About Me

In 1997, I became interested in publishing books due to the works of Dr. Reginald L. Jones.  He was my faculty colleague at Hampton University.  Dr. Jones was the President and CEO of Cobb & Henry Publishers in Hampton, Virginia.  He was also a distinguished professor of psychology at Hampton University, and professor emeritus at the University of California at Berkeley.  He was most noted in the publishing industry for providing a genre of edited volume books that specialized on key areas in Black Psychology and education, and the compilation of books in these areas that uplifted the integrity and practicality of research conducted by Black scholars.  Dr. Jones published his first edited volume book with Cobb & Henry called Black Psychology in 1972.  He followed up with three edited volumes of Black Psychology, which are considered by many to be the hallmark contributions of his career works.  Dr. Reginald L. Jones passed away in 2004.

My motivation to start this press was to continue his legacy in a valuable way.  That is, to make a contributing effort to the literature that focuses on building the proactive knowledgebase of research and conceptual thinking in Black Psychology, cultural diversity, education, ethnic studies, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice issues.  It is a tall order!  However, through these efforts, I hope that Ashburton Press will help build greater storehouses of knowledge and possibilities in this literature.  It is also my hope that this literature (books) will inspire Black and minority researchers to continue their empirical work in earnest – and continue to yield fresh and improved ways of conceptual and theory development in these areas of interest.

I love teaching and reaching students. I enjoy helping students to find their academic and research niches. I also enjoy reading, spending time with my family, cooking, and living life through what I refer to as the “3 L’s” – Loving – Learning – Laughing. I am a faith-based person and currently reside in Wake Forest, NC.

Currently, I am a tenured associate professor of psychology at North Carolina Central University (NCCU). I received my B.A. degree in psychology from Winston-Salem State University, my M.A. degree in psychology from North Carolina Central University, and my Ph.D. degree in developmental psychology from Howard University.  My new book, An Experience of a lifetime: The Academic Journey from “Student” to “Professor” at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) – REVISED EDITION, speaks to my academic matriculation from undergraduate through graduate training at HBCUs, and to my first academic appointment at an HBCU – Hampton University.  It is a story about a student and his love and appreciation for the HBCU experience – and how this experience can be used through research and theory to better apply and appreciate HBCU culture and cultural diversity in achieving student success and character development.

At NCCU, I teach courses in human development and maturation, psychology of learning, statistics, and graduate seminars on cultural factors and achievement in African American children – and cultural factors and student achievement at HBCUs. My major research interests focus on the effects of music and movement in African American children’s school relevant cognition, the interface – and correlates of cultural factors in HBCU student, academic, and career development outcomes, and culturally informed mentoring practices in African American male development.