Since graduating from law school, Terrance Blackman Stroud ’98 has been working to help students move up the socioeconomic ladder.
A member of the National Alumni Association board of directors, Stroud’s signature project has been to build a bridge for Brooklyn College students to study at his law school alma mater, Indiana University Maurer School of Law. Here, Stroud talks about working to close the socioeconomic gap for students from underserved communities and the power of educational pipelines.
You’re a fourth-generation educator. Tell us more about your background?
My family is from Trinidad. My great grandfather was a teacher, my grandmother was a teacher. My mother was an educator while she was there, and my uncle was an educator. Education is part of the DNA of my family. Everything that I’ve done has revolved around that.
What made you decide on Brooklyn College and why a degree in history?
It’s a great school and it was also a neighborhood school. I grew up in East Flatbush, less than a five-minute walk from Brooklyn College. Besides having high academic rankings, the college was also voted one of the most beautiful colleges in America. I met my wife, Dalia, here. We still live in the neighborhood. On weekends we like to go to the lily pond and look at the koi fish and the turtles. Brooklyn College is a big part of our family.
My Trinidadian grandmother always said there are many jobs, but there are only two professions, lawyer and doctor, and you’ll be the first in the family. Fair enough, it’s a democracy; you can pick either. I wasn’t into the blood that comes with medicine, so it was law. And with the research skills I would develop, I thought history was the best way to prepare for law. I arrived at the college’s history department and while I sat waiting for the chair to come out of his office, I saw a photograph of a man with a brown face like mine—John Hope Franklin. He was the first Black chair of any history department of any college in America. For me, another good reason to study history.
After law school, you worked as an adjunct professor and instructor, a career development educator, and for the City of New York.
Yes, for the past 16 years working as a civil servant; I’ve been the deputy commissioner for the Department of Social Services for the last six of those years. I oversee the training and the workforce development team. We have about 13,000 employees, with 100 plus people on my team. We do a lot of program-specific training, such as SNAP, Medicaid assistance, and child support services. On the workforce development side, we have the professional development academy, training for new hires, and a coaching institute. Those types of trainings that affect our staff agencywide. I joined the executive advisory council of the National Staff Development Training Association, which is the leader in learning and development for human services organizations. Every year, there is a conference, and about two years ago, we won a national award for our anti-bias and trauma-informed training.
Speaking of bias, what do you see as some of the biggest challenges when fostering an environment of diversity and inclusion?
One of my roles is co-chairing the American Public Human Services Association’s Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging peer community. We gather all of these dynamic leaders from across the country to examine challenges that different organizations face. It’s about sharing information and then bringing it back to our respective agencies and customizing it to fit our individual solutions.
Social mobility is a priority when it comes to what a college has to offer its students.
Oh, 100%, yes. The great charge that academic institutions have in increasing social mobility is how to create and maintain what I call the nexus of knowledge, which includes mentoring, connecting students to private sector opportunities, such as internships, and preparing them for careers. If you look at schools like Brooklyn College, which is a top performer in social mobility, there are a lot of students from working-class families. Often sacrifices are made so they can go to school and get an excellent education. But those connections that Brooklyn College makes in the public and private sector for the students are key to propelling them into the middle class.
Pipelines are an important focus for you.
Yes, I’m big on pipelines. My work in education deals with the intersection between academic institutions and the global workforce. Extensive research has proved that they are a very effective means to prepare students for careers. When I came back to Brooklyn after graduating from law school, I wanted to create a pipeline program. The dean of the Maurer School of Law works with the Magner Career Center and me to host events annually. We might hold a mock court or send the students a fact pattern of a case to read and then we’ll debate it, or they act it out. We’re hosting a pre-law meet and greet luncheon at the end of October. The pipeline program is a great opportunity to fundraise for our students and provide them with opportunities. I also love serving on the alumni board.
How do you do all that you do? And is there any time for a pastime or hobby?
I have a great wife and two wonderful sons, Tyler and Dalen, who are the focal points of our lives. Time management is very critical. I don’t have much downtime, so my work is fun. Teaching is fun. Overseeing my programs and giving back—that’s fun. That’s what I enjoy.
