Learn to Earn Dayton is thrilled to once again work with The Dayton Foundation Del Mar Encore Fellow program to have an experienced local professional join our team. Dr. Beverly Williams Odon was born and raised in New Jersey but spent most of her adult/professional life in the Miami Valley. She received her Sociology degree at Douglass College in New Brunswick, NJ (the women’s college campus of The Rutgers University network). Dr. Odon also earned her M.Ed degree at Xavier University (School Social Work/Counseling) and her PhD at Union Institute and University (Inter-generational Studies) in Cincinnati.
Her working career includes a myriad of institutions and organizations that address community needs through comprehensive services to children, youth and families. For more than forty years, Dr. Odon offered her skills, knowledge and energy to connect resources with community residents and as an advocate for emerging issues and marginalized persons.
Her service record includes working in behalf of abused and neglected children at Montgomery County Children’s Services; supporting Dayton Public Schools early childhood education services as a school social worker; program administration for one of the first diversion programs for female status-offenders through an LEAA grant to the National Council of Negro Women; delivering social services support to Head Start aged children and families at Miami Valley Child Development Centers; as the first center director and program coordinator at the Dora Lee Tate Service Center under the direction of the MC Commissioners and promoting local collaboratives, advocacy initiatives and support for the local non-profit sector through the United Way of the Greater Dayton Area.
Dr. Odon has always been passionate about family, kinship caregivers, volunteerism and inter-generational approaches to community life. She serves at Calvary MBC, Clothes That Work, Dayton Metro Library and Soroptimist International, Dayton. Because of her faith perspective, pursuit of best practices and professional growth, Dr. Odon endorses the value and positive potentiality of stakeholders, elected officials, service consumers and service providers joining together to envision the Greater Dayton area at its BEST.
During her time at Learn to Earn Dayton, Dr. Odon is collaborating with critical education, government and community organizations to help launch a year-long academy to equip and inform residents on the function of schools and local governments, and provide the knowledge and network they will need to become advocates that drive systemic change.
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