Featured twice on TEDx, Wilson, a sought after speaker, is recognized for his expertise in agency and self-determination, providing people with the tools to attain an authority to live life on their own terms. Fundamental to his work is reinforcing the fact that one’s story and voice in this world are both legitimate and relevant. Truth to Power is the platform he uses to advance these messages. Truth to Power is a philosophical framework grounded in four fundamental concepts:Agency:the capacity to act upon the world and not just give personal of intersubjective (agreed upon) meaning to it; capacity to act purposively and reflectively…to reiterate and remake the world in which they liveBoldness:we are socialized to respect fear; boldness asks that you move through being afraid to and toward the deeply rooted values that guide you.Consciousness:the state or quality of awareness, or, of being aware of an external object or something within oneself.Determination:firmness of purpose; resoluteness

Dr. Wilson Kwamogi Okello is a tenure-track assistant professor in the Watson College of Education at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Bridging the artist-scholar divide, his research draws on Black feminist theories to think about the relationship between history, the body, and epistemology; anti-Blackness in education; critical qualitative inquiry; and anti-deficit curriculum and pedagogical praxis. Dr. Okello’s performance work engages Black feminist embodied and creative methodologies to think about the health and survival of Black people in the afterlife of white supremacy.

Advising-Advise approximately 150 first year students on their transition to college, decisions about their educational paths, and personal and career goals-Utilize relevant advising tools including BannerWeb, Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS), and AdvisorTrac-Facilitate midterm intervention and academic warning meetings for students with grade point averages below 2.0 to assess academic struggles, identify resources for support, and establish goals for academic success -Review and summarize MAP-Works transition survey with each advisee, identify areas of concern, and conduct follow-up meetings as appropriate-Educate students on the registration process, time management skills, and study skills to promote student success -Serve as a resource to connect students to campus resources such as the Rinella Learning Center, Student Counseling Center, Financial Aid, and Career Services Residence Life-Supervise, train, and evaluate 5 Resident Assistants -Manage a residence hall of approx. 150 first year and upper-class students -Chair the Pre-Law Living Learning Community Council that exposes students to many different areas of legal practice-Chair the MOSAIC Living Learning Community Council that helps students explore the role that race, gender, sexual orientation, class, religion, nationality, and other identities play in shaping our perspectives and dispositions-Chair the Government Relations Living Learning Community Council that introduces students to a variety of career and volunteer opportunities in areas related to government Collateral Assignments-Office of Ethics and Student Conflict Resolution: Adjudicate cases as a Hearing Officer-IDS 151 Mosaic Seminar Instructor: Designed to broaden and strengthen multicultural competencies

-Designed student recruitment for dual enrollment programs-Assisted in writing grant proposals that emphasize the use of technology and community and institutional partnering-Worked collaboratively with the National College Action Network on best practices for access programming-Conducted program evaluations on center initiatives and dual enrollment programs-Developed assessment instruments to evaluate student experience in programs-Mentored and advised low-income and minority high school students as they were taking college courses

-Co-Advised the social and academic transition of over 450 conditional admit students-Provided personal academic and counseling to 30 conditional admit students-Tracked students progress to ensure that they met requirements for admission at the conclusion of the program