Elaine Harris (left) and Doreen Harris (right) In addition to the those who served in the military, the March 3rd Black History Breakfast will pay tribute to a few community activists whose contributions have added value to our society at large. Today we celebrate the achievements of identical twins Elaine and Doreen Harris, retired educators, who continue to make a difference in Boston, India and around the world.
Elaine E. Harris Elaine Harris is a retired Special Needs Teacher from the Boston Public Schools. Elaine earned her Bachelor of Science from Boston University School of Education, Boston, MA., and a Master of Education from Cambridge, College, Cambridge, MA. Her career spanned 32 years of teaching Special Needs Students at the Grover Cleveland Middle School and The Curley K-8 School. While at the Grover Cleveland Middle School, Elaine served on the Instructional Leadership Team for several years as well as a member of the Performance Information Mapping Team, Education In-Dept Review Team and the School Site Council. Elaine also provided professional development and mentor to grade six math teachers and new teachers. Through her leadership, Instructional Educational Plans were written and implemented for Special Needs Students. As a global educator, she attended the Pan African Reading Conference for Educators in Dar Salam, Tanzania. Elaine was also awarded as one of the prestigious recipients of 2005 Boston Teacher of the Year Award. Elaine has been a member of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Jamaica Plain, MA for the past 27 years. She has served as Co-Leader of the Elders Ministry, a Trustee for more than 5 years, Church School Superintendent, New Members Coordinator for Capital Campaign, Co-Leader for Small Groups and presently serving as the President of the Christiana R. Gray Women’s Missionary Society. Hobbies include traveling, cooking and gardening. Most importantly, Elaine is always looking for opportunities to serve God’s people. Doreen Harris, Educational Consultant Doreen has been an educator for the past 28years and holds a Master of Education from Boston University, a Bachelor of Science from Suffolk University, Cum Laude Honors; and is a certified trainer in “ 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens”. In 2011, Doreen retired from the Boston Public Schools as a Cooperative Educational Counselor providing placement, site-supervision and follow-up services for students participating in cooperative work experiences at the Madison Park Technical Vocational High School, Boston, MA. Doreen was one of the initial educators at this high school that was instrumental in launching the pilot year for the Construction Mentoring Program for the Compliance Mentor Group. Throughout her tenure as an educator, Doreen demonstrated strong organization, planning and interpersonal abilities which earned her a reputation for commitment and exceeding expectation among her peers. Doreen has also been able to pursue her personal passion and interests in global education. In 2005, Doreen travelled to South Africa to assist teachers in training to remote schools in several parts of South Africa. Continuing to support global education, in 2009 Doreen attended the Pan African Reading Conference for educators across the globe in Dar Salam, Tanzania. For these efforts and more, Doreen was recognized and received the Achiever Award given by the Private Industry Council of Boston whose mission is to connect the youth and adults of Boston to education and employment opportunities. Doreen actively volunteers and presently serves as Advisory Board Member for The Compliance Mentor Group and continues to provide her support and educational services to the mentoring program. Doreen is a founding and active member of Bethel AME Church, Jamaica Plain, former member of the Steward Board and the Pastor’s Steward Emeritus. She previously served as Advisory Board Member of Generation Excel (an inner city youth organization); and former Board of Director of Urban Home Makers. The Black History Month Breakfast will be held on Thursday March 3, 2016 at the Boston Colonnade Hotel from 8:30 am to 11:00 am.
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Roger Harris was born and raised in the Roxbury section of Boston, attended the Boston Public Schools, served three years of active duty with the United States Marine Corps, including a thirteen month tour of duty with a combat unit in Vietnam. He was a football standout at Boston University, where he earned “Most Valuable Backfield Player” and a Bachelors Degree. He received a Masters Degree from the University of Massachusetts (formerly Boston State College), a Doctor of Philosophy Degree from Boston College, and is a member of the LeadBoston class of ‘97. Dr. Harris has devoted 41 years working with youth in Boston’s public schools. He has recently retired as Superintendent and Chief Executive Officer of the Boston Renaissance Charter Public School, and has been elected to serve as President of the Renaissance Foundation. Dr. Harris is the founder and president of Urban School Specialists, LLC. He is the Executive Producer of The Positive Youth Project and It Takes A Village educational series aired on Boston Neighborhood Network television. Dr. Harris has served as 2nd Vice President of the Board of Directors for the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association and Vice President of the Boston Charter School Alliance. He is the former Principal of the two-time National Blue Ribbon Award winning Timilty Middle School in Boston. He is a co-founder of the award-winning Roxbury Preparatory Charter School of Boston. Dr. Harris has worked in charter and traditional Boston public high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools as a classroom teacher, athletic coach, mentor, dean, assistant headmaster, and principal, earning national and international recognition as an outstanding urban educator. Dr. Harris is Assistant Professor of Practice at the Boston University School of Education (his alma mater) and has recently been appointed Faculty Director, of BU’s K-12 Education Leadership and Policy Studies department. He has taught graduate and undergraduate courses at the Boston College Lynch School of Education, Curry College, in Milton, Massachusetts, and has taught as an adjunct faculty member of the University of Massachusetts Boston. He has served for over ten years as a mentor principal to the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and has been the recipient of numerous civic and community awards, including the Boston University School of Education’s Distinguished Alumni Award, the Massachusetts Principal of the Year Award, the U.S. Department of Education’s National Distinguished Principal Award, and the President’s Award from the NAACP, Boston. Dr. Harris travels extensively to China, serving as a delegate to the Chinese Bridge to American Schools Program, and has developed partnerships and exchange programs with Chinese Universities and K-12 schools. He is married to Cheryl Watson-Harris, Brooklyn South Borough Director, New York City Public Schools. The Black History Month Breakfast will be held on Thursday March 3, 2016 at the Boston Colonnade Hotel from 8:30 am to 11:00 am. Mary-dith E. Tuitt, “Ms. Mary” served fourteen (14) years as a Navy Aviation Machinists Mate, first on active duty and then in the active & inactive Reserves. Her military career included positions in Orlando, Florida, San Diego, California, South Weymouth, Massachusetts,Rota, Spain and other Reserves stations. In 1991 she returned to Boston and became a student of East Coast Aero Technical School. Mary did some military archive research on women of color in the United States Navy and in 2010 she received information that as far as the archival research shows she was the first African American Aviation Machinist Mate (jet mechanic) in the Navy.
Mary was born on the Island of Montserrat in the British West Indies to Henrietta and Michael Tuitt. In the mid 1970’s Mary and her brothers came to America to join their parents. She graduated from Boston Technical High School in 1985 before entering the United States Navy. Mary currently serves as Chief of Staff for State Representative Gloria L. Fox. She has worked as Constituent Services Coordinator for Boston City Councillor Charles Yancey, providing support to the underserved communities of Boston. She has worked on various political campaigns. Over the years Mary has always been involved and vested in her community. She served as a volunteer with Boston Public Schools, with various community youth groups, and with her church St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Dorchester, Massachusetts. She has been active with organizations and groups that focus on Veteran and Women’s Issues, and is presently the Vice Chair of the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women. Mary is the Senior Vice Commander at the William E. Carter American Legion Post 16, the former Associate member of the Veterans of Foreign War post 1018 and the Organization of African American Veterans. Mary is a proud mother of two children; a daughter Mya and a son Maliek. Mary is a life-long believer of “giving back to the community.” A sampling of Mary’s community activism includes her involvement as: ♣ A Justice of the Peace for Suffolk County ♣ Notary Public for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts ♣ Member of the American Legion Dept Legislative committee and the Committee on International Affairs ♣ A member Board of Trustees for “We Are Educators with A Touch of Class” (WEATOC) ♣ Former Governing Board for Boston Community Leadership Academy – a pilot high school (BCLA) Former member and creator of Family Advisory Council (FAC) for Boston Community Leadership Academy ♣ Former Development Officer for “Fair Foods Incorporated” (a dollar bag program for the needy) FFI ♣ Public Relations Officer for the “Montserrat Progressive Society of Boston” (MPS) ♣ Member of the Codman Hill Neighborhood Civic Association ♣ Host and Producer of an IRadio, VIBE 105.3FM talk show: “Positive Impact” Mary continues to use her many skills to enrich, enhance and empower her Community. ===================== The Black History Month Breakfast will be held on Thursday March 3, 2016 at the Boston Colonnade Hotel from 8:30 am to 11:00 am. First Sergeant Michael Wiltz took over as Detachment Sergeant for Detachment 6, EUCOM JAC on February 21, 2013. 1SG Wiltz has held a variety of leadership positions throughout his career ranging from Team Sergeant to First Sergeant.
As First Sergeant for an Intelligence Unit, Wiltz serves as the personal adviser to the Commander on all enlisted-related matters, particularly in areas affecting Soldier training. He devotes the majority of his time training, mentoring, counseling, and sponsoring Soldiers and their families. Wiltz also oversees the daily operations of Human Intelligence, Counter Intelligence, and Signal Intelligence Teams within the company while deployed to a theater of operation. Wiltz is currently assisting partner nations in Africa in our combined efforts to counter terrorism. Wiltz was born in Los Angeles, California and also entered the Army there in January 1980. He attended initial training at Fort Dix, New Jersey and graduated as a Rotary Wing Repairman at Fort Eustis, Virginia. Wiltz continued his military education by obtaining additional skills in Aviation, Infantry, Intelligence, Medical, and Transportation Corps giving him nine military occupational skills (MOS). He has served in the 3d Infantry Division, VXIII (18th) Airborne, 10th Special Forces, 7th Transportation Group, Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC), Joint Task Force-Six, U.S. Army Cadet Command, and the Military Intelligence Readiness Command. Wiltz’s military and civilian education includes all levels of the Noncommissioned Officer Education System, First Sergeant Course, Avionics Equipment Repairer Depot Maintenance Course, Technical Intelligence Analyst Course, Drug Enforcement Administration Course, Senior Reserve Officer Training Instructor Course, Senior Logistics Traffic Management Coordinator Course, Joint Special Operations Intelligence Course, Tactical Combat Tracker Course, Human Intelligence Collection Course, Reid Course on Interviewing and Interrogation, Department of Defense Military Source Handlers Course, Battlefield Forensics Course, and Africa Areas Studies Course. He is pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Endicott College, Beverly Massachusetts. Wiltz’s awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, and Meritorious Service Medal. Additional awards include the following: Army Commendation Medal (4th Award), Army Achievement Medal (7th Award), Good Conduct Medal, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal (7th Award), National Defense Service Medal (2nd Award), Southwest Asia Service Medal with Bronze Service Star, Iraq Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with M Device (4th Award), Non Commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon (3rd Award), Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon (2nd Award), Army Reserve Components Overseas Training Ribbon (2nd Award), Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia), Kuwait Liberation Medal (Government of Kuwait), Joint Meritorious Unit Commendation, Meritorious Unit Commendation (3rd Award), Combat Action Badge, Basic Aviation Badge, Pathfinder Badge, Air Assault Badge, Driver and Mechanic Badge with Driver-Wheeled Vehicles Clasp. ===================== The Black History Month Breakfast will be held on Thursday March 3, 2016 at the Boston Colonnade Hotel from 8:30 am to 11:00 am. By Carole Copeland Thomas, MBA, CDMP, CITM You are cordially invited to attend the March 3, 2016 Black History Breakfast that will honor African Americans in the Military Past and Present. This is our most ambitious Breakfast since its creation in the year 2000, and it will indeed become our best yet. This is our 23rd Breakfast and we are partnering again with the Boston Colonnade Hotel to host a meaningful tribute to our men and women who have protected and defended the United States through the years. Particular emphasis will highlight those African Americans who have served from World War II to our present day forces. However, we will salute the African American presence in the Armed Forces since the American Revolution.
This event is expected to SELL OUT quickly. We encourage you to buy your tickets and tables in December and reserve your space! Register Online Here Click Here For Complete Breakfast Details Our guest keynote speaker will be Ernest Washington, Jr. He is a well respected Vietnam Veteran, Purple Heart Recipient, Entrepreneur and Co-Founder of Concerned Black Men of Massachusetts. Ernest has been actively involved in veteran affairs for many years and will deliver a compelling message designed to inspire us all. Confirmed Honorees include the following: Mr. Willie Shellman -Past President New England Chapter Tuskegee Airmen Inc. The Boston Area Tuskegee Airmen 1st Sargeant Michael C. Wiltz - Iraq Veteran Patricia Odom - First Black Female Military Recruiter In Massachusetts Revs. Sandra & Ken Whitley - Career Air Force Veterans and AME Ministers Mary Tuitt - Military Veteran and Chief of Staff To Massachusetts Representative Gloria Fox Rev. Dr. Carlita Cotton - Retired Military, AME Minister and College Professor Ernest Washington, Jr. -Vietnam Veteran, Purple Heart Recipient & Entrepreneur And Other African Americans In The Military From World War II To The Present And A Special Family Tribute To: The Late 2nd Lieutenant Wilson A. Copeland - Tuskegee Airmen & US Diplomat The Late Dr. James Fitzgerald - Korean War Physician - Purple Heart Recipient -MASH Unit It’s the Black History Breakfast you won’t want to miss! Come and celebrate all of our African Americans in the military during this exciting upcoming event. This event is expected to SELL OUT quickly. We encourage you to buy your tickets and tables in December and reserve your space! Click Here For Complete Details. |
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