Professor Devin is the great-great grandson of a runaway slave and one-time juvenile delinquent. Born on St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands on November 16th, 1974, he made poor decisions leading him to be arrested 5 times by age 17 and expelled from high school in his senior year. Not willing to let her son be a failure, his mother made an unrelenting plea to the superintendent, who eventually allowed Professor Devin readmittance into school 6 weeks before graduation with strict stipulations and refusal to offer him make up work even after missing 2 months of school. Due his prior 3.8 GPA, Professor Devin graduated with a 2.5 GPA average, allowing him to graduate on schedule.

Professor Devin was given a second by the juvenile court judge (Judge Swan) to forego facing his juvenile felonies and serve in the United States Military. Professor Devin eventually chose the latter. 6.5 years later, in 1998, he was honorably discharged from the military as an Airborne Non-Commissioned Officer. In the military was where he learned discipline and hard work but also where he first met racism head-on from a civilian elderly gentleman who unprovokingly held a .38 caliber pistol at Professor Devin's head calling him a nigger while he was in military uniform. Professor Devin chose to respond magnanimously rather than feeding into popular stereotypes of young black males in America.

Since then Professor Devin has grown to believe that the reason for many prejudice and discrimination is due to how people perceive each other. His work now centers around breaking down the stereotypes we have of each other and learning more of one another's culture. He uses his business knowledge to show students and the black community how to rebuild the Black Infrastructure of Businesses and self-reliance. This is what he believes will establish reciprocal respect throughout America's communities.

In response to the Black beauty industry disparities, he launched Beauty Supply Institute (beautysupplysystem.com) to help Blacks increase ownership of the beauty supply stores across America. As a prior beauty supply chain owner, he secured a proven business model that he now teaches to others globally. He continues to work with other industries that has low black ownership representation but high black consumerism. He is a member of the Atlanta Business League and National Black MBA Association.

Professor Devin is a business and economics professor at 2 universities and 1 technical college, a Daily News newspaper columnist, radio commentator and community activist. He is an adversary of gangs and violence. He has written 6 self-help books and lectures at churches, community organizations, colleges and universities. His titles include, Blacks: From the Plantation to the Prison, Raising a Rebel Son, Changing Your Mind: One Degree at a Time, Breaking the Cycle, and Taking it Back: How to Become a Successful Black Beauty Supply Store Owner.

Professor Devin's community efforts keep him busy as well. He is a member of the Southern Poverty Law Center, Let Us Make Man, and the former President of National Action Network Atlanta, an organization headed by Reverend Al Sharpton.

His motto is, "We cannot be angry... We must be ambitious!"

Contact Us to book Devin for your next event.