Rose Claybon Dean is a passionate educator who has worked as an elementary school teacher for 29 years. She grew up under segregation laws and now works tirelessly for social justice and equity in schools. Ms. Dean graduated from Mississippi University for Women in 1978 with dual degrees in Speech Communications and Journalism. In 2002, she graduated with the highest honors from Drew University in New Jersey with a Master’s Degree in Theological Studies. Her nearly three decades of working as an educator has afforded her the opportunity to mentor and serve as a cooperating teacher for many pre-service teachers. She strives to create a space for students to explore their own learning styles and encourages parents to be active participants in their child’s learning. As an educator she believes that she is in a privileged position to create learning environments that promote effort and hard work. She sincerely believes that every student is unique and the stakeholders in education should embrace this uniqueness to make learning an enriching experience for all students.