About Us
At 1st Class Educator, our team is the heart of our mission to provide unparalleled educational experiences. Comprised of seasoned educators, innovative curriculum designers, and passionate subject matter experts, our team embodies a diverse blend of expertise and creativity. Each member brings a unique set of skills and a shared commitment to educational excellence. We pride ourselves on fostering an environment of continuous learning, not just for our students, but within our team as well. Together, we work tirelessly to develop engaging, effective, and accessible educational solutions that cater to a wide range of learning needs. Our goal is to inspire and empower every learner to achieve their fullest potential, guided by our collective knowledge, experience, and dedication to education.
Meet the Team
We strive for the culture of our internal team to reflect the culture that we promote, creating a parallel process of growth. 1st Class Educator aligns our behavior, beliefs and practices with the values we share with clients.
Locha Brooks
Founder and CEO
Locha brings many, valuable years of experience in education to her position as the 1st Class Educator CEO.She started her post-secondary education journey with an Associate of Arts in Communication from St. Louis Community College. Next, she proudly graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor's Degree in Secondary Education with a focus in English content from Harris-Stowe State University.Always hungry for learning, Locha leveled up and received a Master's Degree in Education Administration from Lindenwood University located in St. Charles, Missouri. She also completed post-graduate work at Harvard University in the Women In Educational Leadership program. With her experience she served in education for over 12 years, holding various roles including high school English Language Arts Instructor, middle school In-School Suspension Coordinator and Permanent Substitute Teacher in several elementary schools. She has moved through the ranks of the educational field and has the experience and understanding to help clients transform their careers and workplace culture.Beyond the classroom, Locha is a dedicated member of several professional education organizations including NABSE, NEA, NEA Black Caucus, and ILA. With her expertise, she has also written and assisted with curriculum revisions.
Dr. Robert Good
Sr. Consultant
Robert Good Ph.D.-- ROB GOOD is a retired high school social studies teacher (Ladue High School) and an adjunct professor at the University of Missouri—St. Louis. In his 27-year career as a high school teacher Rob focused on issues of equity and inclusion in both the curriculum and the policies and practices of his school community. He has facilitated diversity workshops and dialogue groups for a wide variety of organizations including the National Conference for Community and Justice—St. Louis, the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri, the YWCA’s Witnessing Whiteness Program, Focus St. Louis, and CommUnity—Santa Barbara. He has also served on the staffs of NCCJ St. Louis’ Anytown Youth Leadership Institute, the Dismantling Racism Institute, and the Inclusion Institute for Educators. Rob has a Bachelor’s degree in history from Westminster College, a Master’s degree in history from Ohio University, and a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Missouri—St. Louis. Rob was named the Tachau Teacher of the Year by the Organization of American Historians in 2012, a Peabody Leader in Education in 2015, and the Missouri Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute in 2016. Rob also received a Brotherhood/Sisterhood Award from NCCJ-St. Louis in 2017. Rob previously worked with DPS 61 DLT staff and Administrators during SY20-21 guiding them through a year long PD series focused on culturally responsive teaching and equity.
Dr. Eric Hahn
Sr. Consultant
Eric Hahn, Ph.D. - Currently serves as a social studies teacher (Clayton High School, part time.) He has previously taught Advanced Placement United States History, amongst a host of other social studies courses. He has published with Cengage Publishing, BedfordMartin, and McGraw-Hill as an author of ancillaries for textbooks for AP US History and AP World History; In addition, he makes presentations for the College Board (as a Consultant) for experienced and novice teachers of Advanced Placement United States History & World History: Modern, test Writer for American & Board Certification for Teacher Education; College Board Advanced Placement World History Consultant (presentations to teacher groups) and Advanced Placement World History and World History Modern Reader and Table Leader; University of Missouri, “e-Learning” consultant for Ken Burns “The War” project with PBS, Missouri Historical Society, Panel Member for HBO discussion, America’s Hero…Betrayed (Joe Louis documentary, 2008). Goethe Institute Summer Study Tour. Eric has enjoyed taking students abroad to India, Japan and Brazil for educational tours. He is also a proud board member of Safe Connections, DV/SV survivor’s help center.
Gregory S. Carr
Sr. Consultant
Gregory Carr-- a native of St. Louis, MO., is an instructor of Communication Studies and Theatre in the College of Arts and Science at Harris-Stowe State University. Gregory is an accomplished director, playwright, actor and published writer. His plays include “Lunch Rush,” “Johnnie Taylor is Gone,” “A Colored Funeral,” “Mogadisha Lost,” and “Live from Ferguson!” A motivational speaker of acclaim, he is now pursuing a doctoral degree in American Studies at Saint Louis University. Mr. Carr is a frequent presenter at the Beginning Teachers Assistance Program (BTAP) for the St. Louis Public Schools. His seminars receive rave reviews for his “Grammar’s Hands” which explores linguistics, culture, and history. Greg previously worked with DPS 61 DLT staff and Administrators during SY20-21 guiding them through a year long PD series focused on culturally responsive teaching and equity.
Dr. Melissa Leonard
Sr. Consultant
Melissa Leonard Goodlett- Currently serves as an English Teacher (Clayton High School) Melissa is an Enthusiastic Language Arts Instructor with success at creating unique, rigorous, and innovative lesson plans. Compassionately adept at inspiring the love of reading, learning and exploring language in students at below-basic to college levels. Melissa is focused on student achievement and data-driven instruction. Previously Melissa has built, monitored, and revise a rigorous, and culturally responsive curriculum using Understanding by Design methods. Melissa also presents as a public speaker on Education and various topics. She attended; Webster University, Masters of Arts in Teaching and Masters of Arts in Secondary Education, Fontbonne University Bachelors of Arts in Business Management. She is now pursuing a doctoral degree in Educational Leadership at Maryville University.
Dr. Kevin Murray
Sr. Consultant
Kevin Sutherland Murray Ph.D. - Currently serves as an English Teacher (Hazelwood Central High School.) Previously worked with other teachers to develop techniques to better reach students who come from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Served as a demonstration classroom for Culturally Responsive Teaching strategies. Professional Presentations/Publications “Why Kids Hate School: Reflections on School Discipline" 2009 Murray, K. 2013. Microaggression as Foucauldian Subjectivism: A Critical Race Analysis. Journal of Philosophy and History of Education. 63(1). 59-68. Murray, K. 2015. Behind Closed Doors: The Mask of Antiracism in Presentation and Practice. He attended the following schools; Truman State University Bachelor of Arts in English, Webster University Master of Arts in Teaching, University of Missouri-St. Louis Master’s Degree in Education Administration, PhD in Education Leadership and Policy Studies.
Dr. Betty Porter Walls
Sr. Consultant
Dr. Betty Porter Walls, retired educator at HarrisStowe State University (HSSU) and the University of Missouri-Columbia, and adjunct at Webster University, is past president of the Missouri Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (MACTE). She serves as an executive board member of state and local affiliates of the International Literacy Association (ILA). A noted consultant/presenter, she coordinates the Beginning Teachers Assistance Program (BTAP) professional development for the St. Louis Public Schools. She has presented at the Write to Learn, Early Learning, and Interface (STEM) Conferences in Missouri and nationally for the ILA, National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), National Network for Educational Renewal (NNER), and American Education and Research Association ((AERA). Internationally, Betty has conducted PD in Iceland, Germany, and Senegal. Her noted “Literacy is a Family Affair Project” was recently presented at the Hawaii International Conference on Education (HICE). Betty currently serves on the Educational Advisory Board of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, the Emerson Electric Scholarship Committee, and the SLPS Teacher of the Year Committee. Dr. Walls has received numerous honors/awards including those from the Governor of Missouri, HSSU, University of Missouri-Columbia, B’Nai B’rith, and the St. Louis American Newspaper.
We’ve curated a team of educational consultants with experience that spans across different demographics and levels of cultural diversity awareness expertise to carry out this mission.
Our staff of consultants includes educational administrators, managerial specialists, post-secondary instructors, early childhood educators and everything in between.
We select professionals from our pool of talent for each client, tailoring a unique team to fit each 1st Class Educator project’s specific needs and goals. This careful process focuses on each consultant’s background as well as their ability to appeal and relate to your staff demographic and optimize engagement and effectiveness.
What is our
Impact Research
Results
1st Class Educator’s commitment to research and data based decision making practices are evident through our partnership with Precise Data Consulting. Each organization has a custom data collection tool to track and assess the transformation of our work. We strategically collect qualitative and quantitative data to provide a concise snapshot.
Dr. Julia Chears-Young
Data Research Scientist
Who We Are at 1st Class Educator