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Dr. Eric Mayes : Professional Portrait

Umoja Community Education Foundation

Dr. Eric
Mayes

Chief Executive Officer & Nationally Sought Keynote Speaker

Advancing equity, strengthening institutional practice, and empowering educational communities to drive meaningful and measurable impact.

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Why Dr. Mayes

Speaking That Transforms

"Equity isn't something you work toward someday. It's something you do today, in every room you walk into."
Dr. Eric Mayes speaks to the full picture of student success, what it takes to build the kind of institutions where students aren't just surviving, they're thriving. Whether he's delivering a keynote, leading a panel, or engaging with campus leadership, his message is grounded in the real work Umoja does every day across more than 80 colleges.

Biography

CEO. Scholar. Practitioner. Community Builder.

Dr. Eric Mayes has spent his career doing one thing consistently: building institutions that put students first. As CEO of the Umoja Community Education Foundation, he has grown the organization to over 80 campus programs and nearly doubled the number of students served, now reaching more than 16,000 students each year across California and Washington.

Under his watch, Umoja launched the Global Institute, the Alumni Association, the International Student Fellowship, and Umoja Marketplace, all while executing Umoja Forward, the organization's five-year strategic plan. Before higher education administration, Dr. Mayes competed as a Division I student-athlete and won a national championship. That background shapes how he leads: with focus, with accountability, and with genuine investment in the people around him.

Dr. Eric Mayes has been doing the work of building and sustaining institutions that serve students well. As CEO of the Umoja Community Education Foundation, he has guided the organization through a period of real growth, expanding to more than 80 campus programs, launching the first CSU-based Umoja program, and establishing Umoja's first high school partnership. The number of students served has nearly doubled to over 16,000 annually across California and Washington.

His approach is rooted in a 10X mindset: scale what works, diversify the resources that fund it, and make sure every decision stays tied to the mission. That's led to the launch of the Umoja Global Institute, the Alumni Association, the International Student Fellowship, and Umoja Marketplace, alongside Umoja Forward, the organization's five-year strategic plan.

Dr. Mayes has held faculty and executive roles at the University of Arkansas, Wayne State University, University of Detroit Mercy, Howard University, and Johns Hopkins University. That range of experience, across historically Black institutions, research universities, and community colleges, shapes how he sees education and how he talks about it. He's also a former Division I student-athlete and national championship team captain, and that competitive background runs through everything he does.

16,000+
Students Served Annually
80+
Campus Programs
5
Major Initiatives Launched

Keynotes & Topics

What Dr. Mayes Speaks On

01
Student Success & Actualizing Potential
Students don't fail because they lack ability. They fail when the systems around them fail to recognize what they bring. Dr. Mayes speaks on what it actually takes to build a culture where students show up, stay, and succeed.
02
Academic Achievement
High expectations and real support aren't opposites, they go together. Dr. Mayes breaks down what academic achievement looks like when it's rooted in structure, belonging, and a belief that every student can do the work.
03
Career & College Success
Getting into college is step one. Knowing where you're headed and why, that's the harder part. Dr. Mayes gives students and educators a real framework for connecting academic preparation to career direction and long-term purpose.
04
Athletics, Leadership & Academic Success
Dr. Mayes competed at the highest level of college athletics and won a national title. He draws directly on that experience to talk about what it means to perform under pressure, lead through adversity, and carry the lessons of sport into life after the game.
05
Black Male Achievement
Drawing on life course and intersectionality theories, Dr. Mayes examines how cumulative threats and protective factors shape the academic trajectories of Black boys from preschool through high school, offering families, educators, and practitioners a scholar-practitioner framework for support at every developmental stage.
06
Systems Change in Education
The hardest work in education isn't in the classroom. It's in changing the systems that the classroom sits inside. Dr. Mayes works with administrators and faculty on the institutional side of equity, what policies, practices, and cultures need to shift for students to actually experience the difference.
Motivation & InspirationPersonal DevelopmentLeadershipBusiness StrategiesRelationship BuildingPeak PerformanceEmotional Mastery

Who He Reaches

Audiences & Engagements

Students
Educators & Faculty
Student-Athletes
Black Boys & Young Men
Men of Color
Higher Ed Leaders
Nonprofit Executives

In Action

Speaking Gallery

Umoja XXI 2025 Annual Conference | San Jose, CAUmoja XXI 2025 Annual Conference | San Jose, CA
Summer Learning Institute 2025 | San Diego, CASummer Learning Institute 2025 | San Diego, CA
Umoja XX 2024 Annual Conference | Los Angeles, CAUmoja XX 2024 Annual Conference | Los Angeles, CA
Umoja XX 2024 Annual Conference | Los Angeles, CAUmoja XX 2024 Annual Conference | Los Angeles, CA
Umoja XIX 2023 Annual Conference | Burlingame, CAUmoja XIX 2023 Annual Conference | Burlingame, CA
Summer Learning Institute 2025 | San Diego, CASummer Learning Institute 2025 | San Diego, CA
The RP Group Conference 2025 | Burlingame, CAThe RP Group Conference 2025 | Burlingame, CA

Video Library

Watch Dr. Mayes Speak

Keynote Address
The RP Group Conference · 2025
Panel Discussion
Umoja XXI Annual Conference · 2025

Logistics

Formats & Availability

Engagement Formats
  • Keynote Address
  • Panel Discussion
  • Executive Leadership Engagement
  • Commencement & Graduation Ceremonies
  • Workshop / Training
  • Virtual / Hybrid Presentation
Session Lengths
  • 30-Minute Remarks
  • 60-Minute Keynote
  • 90-Minute Deep Dive
  • Half-Day Workshop
  • Full-Day Institute
  • Multi-Session Engagement

Track Record

Past Engagements

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Office of the CEO

Request a Speaking Engagement

Before You SubmitPlease give us at least 30 days notice before your event date. Once you submit this form, someone from the Office of the CEO will follow up within 72 hoursYour request is not locked in until you hear back directly from our team. If anything changes after you submit, or if you're coming in under 30 days, reach out directly at ceo@umojacommunity.org.

Submitting this form does not lock in a date. You will hear back from the Office of the CEO within 72 hours.

What Happens Next

Booking Process

1
Submit Request
Fill out the booking form with as much detail as you can, at least 30 days out.
2
72-Hour Response
Our team reviews your request and gets back to you within 72 hours with availability.
3
Contracting
Once confirmed, we send over an agreement and handle the invoicing details together.
4
Confirmed
When the paperwork is done and logistics are set, you're officially on the calendar.
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A Note on Content and PermissionsPlease do not record, publish, or share remarks from Dr. Mayes on social media or any platform without prior written approval. All speeches and remarks are the intellectual property of the Umoja Community Education Foundation. Umoja's name, logo, trademarks, and imagery may not be used or reproduced without permission.

Ready to Bring Dr. Mayes
to Your Community?

Umoja students deserve rooms where people show up for them. Let's build those rooms together.

Request a Speaking Engagement

Questions? Contact the Office of the CEO at ceo@umojacommunity.org