 Mr.
Dennard Clendenin has more than two decades of experience as a
cross-cultural educator, facilitator and presenter. Cultivating a
passion for political and legal policies, Mr. Clendenin decided to
pursue an undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University
of California, San Diego (UCSD). It was at UCSD where Mr. Clendenin
realized that people from culturally varying backgrounds have very
different learning styles, modes of processing information and life
experiences.
To learn more about these and other
types of cultural differences, Mr. Clendenin decided to pursue a
graduate degree from San Diego State University in Counseling
Education. Mr. Clendenin not only focused his academic studies to the
area of cultural diversity, he also practiced his passions as the
Director of Affirmative Action at UCSD, served as a student counselor
and member of the faculty for San Diego Mesa College, coordinated Mesa
Academy's academic and personal support program for African American
Students and served as a consultant for numerous agencies; including San
Diego State University's Health Career Opportunities Program.
A native of Spanish Harlem and the Bronx, and conversational in
Spanish, Mr. Clendenin is acutely aware of the issues impacting African
Americans and Latinos in a multicultural society. This background
combined with his vast and extensive knowledge regarding African
American and Latino issues, and his philosophy and firm belief that
cultures are not static; but rather, continually evolving, makes Mr.
Clendenin the ideal facilitator in a multicultural arena.
In his workshops, Mr. Clendenin attempts to include all cultures and
promotes the definition of diversity to extend beyond the
oversimplification of "Black and White". One way that he does
this is by creating a safe and inclusive environment where all
participants feel supported and free from judgments. He also attempts to
move his audiences beyond the concept of tolerance by teaching the
participants concrete skills and strategies that will lead to measurable
behavior modifications.
While Mr. Clendenin provides lectures for various colleges,
universities and other educational institutions, coaching and mentoring
for individuals, couples and small groups, and training workshops for
companies, non-profit agencies and entrepreneurs, his drive is not
limited to the verbal modes of delivering messages. Mr. Clendenin is
also in the final stages of publishing a book, "As An Expert on
White People", that details the topics of race and ethnicity in
American culture. |
