Educator, Author, Speaker, and Coach, Jason D. Etheridge, also known as Mr. E! is a one-of-a-kind force in student engagement. His highly energetic, musical, and up-lifting live performances are connecting students, parents and educators to their full potentials as they relate to their roles in success in their everyday lives. As a motivational presenter, Mr. E! has performed at more than 300 schools, conferences, churches, and youth programs in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Ohio, Kentucky, Kansas, and Pennsylvania. Principals, counselors, teachers, & parents alike have and continue to support Mr. E! and believe that his services are necessary and needed in their buildings. Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Jason D. Etheridge.
FMM: We’re so happy to catch up with you! Please… Introduce yourself to our audience.
JDE: I’m so glad to be invited by you. Thanks so much. I am Jason D. Etheridge and I serve as the Director of Student Life at Alabama State University. I also serve students and educators nationally as Mr. E! The Motivator. Overall, I’m a man who tries to make the most of every situation that I’m blessed to find myself in.
FMM: What circumstances led you to your industry? (Higher Education Administration, Public Speaking, Youth Empowerment, Politics)
JDE: Well, the majority of my training is as a K12 educator (School Counseling). In 2016, my family and I packed our things and moved to Dubai, UAE. Upon returning in 2018, I was ready to embark on a new phase of my professional life. After a few phone calls, I got an opportunity to apply for a position at North Carolina Central University. I got the job there and haven’t looked back sense.
FMM: How did you decide to make it your own?
JDE: My role at NCCU was as an Academic Advisor. The beauty of working in Higher Education is that you can create ways to make an impact in your positions. While I was at Central, I started a Study Hall Program, held talks with my students, invited speakers, held training sessions and more to make their experiences with me impactful. This makes the work more fun and allows you to partner with other colleagues who are making similar impacts in their own ways, even if they’re doing the same jobs.
I will listen, find a plan, and deliver to a degree that is acceptable, exceptional, within budget, and impactful.
Jason D. Etheridge
FMM: What has been your greatest challenge in your industry? Why?
JDE: As we know, there are always challenges, conflicting views with others on certain processes, the long distance between work and home, maintaining a healthy work/life balance, and so on, but the beauty of challenges is that they are here to prepare you for your next level. I believe that we are blessed to be challenged so that we can grow to be a bigger blessing to those that come behind us.
FMM: Who else has helped you evolve into the person you are today?
JDE: My goodness! Where do I begin? Professionally, in my Higher Ed journey, I’d have to say Dr. David Hood, Dr. Kesha Reed, Dr. Ontario Wooden, Mrs. Shannon Pugh, Dr. Sabrina Crowder are the first names that come to mind. Personally, my wife, Antonia, my children, and my friends and family who I’m able to lean on for various reasons. Whether they are friends from my old neighborhood, friends from overseas, friends from jobs, friends from college, etc. I try to keep a wide range of connections because they have all helped me draw from their friendship and create the man that I am so far.
FMM: Can you share a time that forces were working against you? How did you overcome the challenges?
JDE: There have been some, of course, but these instances are few and far between and I can explain why. As a staff member in Higher Ed, you don’t receive tenure. This means that you don’t have a “guarantee of employment”. This goes for presidents, vice-presidents, and everyone who is not a tenured faculty member. With this, most work is done with respect. Most campus employees support and work with one another to help everyone be successful because anyone’s success is everyone’s success. So yes, there is a time when things aren’t going well, but when it happens, I know that I have colleagues here who understand and can help me navigate an amicable solution for it. It works every time.
FMM: What sets you apart and makes you/your gift truly special?
JDE: I believe that my super power is in finding the Swiss cheese holes in a system or situation and filling them with a practical solution. A solution that doesn’t require too much effort, time, or money. This is how I’ve been able to make an impact over the course of my career. I will listen, find a plan, and deliver to a degree that is acceptable, exceptional, within budget, and impactful. Besides that, my charisma and fashion sense help with winning the room Lol.
FMM: What is something people would be surprised to learn about you?
JDE: Several people know me as a jack of all trades. Many are surprised to know that I can’t skate. I am a FULL amateur with this one. Lol. Well I don’t skate well enough to want to go skating. I won’t necessarily fall every few seconds, but I’m definitely not creating dance routines in skates either. Being from Atlanta (a skate haven), some folks find this about me to be shocking.
FMM: What is next for Jason Etheridge? How can others work with you?
JDE: As the Director of Student life at Alabama State University (Montgomery, AL.) I am looking for ways to increase the effectiveness of Student Life. Internally, I am working to create certain systems for our students and our organizations to flourish (onboarding software, reorganizing processes, etc.), but I’m now prepared to look outwardly to philanthropists, donors, partners, and supporters to sell the brand that is ASU and advocate for their support to increase our effectiveness globally. Doing this will help us bring more our to the work of our students which will help us increase enrollment and promote our student retention efforts. The work is here and while I’m in the driver’s seat, I’m excited to be a part of it. For anyone who would like to contact me, I can be reached via email at jetheridge@alasu.edu. Also, be sure to follow the work of our students at @myasu.studentlife on Instagram!
Thanks so much again for having me. This was amazing!
Mr. E! holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Alabama A&M University where he served as Drum Major of the Marching Maroon and White Band and is a member of Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity Inc. He also holds a Master’s degree as a Professional School Counselor from Cambridge College. He is also completing his doctoral studies in Higher Education Leadership at East Carolina University. With over 20 years in the field of education, Mr. E! has served at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. He and his family spent two years in the emirate of Dubai, UAE as educators as well. Mr. E! is currently the Director of Student Life at Alabama State University in Montgomery, Alabama where he manages the SGA, Royal Court, Fraternities and Sororities, Registered Student Organizations, student events, the university game room, the e-gaming lab, intramural sports, and the university fitness center.
