Dr. Joe-Joe McManus

Dr. Joe-Joe McManus is one of the leading voices in the country calling for white people to work for racial justice. An educator and passionate advocate for antiracism and inclusive excellence, he writes and speaks widely on the challenges and opportunities that exist at the intersection of anti-racist education, diversity and inclusion, authenticity and equity in leadership development.

The eldest of three boys from a working-class family that lived in an apartment behind a liquor store in a small white-flight town south of Boston, Massachusetts, Dr. Joe-Joe’s academic and professional goals are motivated by his personal experiences of growing up with an adopted brother, an African American boy, Kacey. It wasn’t long before the issues of anti-Semitism, classism and racism piled on this young family. Their shared experiences of fighting racism alongside his brother, and then losing his brother to suicide, motivates his work to develop leaders and momentum fueled by courageous conversations designed to foster cultures of inclusive excellence.

Dr. Joe-Joe has held faculty, staff, and executive roles, including Chief Diversity Officer. He has served at an HBCU, an international university, an Ivy League institution, a religion affiliated university, and at the public university system level. He has lectured, served on panels, presented, and consulted in the U.S. and internationally for nearly three decades. His work has centered around how best to bring about the required changes to enable more equitable environments in business, in leadership ranks, and in the community.

McManus earned his B.S. in Psychology from Florida Institute of Technology, an M.A. in Multicultural Education from Alliant International University, and his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Florida A&M University.
Speaking Topics
Your Own Unique Anti-racism
Making Organizational Anti-racism Real