Dr. Ladonna Young Email & Phone Number

Dr. LaDonna Young is a champion for educational equity and justice. With over twenty-five years of higher education teaching, practitioner, and progressive leadership experience, LaDonna currently serves as the Senior Director for Strategic Partnerships and Equity Initiatives for the University of Virginia- Motivate Lab. In this role, she provides leadership and strategic vision for new partner relationships, product development, and equity-centered initiatives. Dr. Young's visionary leadership and innovation have expanded the company's reach and impact to thousands of faculty and students across several of the nation's largest higher education systems. Before joining Motivate Lab, LaDonna was the founding Dean of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Mathematics at Southwest Tennessee Community College (Memphis, TN), which led to the creation of The Office of High Impact Practices and Innovation (affectionally known as the HIPI Office), the Student Voices Initiative, and the Gatekeeper Faculty Fellowship, a multi-year, faculty-driven initiative targeted at closing the equity gaps in the College's Top 12 Gateway courses. This work, in part, helped to lead the college to ATD Leader College Status and the prestigious 2021 Bellwether Award. As an Achieving the Dream Equity Coach, Dr. Young finds joy in institutional transformation, supporting faculty to disaggregate data for promising student populations, designing teaching and learning contexts that achieve equitable outcomes for all students, and ensuring the most underserved students get the supports they need for transformative change. LaDonna believes education is at its best when all of humanity is centered on educational practice. We all do better when we all do better.LaDonna, a proud Alabama native (Roll Tide!), is not just a social justice champion, but also a person with a zest for life. She finds joy in all things hip-hop, thrifting, and cookies-n-crème related. Her educational journey includes a Bachelor's from Christian Brothers University, a Master of Arts in Teaching, and an Ed. D. in Higher and Adult Education from the University of Memphis. Dr. Yung was recently recognized as one of the Top 50 Women Leaders of Memphis for 2024.

Listed skills include Higher Education, Public Speaking, Teaching, Staff Development, and 14 others.