249 Millennium - Seventeenth Edition PROFESSOR EMERITA University of Wisconsin-Stout Hampton, VA EDUCATION FOUNDER, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GEMS Education Hampton, GA ALTAMESE RENE LARKINS With more than 25 years of professional experience to her credit, Altamese Rene Larkins has cultivated a fulfilling career in the field of education. Since 2018, she has served as the founder and chief executive officer of GEMS Education, an independent academic organization that provides young students with critical educational services. As a leader within her company, Ms. Larkins teaches elementary school students in reading and mathematics, in addition to leading business initiatives and working alongside other academic institutions to promote academic excellence. Prior to founding her own business, Ms. Larkins served as a teacher for an early intervention program for 23 years. As part of her vocational journey, she also pursued her own formal education, ultimately achieving an MEd in reading K-12 at Barry University in 2003. In addition to her academic degrees, she is also a national board-certified teacher. Furthermore, in her civic-minded pursuits, she previously served as the director of inclusion at the Georgia Teacher Leader Consortium. As such, in accounting for her achievements, Ms. Larkins attributes her success to her practiced expertise and credentials. Leveraging over three decades of experience, Dr. Virginia Lea has earned recognition as a professor emerita at the University of Wisconsin-Stout and previously at Sonoma State University. Before retiring in 2021, she taught the foundations of education and distinguished herself as the director of the Hegemony Project, advancing research, dialogue and collaborative action on how cultural hegemony reproduces and exacerbates sociocultural inequities. Utilizing her scholarly approach to critical multiculturalism, Dr. Lea has contributed noteworthy articles and written several books, including 2018’s “Critical Multicultural Perspectives on Whiteness: Views from the Past and Present.” Her latest book, “Vocalizing silenced voices: White supremacy, social caste, cultural hegemony, and narratives to overcome trauma and social injustice,” was published in 2024. In 1993, Dr. Lea co-founded the Educultural Foundation with her husband, Babatunde Lea. She also remains affiliated with the National Association for Multicultural Education. She is particularly proud to have helped others develop a deeper understanding of hegemony, caste and racism. Dr. Lea values the positive relationships she has established with colleagues and students, many of whom became teachers. VIRGINIA M. LEA, PHD
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