Meet Our Emcee, Courtney Portlock
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Courtney weaves the framework of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) through all that she does. She was recently appointed as the Assistant Head of School at Oxbridge Academy, an independent co-educational high school in West Palm Beach, FL. She feels it is important to remain grounded in practice while working at an administrative level; she currently teaches a course on leadership and personal development to ninth grade students.
Prior to working at Oxbridge, Courtney was the Director of the National Center for Girls’ Leadership at Stuart Country Day School in Princeton, NJ. Courtney also worked at The Episcopal Academy in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania for nine years. At Episcopal, she was the Director of Diversity and Community Life, taught Algebra 1, American Literature, Diversity Awareness courses, and coached dance. |
In addition to her work in independent schools, she has striven to share her passions with other communities through leading workshops, facilitating conversations, guest lecturing, and serving on panels. She has co-taught a course at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education (UPenn GSE) titled, Whiteness: Counseling and Educational Perspectives, and her work has taken her to public, charter, parochial, and independent schools, as well as in other UPenn GSE programs and other organizations. She speaks on topics ranging from Race and Leadership, Women in Educational Leadership, The Use of the N-word in Literature, to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Awareness, Implementation Strategies for Sustaining Competency, Girls in STEM, and more. She has also presented at four national conferences: the National Association of Independent Schools' People of Color Conference, The White Privilege Conference, The National Coalition of Girls’ Schools Conference, and the National Partnership for Educational Access Conference.
To further her capacity to engage with other communities, she founded The Diversity Quotient, LLC, where she serves as CEO. The Diversity Quotient seeks to empower communities by transforming the thoughts and actions of individuals to incorporate the impact of verbal and non-verbal communication, visible and invisible behaviors, and individual and societal level experiences, thus forging a path to equity and inclusion by challenging and dismantling systems of privilege and oppression. Through the company, she has worked with both public and independent schools all over the US.
Courtney has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master of Science degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania. She is currently a third-year doctoral student in the Mid-Career Doctoral Program at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education.
To further her capacity to engage with other communities, she founded The Diversity Quotient, LLC, where she serves as CEO. The Diversity Quotient seeks to empower communities by transforming the thoughts and actions of individuals to incorporate the impact of verbal and non-verbal communication, visible and invisible behaviors, and individual and societal level experiences, thus forging a path to equity and inclusion by challenging and dismantling systems of privilege and oppression. Through the company, she has worked with both public and independent schools all over the US.
Courtney has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master of Science degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania. She is currently a third-year doctoral student in the Mid-Career Doctoral Program at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education.
