LaKeshia D. Payton, Ed.D., serves as the Director of Student Support Services at Fayetteville State University in Fayetteville, North Carolina. She is a Fayetteville native raised in East St. Louis, Illinois. She is an Air Force veteran with over 18 years of education serving as a School Social Work, School Administrator, TRIO Talent Search Coordinator, GEAR UP Director, TRIO SSS Director, and Freshman Seminar Instructor. She has extensive experience working with marginalized populations within the K–16 pipeline. She is the founder of PDL Consulting Group, LLC, a consulting firm specializing in personal development, business consultation, and leadership dynamics. She is certified in Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MTBI) and Emotional Intelligence (EQ 2.0/EQ 360). She is the author of Unstuck: The Power of Strategy and Unstuck: Overcoming Limiting Beliefs (An Interactive Workbook) and has co-authored several other projects. She holds a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership (Wingate University), a Master of School Administration (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), a Master of Public Administration (Troy University), and a Bachelor of Social Work (University of North Carolina at Pembroke).
