Dr. Gloria Willingham-Touré has been described as a master networker who connects social entrepreneurs locally, nationally, and internationally. However, this description barely scratches the surface of her compelling personal life story and eclectic career trajectory. Originally from Little Rock, Arkansas she was one of the early graduates of newly desegregated Little Rock Central High School following the Little Rock Nine and a member of the first cohort to remain there for three consecutive years to graduation. This nationally acclaimed experience was a springboard to a lifetime of impactful work bringing issues of diversity, inclusion, equity, and institutionalized racism to the undeniable forefront of discussions in all aspects of her professional life. She brings a unique expertise in educational leadership and change informed by her years of experience and/or study of innovative educational systems in the USA, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Mexico, Thailand, South Korea, South Africa, Ghana, China and Malta.
She is currently the award-winning CEO of Afram Global Organization Inc, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization. In that role she has received awards in recognition of her successes in creating environments in which persons from diverse circumstances and experiences can come together and co-learn with each other in a way that bridges opportunity gaps, retains the respective cultures and ultimately benefits society.
Dr. Willingham-Touré is the Chair, Goddard College Board of Trustees; a charter member of the Claremont Graduate University Alumni Board of Trustees, a member of the Board of Governors- California State University Long Beach, and a member of The Nurses on Boards Coalition . She earned a PhD in Education at Claremont Graduate University; a Master’s degree in Nursing Science at University of Arkansas Medical Science Campus; and a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing Science at Regents External Degree Programs of The University of the State of New York (now Excelsior). She was a Fulbright Scholar/Fulbright Specialist in Public and Global Health on the Maltese Islands at the University of Malta Health Institutes. Additionally Dr. Willingham-Touré is a retired Lt. Colonel, US Army Reserves, Army Nurse Corps.
