KPJR Book Club
Back-To-School Q&A
An Intimate Conversation With
Award-Winning Author
Rodney Walker
Rodney Walker is an American author, entrepreneur, and inspirational speaker. He is the bestselling author of "A New Day One" and "Wounds You Can Not See", and is most known for his work in trauma-informed education. His award-winning keynote The Power of Resilience: From 12 Foster Homes to Harvard University, has received acclamation by school districts across the nation. A Chicago native, he has a Bachelors degree from Morehouse College and graduate degrees from Harvard and Yale University.
This is KPJR Films’ first video Q&A segment in a newly reformatted trauma-informed author series, moderated by Theresa Barila, Founder and Board President Emeritus of Community Resilience Initiative (CRI), along with colleague Rick Griffin, Director of Training and Curriculum at Community Resilience Initiative (CRI).
To book Rodney Walker for your next event, or for general inquiries, please visit https://www.anewdayone.org
To learn more about the work of the Community Resilience Initiative (CRI), please visit https://criresilient.org
To join the KPJR Book Club and gain access to exclusive conversations with trauma-informed authors around the globe, please visit https://mailchi.mp/kpjrfilms/bookclubnewsletter
To learn more about KPJR Films, please visit https://kpjrfilms.co
KPJR Book Club
September Featured Author: Rodney Walker
Given the obstacles placed before him as a foster child, Rodney struggled academically and socially in school. In his early years of elementary school, he was diagnosed with autism, placed in special education, repeated the fourth grade due to poor academic performance, and finished his freshman of high school with a sub-1.5 GPA. After joining a youth mentoring program in his senior year of high school, Rodney was able to deal with life struggles that had restrained him. During this period, he also joined the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), a youth entrepreneurship program for high school students. With the support and guidance of NFTE and committed mentors, Rodney competed and won various business plan competitions. It was here that Rodney became motivated and inspired to start his first business. Rodney travels both nationally and internationally, speaking at public schools, corporations, and conferences about the importance of trauma-informed education, entrepreneurship education, mentoring at-risk youth, and corporate philanthropy for non-profit organizations aimed to uplift and support at-risk youth. He has been a speaker at TEDxYale, served as a keynote speaker in Monaco, France for Ernst &Young, and has delivered a Keynote at the White House on the importance of financial literacy for urban youth. Portions of his story have appeared on PBS’s American Graduate Day, in the national education documentary Ten9Eight: Shoot for the Moon, and in It’s Your World: Get Informed, Get Inspired and Get Going by Chelsea Clinton.
In an effort to address the epidemic of violence and social failure among at-risk youth in Chicago, Walker partnered with former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to create a comprehensive employment pipeline program for disconnected youth across the city. Since earning his MA in Education from Harvard University, he has continued his career as a nationally-renowned youth speaker, thought leader, social-emotional learning expert, and ambassador for change. He delivers various SEL education programs, professional development, inspirational keynotes, and student workshops.
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