DevonshireSmith

Diversity & Education Solutions

2010

5956 Belmont Avenue Phone: 513.418.3917 Michael D. Griffin

Cincinnati, Ohio 45224 Phone: 513.587.9608 Blanche Pringle Smith
E-mail: devonshiresmith@gmail.com Fax: 513.542.2630

Developing Empowering Leading

 DevonshireSmith
Diversity & Education Solutions

5956 Belmont Avenue

Cincinnati, Ohio 45224
513.418.3917
513.587.9608
devonshiresmith@gmail.com

A Message from the Executive Director

Educational attainment for minoritized groups has become one of the major social justice issues in the 21st
century. In the United States, the state of education of minoritized groups has two looming issues:

1. The number of minoritized students being retained and graduating from high school and college has
either become stagnant or decreasing.

2. Teachers, administrators, staff, youth development professionals, and practitioners continue to

struggle with obtaining the requisite levels of cultural competency to effectively address the salient
needs of minoritized students.

DevonshireSmith Diversity & Education Solutions is committed to addressing these two looming issues. We
believe that our unique approach of youth development and empowerment can lead to an increased number
of better prepared graduates from minoritized groups. We believe that this cadre of empowered students
will lead to the development of stronger, more capable communities.

DevonshireSmith Diversity & Education Solutions has three unique organizational hallmarks that facilitate an
increased number of well-prepared minoritized high school and college graduates:

1. A comprehensive youth development strategy that focuses on academic success, self-assessment,

heightened expectations, personal development, character development, leadership development,
civic engagement, career exploration, cultural/social justice education, and post-baccalaureate
education exploration.

2. A comprehensive community based approach that includes the participation of parents and other
surrogate caregivers, educational institutions, the nonprofit community, the faith community and the
corporate community.

3. Creating a process for educational institutional transformation that includes the participation of
better prepared and engaged students and more culturally competent faculty, administrators,
practitioners, and staff.

DVS aims to shift the public conversation from the equality of educational access of minoritized groups to the
equity of educational attainment for these groups.

On behalf of the committed staff of DevonshireSmith Diversity & Education Solutions, we want to thank you
for your sincere interest in the holistic development of tomorrow’s leaders.

Yours in Social Justice,

Michael D. Griffin, MSW

Executive Director & Director of Diversity and Social Justice Initiatives

Developing Empowering Leading

 DevonshireSmith
Diversity & Education Solutions

BASED IN CINCINNATI, OHIO, DEVONSHIRESMITH DIVERSITY &

EDUCATION SOLUTIONS IS A PROGRESSIVE NON-PROFIT
CONSULTING AND ADVOCACY FIRM DEDICATED TO THE
PASSIONATE PROMOTION OF YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AND
SOCIAL JUSTICE EDUCATION. WE SEEK TO FILL GAPS IN
SERVICE FOR NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, HIGH SCHOOLS,
COLLEGES, AND UNIVERSITIES.

Michael D. Griffin, MSW

Executive Director
Director of Diversity & Social Justice Initiatives

Blanche Pringle Smith

Chief Operations Officer
Director of Youth Development & Education Initiatives

Diversity Education

African American Male Achievement Academic Excellence Workshops

Black Studies Seminars College Academic, Personal & Financial Aid
Campus Diversity Education Advising
Community Reclamation Seminars Curriculum Development
Environmental Scanning Data Collection & Analysis
Student, Faculty & Staff Diversity Training Environmental Scanning
History of the African Scholar Workshops Life Skills Training
Inclusion Workforce Training Parent Involvement Workshops
Institutional Diversity Strategic Planning Personal Development Workshops
Intergroup Dialogue Groups Pre-college Preparation
Leadership Development Training Professional Development Workshops
Power & Oppression Workshops Program Assessment & Evaluation
Social Justice Education School Improvement Plans
Student, Staff, Board & Faculty Diversity Student Leadership Development
Recruitment and Retention Plans Student Retention
Workforce Retention Plans Youth Development Programs

To Contact Us:
5956 Belmont Avenue Phone: 513.418.3917 Michael D. Griffin
Cincinnati, Ohio 45224 Phone: 513.587.9608 Blanche Pringle Smith
E-mail: devonshiresmith@gmail.com Fax: 513.542.2630
 DevonshireSmith
Diversity & Education Solutions

5956 Belmont Avenue

Cincinnati, Ohio 45224
513.418.3917
513.587.9608
devonshiresmith@gmail.com
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Executive Committee

Ernest Disney Britton Eileen G. Turner

Chairperson, DVS Board of Directors Chairperson, Public Relations/Marketing Committee
Community Advocate, Author Business Services Representative
Indianapolis, IN Ohio Department of Development
Cincinnati, OH
Marissa Woodly
Vice Chairperson, DVS Board of Directors Cynthia Pinchback-Hines
Development Director Chairperson, Youth Development & Education Initiatives
Cincinnati Habitat for Humanity Committee
Cincinnati, OH President, Principal Consultant
TalentED Network
James E. Clingman West Chester, OH
Treasurer, DVS Board of Directors
Chairperson, Finance Committee At-Large
President, Principal Business Consultant
JCA Business Consultants Georgeanna Bien-Aime
Cincinnati, OH Business Management/International Studies Major
Northern Kentucky University
April Cummings Cincinnati, OH
Secretary, DVS Board of Directors
Community Safety Specialist Vincent Cunningham
Community Police Partnering Center Communications Major
Cincinnati, OH Northern Kentucky University
Cincinnati, OH
Michael D. Griffin, MSW
Ex Officio Member Donisha Richardson
DVS Executive Director Criminal Justice Major
Director of Diversity & Social Justice Initiatives Northern Kentucky University
Cincinnati, OH Cincinnati, OH

Blanche Pringle Smith Jason Riviero

Ex Officio Member President
DVS Chief Operations Officer League of United Latin American Citizens-Ohio
Director of Youth Development & Education Initiatives Cincinnati, OH
Cincinnati, OH
Chauncy R. Williams
Robert Clay Teacher
Chairperson, Diversity & Social Justice Initiatives Muskegon Heights Public Schools
Committee Muskegon Heights, MI
Director of Multicultural Affairs
Xavier University Coby C. Williams
Cincinnati, OH Outreach Coordinator
ProgressOhio
Columbus, OH
 DevonshireSmith
Diversity & Education Solutions

5956 Belmont Avenue

Cincinnati, Ohio 45224
513.418.3917
513.587.9608
devonshiresmith@gmail.com
NATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD
Michael Benitez, Jr.
Social Justice Educator, Speaker, Poet, and Activist-Scholar
Iowa State University
Ames, IA

Simone Bess
Vice President, Mentoring
Cincinnati Youth Collaborative
Cincinnati, OH

Verneida I. Britton, MEd

Retired, Cincinnati Public Schools
Cincinnati, OH

Ryann Caudillo
Human Resource Administrator
Federal Mogul, Inc.
Southfield, MI

Dr. Spencer Crew

Clarence Robinson Professor
George Mason University
Fairfax, VA

Ozie Davis, III

Field Representative, US Rep. Steve Driehaus
Cincinnati, OH

Gary Dowdell
Retired, Investor Relations Director
Procter & Gamble
Cincinnati, OH

Andre Harper
Author, Speaker, Political Advisor
Hershey, PA

Solomon Hatch
Assistant Director, Office of Multicultural Affairs
City of Chattanooga, TN

Erica Holloman
Program Manager, Student Diversity Services
School of Business
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, NC
 DevonshireSmith
Diversity & Education Solutions

5956 Belmont Avenue

Cincinnati, Ohio 45224
513.418.3917
513.587.9608
devonshiresmith@gmail.com
NATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD
Leon Howard III
Hall Director, Social Justice Educator
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI

Leslie Kreines
Community Leader
Cincinnati, OH

Chris Kyles
Branch Director
Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan
Detroit, MI

Carl Lawrence
Educational Specialist, Upward Bound
Kellogg Community College
Battle Creek, MI

Sharon Lettman
Executive Director
National Black Justice Coalition
Washington, DC

Quincy Lewis
CEO, Founder
FlipSide Ink
Detroit, MI

Dr. Cathy McDaniels-Wilson

Associate Professor of Psychology
Xavier University
Cincinnati, OH

Shanta S. McMullan
Attorney
Honigman, Miller, Schwartz, and Cohn LLP
Detroit, MI

Dr. Tonya Matthews

Vice President of Museums
Cincinnati Museum Center
Cincinnati, OH
 DevonshireSmith
Diversity & Education Solutions

5956 Belmont Avenue

Cincinnati, Ohio 45224
513.418.3917
513.587.9608
devonshiresmith@gmail.com
NATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD
Camarrah Morgan
Michigan Business Development Specialist
First Children’s Finance
Detroit, MI

Naomi Nelson
Consultant, Educator
Philadelphia, PA

Sean T. Parker
Manager, Ohio Government & Community Relations
Procter & Gamble
Cincinnati, OH

Dr. Roger Pulliam

Co-Founder, National Black Student Union
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Whitewater, WI

Will E. Raby
Teacher
Chicago Public Schools
Chicago, IL

Dr. Michael Sharp

Associate Professor of Communication
University of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, OH

Dr. Leesha Thrower

Assistant Professor of Communication
Northern Kentucky University
Highland Heights, KY

Trinity Townsend
Attorney
King & Spalding LLC
Atlanta, GA

Carl B. Westmoreland
Sr. Advisor for Historic Preservation
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
Cincinnati, OH
 DevonshireSmith
Diversity & Education Solutions
513.418.3917
513.587.9608
devonshiresmith@gmail.com

FACT SHEET
NAME: DevonshireSmith Diversity & Education Solutions

ORGANIZATION TYPE: Designed as a Non-profit, 501(C-3)

MISSION: To empower urban communities, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations

to reach their full potential by providing comprehensive diversity and education
solutions focused on youth development, social justice education, and institutional
transformation.

VISION: To act as a premier youth development and social justice education agency in the
Midwest

MOTTOS: Developing • Empowering • Leading

Where the audacity for change begins with you….

ESTABLISHED: July 2010 (First meeting of the Board of Directors)

STAFFING: Michael D. Griffin, MSW, Executive Director & Director of Diversity & Social Justice
Initiatives

Blanche Pringle Smith, Chief Operations Officer & Director of Youth Development &
Education Initiatives

GOALS: The key programmatic goals of DevonshireSmith Diversity & Education Solutions are:

To assist urban communities, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations to

better serve their constituents

To assist educational institutions and non-profit organizations to become more

welcoming, inclusive, and affirming for all constituents

To increase the retention and graduation rates of minoritized groups for all educational
institutions serviced by DevonshireSmith

BOARD OF DIRECTORS: There are fifteen members of the Board of Directors and eight members of the
Executive Committee including the following officers:

Ernest Disney Britton, Chair

Marissa Woodly, Vice Chair

James E. Clingman, Treasurer

April Cummings, Secretary

ADVISORY BOARD: The National Advisory Board consists of national and regional leaders in education,
diversity, business, and community organizations.
 DevonshireSmith
Diversity & Education Solutions

5956 Belmont Avenue

Cincinnati, Ohio 45224
513.418.3917
513.587.9608
devonshiresmith@gmail.com

DVS EDUCATIONAL DATA SHEET

In 2009, 45 percent of 4th-graders from high-poverty schools performed at or above Basic reading
proficiency, compared with 83 percent of 4th-graders from low-poverty schools. Similarly, 14
percent of 4th-graders from high-poverty schools performed at or above Proficient compared to 50
percent of 4th-graders at low-poverty schools. (National Center for Education Statistics, 2010)

In 2008, 28 percent of high school graduates from high-poverty schools attended a 4-year institution
after graduation, compared with 52 percent of high school graduates from low-poverty schools.
(National Center for Education Statistics, 2010)

Between 1988 and 2008, the percentage of Hispanic public school students increased from 11 to 22
percent. Largely as a result of this increase, the percentage of White students decreased from 68
to 55 percent over those two decades. (National Center for Education Statistics, 2010)

In 2008, the immediate college enrollment rate was 72 percent for White high school completers,
compared with 56 percent for Black high school completers and 64 percent for Hispanic high school
completers. (National Center for Education Statistics, 2010)

The 6-year college graduation rate for Whites is 60 percent, 48 percent for Hispanics, 42 percent for
Blacks, and 40 percent for American Indians/Alaska Natives. (National Center for Education
Statistics, 2010)

In 2008, young adults ages 25–34 with a bachelor’s degree earned 28 percent more than young
adults with an associate’s degree, 53 percent more than young adult high school completers, and 96
percent more than young adults who did not earn a high school diploma. (National Center for
Education Statistics, 2010)

In 2008, the median of the earnings of young adults (ages 25-34) with a bachelor’s degree was
$46,000; the median was $36,000 for those with an associate’s degree, $30,000 for high school
completers, and $23,500 for those who did not earn a high school diploma or its equivalent.
(National Center for Education Statistics, 2010)

Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction spends about $2 billion annually, an average cost
of $25,367 per inmate each year. The average reading level of inmates received by the Department
is a grade level of 7.5. 80 percent of the offenders are high school drop outs. Approximately 30
percent of the males and 20 percent of the females read at less than a 6th grade level and are
considered functionally illiterate. (Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, 2010).

In 2008-2009, the average cost for one-year tuition fees at a public four-year university in Ohio
$8,588. (CollegeAdvantage 2010).
 DevonshireSmith
Diversity & Education Solutions

Mission, Vision, and Goals

Mission
DevonshireSmith Diversity & Education Solutions is a progressive non-profit
organization that aims to empower urban communities, educational
institutions, and non-profit organizations reach their full potential by
providing comprehensive diversity and education solutions focused on youth
development, social justice education, and institutional transformation.

Vision
DevonshireSmith Diversity & Education Solutions will act as the premier youth
development and social justice education agency in the Midwest.

Goals
The goals of DevonshireSmith Diversity & Education Solutions are as follows:

 To assist urban communities, educational institutions, and non-profit

organizations to better serve their constituents

 To assist educational institutions and non-profit organizations to

become more welcoming, inclusive, and affirming for all constituents

 To increase the retention and graduation rates of minoritized groups

for all educational institutions serviced by DevonshireSmith Diversity &
Education Solutions

Mottos
 Developing • Empowering • Leading

 Where the audacity for change begins with you….

Developing Empowering Leading

 DevonshireSmith
Diversity & Education Solutions

Education

BA Human Services
BA Psychology
Adrian College

MSW Master of Social Work

University of Cincinnati
School of Social Work

Institutional Affiliations

Adrian College
Albion College
Muskegon Heights Public Schools
Northern Kentucky University
Michael D. Griffin, MSW University of Cincinnati
Executive Director
Director of Diversity & Social Justice Initiatives Community Affiliations

National Underground Railroad

Freedom Center
Cincinnati Youth Collaborative
Cincinnati Recreation Commission
Greater Cincinnati YMCA
Black & Hispanic Achievers
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.

Education

BFA Bowling Green State

University
1 Year Valparaiso School of Law
Pursuing Masters Degree
College Student Development
Northern Kentucky University

Institutional Affiliations

Bowling Green State University

University of Michigan
Wayne State University
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Blanche Pringle Smith Harvey Mudd College
Chief Operations Officer Northern Kentucky University
Ann Arbor Public Schools
Director of Youth Development & Education Initiatives
U.S. Congress, Detroit District
Office

Community Affiliations

Freedom House, Project REACH

Detroit Urban League
Wayne County Neighborhood Legal
Services
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
 DevonshireSmith
Diversity & Education Solutions

Michael D. Griffin, MSW

Bio
In Michael Griffin’s brief professional career, he has worked as a tireless advocate for social justice for
all. His insatiable passion for social justice has motivated Michael to create impactful and sustainable
community/P-16 educational initiatives at a variety of institutions.

Michael is the co-founder of DevonshireSmith Diversity & Education Solutions, a progressive non-profit
consulting and advocacy firm dedicated to the passionate promotion of youth development and social
justice education. Griffin serves as Executive Director and Director of Diversity & Social Justice
Initiatives. DVS seeks to fill gaps in service for progressive non-profit organizations, urban communities,
high schools, and colleges.

Michael formerly served as program coordinator for the Office of African American Student Affairs at
Northern Kentucky University (NKU). Mr. Griffin was responsible for the creation and implementation of
cultural programming and social justice initiatives at NKU. He was also responsible for leadership
development for all Northern Kentucky University African American student organizations. Michael also
served as advisor for the NKU National Pan-Hellenic Council.

As Senior Associate Director for Intercultural Affairs Policy Development at Albion College (MI), Michael
provided leadership in educating the campus community on current issues of social justice, pluralism,
inclusion, oppression, and marginalization. Mr. Griffin developed diversity policy recommendations for the
President, Vice President of Student Affairs, and Vice President of Enrollment Management.
Additionally, Michael served as chief administrator of the Step Ahead/Smooth Transitions mentoring
programs for incoming underrepresented students. Michael was also the founder of the Albion College
Intergroup Dialogue Project.

During Michael's tenure as a Race Relations Researcher and Public Programs Manager at the National
Underground Railroad Freedom Center, he worked diligently in developing welcoming and inclusive
public forums to discuss issues of race, class, religion, gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. In this
capacity, he co-developed dialogue models around these issues so that diverse groups of individuals can
become change agents in relation to these issues. Michael's responsibilities at the Freedom Center
provided him the opportunity to effectively engage many different groups such as the immigrant
population, religious leaders, civil rights organizations, the GLBTQ community, and youth advocates, to
name a few. His engagement with a wide breadth of diverse groups heightened his ability to effectively
build substantive intergroup partnerships. Those intergroup partnerships aided Mr. Griffin in creating the
UBS Freedom Scholars Mentoring Program, in which 100 Greater Cincinnati high school students
receive college preparedness skills and financial education. In addition, Mr. Griffin co-founded the eBay
Voices of the Future Youth Conference, which is one of the largest single day youth conferences in the
United States.

In his role as a Community Center Director at Over-The-Rhine Community Center (Cincinnati, OH),
Michael counseled and mentored many urban youth to explore higher education as a viable option. In
this position, Michael's collaborative work with colleges and universities gave him a keen sense of what is
needed to attract and retain underrepresented students especially those from urban settings.

Michael D. Griffin is a native of Detroit and Muskegon Heights, MI. He is a proud graduate of Adrian
College (MI) having received dual degrees in Human Services and Psychology. Michael is also a Master
of Social Work (MSW) graduate of the University of Cincinnati School of Social Work. He is a member of
various professional organizations such as American College Personnel Association, Association of
Black Sociologists, Association of African American Museums, National Association of Black Social
Workers, and Multiethnic Advocates for Cultural Competency in Behavioral Healthcare. Michael is also a
proud brother of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.
 DevonshireSmith
Diversity & Education Solutions

Blanche Pringle Smith

Bio
Blanche Pringle Smith has relished a twenty-year career as an administrator with several institutions of
higher education and community based organizations throughout the United States. She has been
affiliated with the University of Michigan, Wayne County Neighborhood Legal Services, the Detroit
Urban League, Freedom House of Roxbury, Wayne State University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute,
the Ann Arbor Public Schools, Harvey Mudd College and Northern Kentucky University.

In collaboration with business partner Michael D. Griffin, Pringle Smith helped co-found
DevonshireSmith, Diversity & Education Solutions (DVS) in 2010. DVS is a progressive non-profit
consulting and advocacy firm dedicated to the enthusiastic movement of youth development and social
justice initiatives designed to develop, empower, and lead.

During her career, Pringle Smith has established several comprehensive support programs designed
to enhance the academic, personal and leadership development of students. For her efforts, she
received recognition from the National Council of Academic Advisors for developing an outstanding
advising program model, presented at an international conference in Edinburgh, Scotland and was
recently recognized by Freedom House’s Muriel S. Snowden Memorial Scholars Program in Boston,
Massachusetts.

Adamant about academic excellence, dedicated community service, responsible leadership and the
idea that all students can rise to high expectations, Pringle Smith recently served as coordinator with
the Office of African American Student Affairs at Northern Kentucky University (NKU). Pringle Smith
coordinated the NKU ROCKS Summer Institute and helped to achieve an 82% good standing rate and
a 45% 3.0 GPA rate of entering students after the first semester.

Among some of her major accomplishments include:

 Managing the $1 million dollar Harvey Mudd College Campus Diversity Initiative grant
awarded by the James Irvine Foundation
 Establishing award winning student support programs with 80% – 90% retention rates of
underrepresented students
 Establishing multicultural affairs offices at Harvey Mudd College and Worcester Polytechnic
Institute
 Coordinating campus-wide diversity training programs
 Helping increase the numbers of underrepresented faculty, staff, students and board
members at elite colleges and universities
 Securing major funding to support diversity programs and college scholarships
 Coordinating the Ann Arbor Public Schools district wide African American Student
Achievement Initiative
 Managing the daily operations of a computer and medical assisting program
 Helped to launch the Digital Equipment Corporation & Detroit Urban League
COMPUTERwise Mobile Computer Learning Center showcase at the National Urban League
Convention
 Completing the HERS Institute at Wellesley College and the Ronald Edmonds Institute in
Atlanta, Georgia

Pringle Smith was born on the campus of the College of Wooster, grew up in Canton, Ohio and
graduated from Canton McKinley High School. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in oil
painting and design from Bowling Green State University and completed the first year of a jurist
doctorate program at Valparaiso School of Law in Indiana. She is currently pursuing a Masters degree
in College Student Development from Northern Kentucky University.
 DevonshireSmith
Diversity & Education Solutions

Curricula, Programs, and Workshops

Striving Toward Oppression Free Educational Environments

Despite phenomenal efforts by institutions to become more diverse and inclusive, students, faculty, and
staff consistently report experiencing marginalization in academic and social environments on today’s
college and high school campuses. This instructive program aims to provide administrators and
practitioners with theoretical and practical understanding of power and privilege in educational
environments. Administrators and practitioners will sharpen the necessary tools of collaboration and
consensus to begin dismantling oppression within their particular educational environments.

How to Become a Social Justice Forward Institution

As an increasing number of educational institutions and non-profit organizations look to affirm diversity as
a core value through the strategic planning process, a thorough examination of power and privilege in their
environments is normally omitted from this process. This program will present key stakeholders of a
strategic planning process with an assessment process to examine the role of power and privilege within
their respective organization.

Producing Consistent African American Male Achievement

The problem of “the achievement gap” for African American males is pervasive throughout our entire
education system. This program will provide administrators, teachers, and youth development practitioners
an empowering “tool kit” to raise expectations and facilitate culture change in academic and social
environments to produce African American male achievement.

The Truth About College for Today’s High School Student

Families, churches, and communities are excited about sending a loved one to a college or a university
but fail to ensure that they have the proper information to be successful at an institution. This intensive and
interactive program provides participants with the truth about academic advising, student services,
financial aid, potential pitfalls, and provide “secrets” of success.

How to Be Successful in a Predominately White Institution

As students from minoritized groups continue to enroll in our nation’s predominately white colleges and
universities, many are still unaware how to effectively navigate these foreign social and academic
environments. This interactive workshop will offer participants with “secrets and tricks of the trade” to be
highly successful in a predominately white institution.

Leadership and Power in Multicultural Groups

In today’s world, the possibility of a leader having the responsibility to lead a culturally diverse group has
significantly increased. This educational program will assist participants in recognizing the varied dynamics
of leadership and power when leading diverse groups. This program will also supply participants with
strategies for leadership of multicultural groups.

Other Initiatives

 Youth Development Programs

 Parent Empowerment Institute
 Male Initiatives/Female Initiatives
 School Improvement Plans
 Professional Development for Educators
 Assessment and Evaluation Plans
 Mentor – Mentee Programs and Training

Developing Empowering Leading Revised 8.9.10