Kmt Shockley, PhD

Kmt G. Shockley, Ph.D., is the Sanford N. McDonnell Endowed Professor of Character Education and Co-Director of the Center for Character & Citizenship at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. An educator, scholar, author, documentary producer, and community-engaged researcher, Dr. Shockley brings more than two decades of experience in higher education, educational leadership, international education, and the study of culture, schooling, and human development.

Kmt is widely recognized for his scholarship in African-centered education, educational leadership and policy, culturally grounded approaches to teaching and learning, and the education of children of African descent. His work examines the ways culture, history, identity, community, and educational institutions shape the development and educational experiences of young people. A consistent theme throughout his scholarship has been the importance of understanding education within the cultural and community contexts in which people develop, learn, and make meaning.

In addition to his academic scholarship, he has conducted international educational and documentary work, engaging with communities, educators, and institutions across national and cultural contexts. His documentaries and related media work have appeared on major television and media networks, extending his commitment to public scholarship and bringing important stories about education, culture, identity, and community to broader audiences. Through this work, he has explored how educational experiences and social realities are shaped by local histories, global connections, and the lived experiences of communities.

These longstanding interests provide an important foundation for Dr. Shockley’s work at the Center for Character & Citizenship. African-centered educational thought has long engaged questions of values, identity, responsibility, purpose, relationships, community, and the development of the whole person. Dr. Shockley brings these perspectives into conversation with the broader field of character and citizenship education, creating opportunities to explore how character is understood, developed, and expressed across diverse cultural, national, and intellectual traditions.

Throughout his career, Dr. Shockley has secured and led numerous grant-funded initiatives supporting educational innovation, research, professional development, and community engagement. At Howard University, he served as principal investigator and director of a major, multi-year initiative supported by the Verizon Foundation that brought together university faculty and staff, educators, young people, and communities to expand access to innovative educational and technology-based learning opportunities. He has also secured grants and institutional support for research, educator professional development, school partnerships, and community-based educational initiatives.

Prior to joining UMSL, Dr. Shockley held faculty appointments at the University of Houston, Howard University, Morgan State University, and George Mason University. Dr. Shockley brings experience coordinating and directing Educational Leadership programs; he has also successfully led certification and licensure efforts. Across his academic career, he has built collaborations involving universities, school systems, educational leaders, educators, community-based organizations, families, and young people in the United States and internationally.

Community engagement has been a defining feature of Dr. Shockley’s career. His work has consistently sought to bridge universities, schools, and communities, recognizing communities not simply as sites for research or intervention, but as important sources of knowledge, experience, and educational possibility. That orientation informs his approach to scholarship, leadership, documentary storytelling, and the development of meaningful and sustainable educational partnerships across local, national, and international contexts.

Dr. Shockley earned his Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Maryland, College Park. As Co-Director of the Center for Character & Citizenship, he is helping advance the Center’s national and international reach while developing new partnerships, research, and conversations that bring diverse cultural traditions, communities, and perspectives into the study and practice of character and citizenship education.