Dr. Carmine Stewart, 1991

“The same sun that melts the wax hardens the clay. It helps me to remember that I can choose whether challenges destroy me or make me stronger.”

Dr. Carmine Stewart is the President and CEO of Aspire Consulting and Educational Services (ACES), and the Vice President of Programming at Seeds of Literacy in Cleveland, Ohio. In 2006 Dr. Stewart found her purpose and passion in the field of adult literacy education, working as the adult literacy instructor and parent educator for an Even Start Family Literacy Program, and as an adult literacy instructor, and Program Coordinator for a state-funded program. It was in this role that Dr. Stewart had the opportunity to observe teachers’ interactions with learners, and began questioning the adequacy of teacher preparation and professional development in adult literacy.

To address the need for skilled classroom instructors, Dr. Stewart started ACES in 2007, providing training and technical assistance to improve educational outcomes for adult literacy learners. She developed a professional development program that was sponsored by the Literacy Cooperative of Greater Cleveland, providing training in curriculum and instruction to adult literacy instructors in northeast Ohio. Dr. Stewart has trained adult literacy educators in Ohio, Georgia, California, Arizona, Louisiana, and Massachusetts. Her goal is to train educators in all 50 states.

In 2008 Dr. Stewart began pursuing her PhD in Urban Education from Cleveland State University, with an emphasis in adult learning and development. Her goal was to work with adult literacy instructors in Ohio to investigate how formal education, current professional development, and experience working with adults informed instructional practice. Dr. Stewart earned her doctorate in August 2012, after successfully defending her dissertation, “Teacher Preparation and Professional Development in Adult Literacy Education.”

Education

PhD in Urban Education – Cleveland State University

Current Occupation

Director – Aspire Adult Literacy Program at Neighborhood Centers Association
Founder and CEO – Endling Illiteracy

Achievements

• Wrote and submitted a competitive grant application and was awarded a $349,000 grant to begin the Aspire Adult Literacy/GED program at Neighborhood Centers Association
• Was named Administrator of the Year by the Ohio Association of Adult and Continuing Education
• Designed a phonics book series for older children and adults who want to learn to read
• Was selected to deliver the closing address for the Coalition on Adult Basic Education’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Symposium
• Authored a textbook chapter on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Adult Literacy Education and is completing her first full book: America’s Reading Crisis: and what you can do about it
• Served as the Moderator for the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee for the Literacy Information and Communication System- a project of the United States Department of Education’s Office of Career Tech and Adult Education