Transformative Programs Rooted in the Be The Messenger Framework
I don't just deliver speeches — I build programs that transform people, organizations, and communities. Each program connects identity, culture, diversity, and respect to real-world change.
- Institutional & Leadership Programs
Institutional & Leadership Programs
Be The Messenger Leadership Programs
Multi-session programs built around the 4 Phases of BTM — Find Your Voice, Live Your Message, Share Your Message, Multiply Messengers. These programs help leaders align their values with their actions and create cultures of trust and accountability.
Audience
Leaders, educators, organizations
Key Outcomes
- Leadership clarity
- Stronger decision-making
- Sustainable culture change
Courageous Leadership Development
A standalone program designed for executives, corporations, universities, and law firms. Participants learn how to lead with fairness, build trust, and strengthen resilience within teams and organizations.
Audience
Corporations, universities, law firms, nonprofits
Key Outcomes
- Courageous leadership
- Improved workplace culture
- Stronger institutional accountability
Social Justice Research & Advocacy Hub
This program builds a hub for justice-focused research and advocacy inside universities. Includes faculty workshops, mentoring, grant support, and community partnerships.
Audience
Universities, colleges, research centers
Key Outcomes
- Faculty development
- Strengthened research capacity
- Institutional transformation
Custom Organizational Trainings
Every institution faces unique challenges. I design tailored programs for law firms, universities, corporations, and nonprofits — built from the Be The Messenger philosophy and aligned with your goals for leadership and organizational change.
Audience
Law firms, corporations, justice orgs, nonprofits
Key Outcomes
- Customized solutions
- Measurable outcomes
- Long-term transformation
- STEM & Academic Leadership
STEM & Academic Leadership
STEM Access & Innovation Programs
Structured 1-day, 3-day, and 5-day programs that support inclusive STEM environments.
Audience
Universities, STEM orgs, research institutes
Outcomes:
Inclusive pipelines, stronger student pathways, institutional strategy
ALL-ABOARD GEO Leadership Initiative
The ALL-ABOARD Project (Alliance-Building Offshore to Advance Resilience and Diversity) was a National Science Foundation–funded initiative designed to build resilience, accountability, and leadership among intergenerational teams in the geosciences.
As a co-author of the published Oceanography (2023) article, Dr. Starks contributed the Be The Messenger Framework to shape the program’s foundation. Through immersive retreats and structured collaboration, ALL-ABOARD equipped participants to reflect on identity, culture, diversity, and respect while navigating systemic barriers in academia.
- Increased resilience and leadership identity
- Enhanced collaboration across generations and institutions
- Peer-reviewed validation of applying social justice frameworks to STEM leadership development
🧠 Be The Messenger Leadership Programs
Multi-session programs built around the 4 Phases of BTM — Find Your Voice, Live Your Message, Share Your Message, Multiply Messengers. These programs help leaders align their values with their actions and create cultures of trust and accountability.
Audience
Leaders, educators, organizations
Key Outcomes
- Leadership clarity
- Stronger decision-making
- Sustainable culture change
⚖️ Courageous Leadership Development
A standalone program designed for executives, corporations, universities, and law firms. Participants learn how to lead with fairness, build trust, and strengthen resilience within teams and organizations.
Audience
Corporations, universities, law firms, nonprofits
Key Outcomes
- Courageous leadership
- Improved workplace culture
- Stronger institutional accountability
📚 Social Justice Research & Advocacy Hub
This program builds a hub for justice-focused research and advocacy inside universities. Includes faculty workshops, mentoring, grant support, and community partnerships.
Audience
Universities, colleges, research centers
Key Outcomes
- Faculty development
- Strengthened research capacity
- Institutional transformation
🔑 Custom Organizational Trainings
Every institution faces unique challenges. I design tailored programs for law firms, universities, corporations, and nonprofits — built from the Be The Messenger philosophy and aligned with your goals for leadership and organizational change.
Audience
Law firms, corporations, justice orgs, nonprofits
Key Outcomes
- Customized solutions
- Measurable outcomes
- Long-term transformation
- Community & Fellowship Programs
Community & Fellowship Programs
I Know I Can Institute
Originally launched in Lynchburg, VA - A youth and college-prep initiative built to break cycles of doubt and inspire resilience. Through my story and the BTM philosophy, students learn the discipline, courage, and leadership skills they need to not just survive, but thrive.
Audience
Youth, schools, colleges, nonprofits
Key Outcomes
- Confidence building
- Resilience development
- College readiness
- Leadership capacity
Justice Leadership Fellowship
This fellowship trains emerging leaders to become agents of change in their communities. Fellows learn frameworks for building trust, breaking down systemic barriers, and designing capstone projects that drive measurable impact.
Audience
Local gov’t, nonprofits, universities, community orgs
Key Outcomes
- Action plans
- Community-based projects
- Trained leaders
Minority Mentor Lecture Series (Founder)
As a PhD student at the University of Delaware, Dr. Starks founded the Minority Mentor Lecture Series, designed to bring underrepresented voices and critical conversations into the academic community. What began as a student-led vision is now a continuing program hosted by the university, featuring nationally recognized scholars and changemakers.
Key Outcomes
- Created a platform for mentoring across disciplines.
- Established a model for student-driven leadership that continues today.
- Brought national speakers to campus on issues of justice, equity, and belonging.
Every program I deliver is rooted in one belief:
Healing is not optional | Leadership is not neutral | Transformation is not impossible.
Through these programs, I help individuals and organizations do the inner work, stand for fairness, and transform systems — raising a new generation of messengers who will carry the work further than I ever could alone.
Testimonials
I hope this email finds you thriving. I wanted to reach back out and let you know what an impact that you had here at Wake Tech. Based on conversations you lead, we were able to implement a START (STEM Academic Research & Training) Ambassador program. In this program former START Interns (those conducting undergraduate research) were trained in the art of storytelling, mentored to develop their story around START, and then invited into various math and science classrooms to share their stories. We were awarded an internal grant to compensate those ambassadors for their time. We have already seen an increase in our Hispanic student applications (10% to 25%) and a decrease in our White applications percentage (64% to 35%). We plan to install the ambassador portion as the permanent part of our program. In addition, we have made some “I am a STEM Researcher” posters with our students. I have attached a few in the email. I still hope to be able to bring you to Wake Tech to speak in front of a majority of our faculty. When it is the right opportunity, I will reach out. Until we work together again, know what an impact your have already made on me, on our undergraduate research program, and the Wake Tech faculty and administrators you spoke with. Best,
Jackie Swanik, Ph.D.
Associate Dean, Mathematics, Sciences, and Engineering Wake Technical Community CollegeWorking with Professor Starks, or Chad as we call him, has been an enlightening and productive experience for me and for our statewide educational consortium. Chad provides motivation and direction, and has professionals talking about social inequality in a constructive way, where the same people were reluctant earlier to even touch these issues. He is equally effective in small group interactions and in addressing a meeting or convention. He is a really genuine person who can help bring about real change in our society”
Dr. William H. Mattheus
Director NASA Delware Space Grant ConsorriumDr. Starks is a highly valuable resource to our district as we work to greatly improve outcomes for African American students in our district with regard to academics and discipline. Dr. Starks is straightforward and passionate in his approach in working with us. He has been helping us to use data to identify core causes of some of our needs and establish ways to implement change. While he has focused on the needs we identify with education, he also wants to ensure that our work links to our community and that our change is social in addition to educational. Dr. Starks is a critical friend and advocate for students who is an important partner in our work to help each student be successful.
