T-awannda Piper is an educator and gender equity advocate from Washington D.C. As a curator of innovative solutions, she works diligently to bring equity to underserved communities through the platforms of education and social reform. T-awannda has extensive work in developing intervention and prevention programs for urban youth. She is also at the forefront of developing educational S.T.E.A.M. models and prototypes for adolescent girls that include gender responsive methodologies and practices. T-awannda is a published author and recognized lecturer in the world of trauma informed practices and education in partnership with the University of Chicago School of Medicine and Trauma Center. “Girls and Trauma: Performing Socio-surgery through a Gender Responsiveness Lens” is her most recent work and was co-authored with Chicago based Sociologist and thought leader, Sherida V. Morrison. The work is centered on socio-systems that effectively lift girls up as leaders in society within the urban distressed context.
T-awannda is a consultant with the Pivotal Network at Georgetown University where she utilizes human-centered design to reimagine education for marginalized populations. Her work has been nationally recognized by FoxNews, Gilford County School District, and the MacLean Center at the University of Chicago, Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, Heroes in the Hood, the Chicago Metropolitan Planning Council, and ABC7 Chicago. T-awannda holds a bachelor’s degree in Science from North Carolina A&T.