Brenda J. Scott, a Youngstown, Ohio, native, where she was an honor graduate of Chaney High School, Youngstown State University Cum Laude graduate, with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, and Masters in College Counseling and Student Affairs with Summa cum laude honors. Brenda became the first in her family to graduate college. She held the position of Coordinator of Transition and Mentoring Programs with a focus of underrepresented, marginalized, first year and first-generation students for Youngstown State University for 4 years. She has helped to create programming that supports students’ transition into college, provided them with opportunities to become leaders and gain work experience on campus, continuously built a sense of belonging for students through social connections and mentoring, and done numerous speaking engagements and trainings on leadership, diversity, cultural competency, and more. Brenda has over 15 years of experience in youth development, school transformation, character development, workforce development, coaching, social-emotional learning, and so much more. Working for well-known non-profit organizations such as United Way, City Year, and KIPP Columbus, where she held leadership positions with all of them and has grown into a well-rounded professional because of it.
Brenda played collegiately at Walsh University and Thiel College. She later turned down full-ride scholarship from Youngstown State University to coach. Brenda was the Assistant Girls’ Basketball Coach at Youngstown East High School and The Rayen High School with over 20 years of coaching experience. She also was the Head Coach of Youngstown Community School Boys’ Basketball team, grades 6th-8th, and conducted personal training and basketball development.
Brenda is trained in Bridges Out of Poverty, Youth Development Certified in P.E.A.R. (Program in Education, After-school & Resiliency), Race, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Strength Based Case Management, Building Developmental Assets by Search Institute, and Comprehensive System of Learning Supports. From her experience, Brenda is a sought-after program developer for at-risk youth, an Author, after-school program & leadership consultant, trainer, and coach. Brenda lives life with a specific purpose: to help young people reach their full potential to gain a better quality of life. To serve this purpose, Brenda has embodied her true self to support the discovery of others. With all her years of experience and being a “walking testimony” for those she serves, she is committed to cultivating change within underrepresented, marginalized people, and communities.
Outside of her professional pursuits, she loves spending time with her family—wife, Tiffany, their son Landon, and dog Zoe. She enjoys watching sports and her favorite teams are the Cleveland Browns and The Ohio State University Buckeyes. She is also a huge fan of the NBA but loves watching LeBron James play.
