Neffisatu Celestine Dambo, Ph.D

Dr. Neffisatu Celestine Dambo is the founder of Genuine Intelligent Respectful Ladies Soaring, a 501(c)(3) holistic organization that advocates for 6th through 12th grade youth. She is a licensed teacher, principal, and school counselor. She has served as an advocate, mentor, consultant, and volunteer, with academic, medical, and not-for profit programs around the world. She is also an entrepreneur who serves as the CEO for several limited liability companies (LLC). In 2015, she was the first to be awarded the University of Illinois Young Alumni Achievement Award. She has also served as an Assistant Professor at the University of Nevada Las Vegas where she was awarded a Faculty Opportunity Award for research. She has over eight years in higher education as a full-time Counselor Educator, six years as a high school counselor, and 20 years of experience with organizations serving children from underrepresented groups. She has over 10 years of supervision experience in K-12 schools and higher education institutions. She has also supervised educational professionals in nonprofit sectors. Dr. Dambo graduated high school at the age of sixteen, earned a B.S. in Psychology, and a B.A. in Elementary Education from Southern Illinois University. In 2006, Dr. Dambo earned her M.S. in Counseling from Eastern Illinois University. She continued her studies at the University of Illinois and earned a M.S. in Educational Policy Organization Leadership. Dr. Dambo earned her Ph.D. in Education-Counselor Education Track at the University of Central Florida where she served as a Graduate Research Assistant for the College of Education and the College of Medicine’s Associate Dean of Diversity. Dr. Dambo has had the opportunity to lead 21 grants, serve as PI or CO-PI on 10 approved IRB research projects, conducted 49 peer reviewed research presentations, and produced 14 peer-reviewed publications. Research has included both qualitative and quantitative methods. Her clinical, community, and educational background has provided extensive opportunities for collaborating with diverse communities, schools, families, and business organizations. Her research interests include: (a) Academic career transitions, (b) program development and evaluation, (c) innovative group counseling approaches for students’ at-promise, (d) instrument design for special populations, and (e) multicultural advocacy.