Dion Chavis

About Dion Chavis

School and district leaders hire Dion Chavis when family engagement is a gap and they need a structured solution that works inside real school communities. Over 20 years, he has built and delivered father engagement programs across 10 states, completing more than 500 workshops with principals, teachers, and families in Title I schools, community organizations, and district-wide initiatives. Schools that implement his programs report stronger father presence at school events, improved teacher-family communication, and more consistent caregiver involvement across the school year. He is the founder of The Glad Dad and the creator of Dads in the Class, a structured K-12 father engagement program built for direct implementation by school and district teams. The program is grounded in his H.E.R.O. Framework: Honor the Journey, Evolve, Respond With Intention, Offer Empathy and Grace. It gives educators a practical, repeatable model for recruiting, training, and sustaining father and caregiver involvement from September through June. His programming is designed for the communities most underserved by traditional family engagement models, with culturally grounded curriculum that reflects the real lives of Black and Brown fathers, families, and students. His work has been recognized by The Huffington Post, NPR, and The Good Men Project. He has worked directly with Boston Community Hub Schools and Pittsburgh Public Schools and served as the West Region Project Manager at Sandy Hook Promise, where he led STOP Grant implementation across more than 100 school districts. Principals and program directors book him to keynote Title I conferences, lead family engagement professional development, and license the Dads in the Class curriculum for school-year implementation. To bring Dads in the Class to your school or district, download the program overview at dadsintheclass.com or message directly to schedule a 20-minute discovery call.

Experience

1. President

   The Glad Dad, Llc

   May 2018 — Present · Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, US

   Founded and operate The Glad Dad, a family engagement consultancy serving K-12 schools and districts nationally- Core deliverables include the Dads in the Class structured father engagement program, the H.E.R.O. Framework for family-school partnership development, keynote speaking for Title I conferences and fatherhood summits, and curriculum licensing for district-wide implementation- Delivered 500+ workshops across 10 states. Served school communities in Boston, Raleigh-Durham, Los Angeles, and additional markets. Programming is designed to align with Title I Part A family engagement requirements and ESSA Section compliance standards-Featured by The Huffington Post, NPR, and The Good Men Project.

Education

• Norfolk State University

  Mass Communication/Media Studies

  2000 — 2002