Background
Dr. Antonio L. Ellis is a Scholar in Residence and Director of the Institute on Education Equity and Justice at the American University School of Education. He teaches special education courses and advises students in the educational leadership and policy doctoral program. Dr. Ellis received his doctoral degree in educational leadership and policy studies from Howard University. He holds additional academic degrees in educational administration, theological studies, and special education and human development. Dr. Ellis is a recipient of the prestigious distinguished alumni award from the Howard University School of Education due to his award-winning scholarly contributions to the field of education. To this extent, he has written numerous peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, book reviews, and expert opinion commentaries. In 2016 Dr. Ellis published a book titled “Ed.D. Programs as Incubators for Social Justice Leadership”, and in 2017 he released a book titled “Transitioning Children with Disabilities: From Early Childhood through Adulthood”. He has served as an inclusion teacher, central office administrator, and school building administrator with the District of Columbia Public Schools. In addition to his work in K-12 settings, Dr. Ellis served as an adjunct professor in the College of Charleston Teacher Education Department and the Howard University School of Education Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. His passion is advocating on behalf of persons with disabilities, with a special emphasis on African American males who are speech impaired. Dr. Ellis’ research interests include social equity, pastoral care, pastoral ethics, educational leadership, multicultural education, critical race theory, and special education.