Juanita Sims Doty, Ed. D.

Member

An educator, human rights advocate, entrepreneur and a dedicated family member committed to serving her community, Dr. Doty has distinguished herself in many venues and disciplines. 

Having earned advanced degrees from the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) and a doctorate in early childhood education from Jackson State University, Juanita went on to become recognized as a servant leader, both locally and nationally.  She served as an Associate Professor and Director of the Speech and Hearing Center at Jackson State University.  She has been a member of Anderson United Methodist Church for over 19 years.

Dr. Doty has received many awards from local, state and national organizations for her contributions to the community.  On June 27, 2019, Doty received the distinction of becoming an Honorary Member of the Top Ladies of Distinction, Incorporated in Atlanta, Georgia. She received the 2018 Dred Scott Distinguished Services to Youth Award in St. Louis, MO and has received many awards from local, regional and national organizations for her service to the community.

Dr. Doty has served as Senior Advisor for Collaboration and Partnership Development at Uniformed Services University for the Health Sciences at the Department of Defense.  She has also served as Senior Advisor for Community Engagement and Outreach at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD.  She currently is a Co-Founder of the Juanita Sims Doty Foundation (JSD Foundation), a 501© 3 nonprofit organization that will continue her family’s legacy of service to the community. The JSD Foundation is partnering with Mrs. Myrlie Evers and the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Institute to implement a national mentoring program for Young Males of Color: Ambassadors of the Evers Academy for African American Males (The A-TEAAM and the ESTEEM Mentoring program for girls. Since 2013, the JSD Foundation has partnered with the Top Ladies of Distinction, Inc. to provide mentoring support to young males across the country.   Since 2012, these programs have provided mentors and academic support for more than 3000 middle school students in Mississippi and across the country.

In Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Dr. Doty has held many leadership roles on the local, regional and national levels.  She served as the 23rd South Eastern Regional Director (Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee) of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated (AKA) from 2006-2010.  Additionally, she served as  the National Program Chairman of AKA  from 2002-2006 and as the 2006 AKA National Founders Day Chairman, which was the first national meeting of AKA held in Jackson, Mississippi.  She also served as Chairman of the International Membership Committee. As National Program Chairman, she assisted the sorority in receiving a $1.5 Million grant from the U.S. Dept. of Education to fund a national after-school reading program. She was responsible for the publication of a “first ever” book written by children for children, “The Spirit Within:  Voices of Young Authors”.  In the role of National Program Chairman, she has helped to bring more than $2 Million dollars of resources to the sorority. For these distinguished contributions, she received the President’s Spirit Award at the 2006 National Convention in Detroit.  Dr. Doty has been instrumental in bringing in more than $25 Million of resources to community organizations and universities in Mississippi. Additionally, she has two Endowed Scholarships in her name at Jackson State University—Her HBCU!!!

Doty is dedicated to her native Mississippi and serves on many local, state and national Boards of organizations, chairing numerous committees and events. At the national level, she has served on the prestigious Board of Directors of the Washington, DC based Corporation for National and Community Service.  She was nominated by the President of the United States and confirmed by the U.S. Congress to serve on this Board.

One of Juanita’s favorite scriptures can be found in Philippians 4: 4-7-“ Always be full of joy in the Lord; I say again, rejoice! Let everyone see that you are unselfish and considerate in all you do.  Remember that the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs and don’t forget to thank him for his answers.  If you do this you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand.  His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus.”

As a dedicated advocate, Dr. Doty spends much of her time promoting community engagement to all persons and encouraging others to become involved in service.  Her motto is “I serve God by serving others.”  Her favorite book is “The Purpose-Driven Life” by Rick Warren. As a tireless community activist, Juanita Sims Doty continues her lifelong commitment to her native Mississippi and beyond.  Indeed, her life’s story is a reflection of a call to service to her family, her neighbors, her state and her nation.