ASPP President Amber Sessoms

Dr. Sessoms, NCSP, is principal and founder of Natural Inclination LLC, where she supports courageous leaders in cultivating liberatory spaces for individuals to be their full, authentic selves. To promote a culture of belonging, Amber utilizes her 3D Power Tools Framework to guide participants on a self-awareness journey to (re)examine the narratives that tell us different is bad or undesirable. Amber intentionally centers the voices of minoritized children, parents, educators, and communities by inviting all participants to build capacity by embracing vulnerability through courageous conversations on justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI). Prior to becoming a principal consultant, Amber served the Central Dauphin School District for nearly 13 years, where, as department chair, she provided oversight and strategic planning to support the mental health, wellness, equity, and inclusion needs for all 19 school buildings.

Amber earned her Ed.D. in Lifelong Learning and Adult Education from Penn State. Her dissertation focuses on the utility of social media as an informal educational tool for Black female identity development, critical consciousness-raising, and social action. Amber received her undergraduate and graduate degrees in Psychology from Millersville University.  She is also a QPR Institute Certified Gatekeeper Instructor for Suicide Prevention and a More Than Sad Suicide Prevention Trainer.

Amber is an active member of the Pennsylvania Department of Education Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Work Group; HEAL PA Trauma-Informed Pennsylvania; Pennsylvania School Board Association Equity Task Force; and the National Coalition of 100 Black Women. Nominated by Pennsylvania governor, Tom Wolf, and appointed by the Pennsylvania State Senate, Amber continues to actively serve her alma mater as a member of Millersville University‘s Council of Trustees.  She also currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Professionals of Central Pennsylvania and as an executive board member with Girls on the Run Lancaster.

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