Meet The CEO
An award-winning researcher, Dr. Wendy Osefo is a Nigerian-American television personality and a highly sought-after progressive political commentator and strategist. Wendy is a Professor of Education at The Johns Hopkins University, Contributor at The Hill, and the Founder and CEO of The 1954 Equity Project, LLC.
With over a decade of experience, Dr. Osefo is a consultant on issues of equity and access in urban communities and the K-16 education landscape. As a researcher, Dr. Osefo examines how race and class influence the learning, achievement, and educational trajectories of African American and other non-dominant students in schools and community settings. Dr. Osefo creates and implements innovative strategies and programming to address issues of equity, inclusion, and diversity. Her research on teacher-student allyship is featured in the groundbreaking book I Wish My Teacher Knew by Kyle Schwartz. Dr. Osefo’s latest research explores perceptions of “Blackness” and how it affects student development at Predominantly White Institutions (PWI) following the aftermath of Ferguson, the Baltimore Uprising, and the rise of the Black Lives Matter Movement. Dr. Osefo is extending her research through the investigation of the 2016 United States Presidential election on minority populations and the role of inclusion and asset-based strategies in higher education.
In addition to her extensive policy experience, Dr. Osefo has been interviewed by and provided commentary for CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, ABC, Fox Business, BBC, HLN, Russian TV, The Washington Post, In Touch Weekly, Business Insider, One America News Network, and TV-One to name a few. Dr. Osefo has a daily political segment on syndicated radio entitled,"Things to Know, With Dr. Wendy O". Additionally, Dr. Osefo has delivered keynote speeches and lectures on highly publicized issues in culture and politics.
As Founder & CEO of the 1954 Equity Project, Dr. Osefo develops and implements the strategic vision of the organization. The 1954 Equity Project provides students’ with navigational capital to not just survive academia, but to thrive in academia as their authentic selves. Through the use of the Osefo Equity Framework, the 1954 Equity Project builds community with underrepresented minority students in universities to create a platform for students to share their lived experiences, identify and navigate microaggressions experienced on-campus, and work collaboratively with school administrators to co-create equitable solutions to address issues of inequality.
Dr. Osefo served as the Director of the Master of Arts in Management program at Goucher College where she provided academic and administrative leadership and was responsible for overseeing the day-to-day administration and operation of the management program. Before joining Goucher’s faculty, Dr. Osefo served as the Director of Family and Community Engagement and Director of Parent Programs for the DC Promise Neighborhood Initiative. The Promise Neighborhood Initiative is the Obama Administration’s Antipoverty Initiative and the signature program for the White House Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative. Dr. Osefo designed and implemented culturally competent parent-centered engagement strategies and successfully created and launched the first comprehensive adult learning academy in the Washington D.C. Kenilworth-Parkside community.
Wendy holds a B.A. in Political Science from Temple University, an M.A. in Government from The Johns Hopkins University, and an M.Sc. in Public Affairs from Rutgers University. In 2016, Dr. Osefo made history when she became the first black woman to earn a Ph.D. in Public Affairs-Community Development from Rutgers University.
Dr. Osefo is the 2018 recipient of the Black Women in Media News and Journalism Award, a 2017 recipient of the Johns Hopkins Diversity Recognition Award, the 2017 recipient of the Johns Hopkins University Outstanding Graduate Award, a Baltimore Business Journal 40 Under 40 Honoree, and a 25 Women To Watch Honoree.
Wendy is a former Board Trustee for The Children’s Scholarship Foundation of Baltimore, The Education Foundation, Congressman Elijah Cummings Youth to Israel Program, and The Obama Green Charter School. Dr. Osefo is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated.
