An
academician and educator, civil and human rights advocate, entrepreneur
and businessperson, a dedicated family member committed to serving
her community, Dr. Doty has distinguished herself in many venues
and disciplines. Her accomplishments span national and local volunteerism
as she serves on several Boards of Directors and donates her time
and resources to community organizations. She was instrumental
in helping to implement a successful Mississippi Faith Summit,
one of the first statewide Summits as a vision and prototype for
implementation of the White House Faith-Based and Community Initiative.
She has recently been elected the 23rd South Eastern Regional
Director (Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee) for Alpha Kappa
Alpha Sorority, Incorporated (AKA). She served as the National
Program Chairman of AKA (a 200,000 member organization) for 2002-2006;
was co-host with the former first lady of Mississippi, the Late
Ms. Pat Fordice, of the highly successful statewide television
show, “Woman to Woman”, an issue related talk magazine
format program; and, is frequently asked to keynote conferences
and symposiums. She is a member of Anderson United Methodist Church.
Having earned advanced degrees from the University of Southern
Mississippi and a doctorate in early childhood education from
Jackson State University in 1985, Dr. Doty went on to become recognized
as a leader, both locally and nationally in the areas of education
and speech-language pathology. Her work included serving as a
lecturer, clinical supervisor, associate professor and director
of the Speech and Hearing Center at Jackson State University.
She has received numerous awards and commendations including the
Honors of the Mississippi Speech-Language-Hearing Association,
being named the 1991 HEADWAE Faculty Honoree for Jackson State
University, a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association,
and the distinguished William T. Simpkins Community Service Award
presented by the National Black Association for Speech-Language
and Hearing (NBASLH). Dr. Doty also served as the Chairman of
the Board of NBASLH. She was a seven-time recipient of Jackson
State University’s Spotlight on Scholars in the School of
Liberal Arts and has received numerous grants to assist students
and professionals in her discipline. Additionally, she is published
in several academic and educational journals.
Dr. Doty is a Fellow in the Department of Pediatrics at the University
of Mississippi Medical Center and is on Special Assignment as
Senior Advisor for Outreach with the National Institute of Child
Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health.
As President of The Sims Group of America, LLC, and a Jackson,
Mississippi business leader, Dr. Doty has received many awards
from local and state organizations for her contributions to the
community. She recently received the 2006 John Dixon Award presented
by the Jackson Branch of the NAACP and the 2004 Ambassador for
Peace Award presented by the Interreligious and International
Peace Council of Washington, DC. Additionally, she was named a
2004 Role Model for the 8,000 Middle School GEAR-UP students of
Mississippi.
Doty is dedicated to her native Mississippi and serves on many
local Boards of nonprofit organizations, chairing numerous committees
and events. On the local level she serves on the Jackson Convention
and Visitors Bureau. At the State level she serves on the Board
of Directors of the Mississippi Head Start Association, the Mississippi
Food Network and the Office of Nursing Workforce Development.
At the national level, she 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. She also served on the Board of Governors of the Josephson
Institute of Ethics. Her role has been as an advocate for service
delivery to underserved communities. In recognition of her work
and involvement, she has been invited to participate in national
events including the 2002 Martin Luther King proclamation White
House signing, the DC Women’s Leadership Summit and the
African-American Leadership Summit held in Washington, DC.
As a dedicated advocate, Dr. Doty spends much
of her time promoting equity for all persons and encouraging others
to become involved in service. As a tireless activist, Juanita
Sims Doty continues her life long 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.
