriculum and instruction, policy, professional development, and family and community partnerships.   

In nonprofit spaces, Dr. Powell serves as both a board member and equity practitioner where she supports groups and organizations committed to and in search of sustainable approaches to equity and inclusion in the areas of HR, policy revisions, and DEI strategic development. 

In entertainment spaces, she works as a storyteller and disruptor and is best known in TV writing rooms where she co-creates inclusive writing rooms, diversifies writing teams and tells more diverse stories. Most recently, she served as a DEI consultant, story editor and writer on seasons 10 and 11 of Hallmark’s When Calls the Heart.