COLUMBIA, MO, March 08, 2024 - Janice Dawson-Threat, PhD, has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

Dr. Dawson-Threat is the Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Executive Director for Grade A Plus Incorporated, a nonprofit organization devoted to academic support and enrichment. The mission of Grade A Plus is to motivate students to learn, stimulate academic curiosity, and increase confidence in the practice of problem-solving. Based on the value that all children can learn and succeed when given the support, encouragement, and confidence necessary, Dr. Dawson-Threat and her organization aim to narrow the opportunity gap and increase equity by reducing the barriers that inhibit success in and out of school for marginalized and disadvantaged children from low-income families in Mid-Missouri.

On her path to entering the realm of education across various sectors, Dr. Dawson-Threat studied at Elmhurst College, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Education. Soon after, she attended Northeastern Illinois University, and received a Master of Arts in Communications. A decade later, after gaining experience in the workforce, she returned to pursue her Doctorate in Education from Iowa State University, which she received in 1993.

Following the receipt of her doctorate, Dr. Dawson-Threat taught as an Assistant Professor at the University of Missouri. During her time at the university level, from 1995 to 1999, she authored numerous papers. She published in refereed publications related to pedagogy and education, including one titled "Critical Pedagogy: Teaching 'Difference' in race and gender studies." Over the first near decade and a half of her career, she continued to author critical papers that examined pedagogy, race, gender, and sex-role identification, among other topics of importance. In 2000 she co-founded For His Glory Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that later evolved into Grade A Plus, the current organization that she leads.

Following her time in the university classroom, Dr. Dawson-Threat applied her expertise in the government sector, working for the State of Missouri as a Career Counselor and Trainer in the Department of Economic Development/Division of Workforce Development, a position she held for nearly a decade. After that, she served as a Community Impact Director and a Director of Research, Analysis, and Evaluation for the Heart of Missouri United Way. In 2014, Dr. Dawson-Threat stepped into her current role at Grade A Plus full-time as Executive Director, bringing with her all her experience in academia and various community-related sectors, which she gathered over the first 20 years of her career.

Alongside her educational and professional endeavors over the years, Dr. Dawson-Threat simultaneously devoted herself to many civic engagements and organizations. She is a lifetime member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, a public service sorority, since joining in 1973. She was honored with the NAACP Award for Distinguished Service and Outstanding Leadership in 2017. She has remained involved with the Columbia Chamber of Commerce since 2006, holding roles such as Career Development Specialist on the Changing the Odds Committee, Steering Committee member for the Women's Network beginning in 2016, and Secretary of the Steering Committee from 2019 to 2022. Additionally, she has remained involved with her community's local education system since 2003 as a community support member serving on various committees, task forces, and teams.

At the center of Dr. Dawson-Threat's community focus is her church, the Second Missionary Baptist Church of Columbia. Along with volunteering, she has been a congregation member since 2003, was ordained in 2007 as an Associate Minister, and serves as a teacher in the Sunday School department and Director of the Dance Ministry. For all her accomplishments, from the start of her education career through now, Dr. Dawson-Threat has received recognition and numerous awards pertaining to her outstanding civic engagements, her business endeavors and accomplishments, and her impact as an educator.

Most recently, Dr. Dawson-Threat received the 2020 Progress in Education Award, given by the Progress Awards Committee at the Columbia Missourian, and the 2021 Debin Benish Outstanding Businesswoman of the Year Award, granted by the Columbia Chamber of Commerce Women's Network. She experiences a deep sense of fulfillment and satisfaction in working to realize her vision. Her remarkable achievements can be attributed to her unwavering focus in pursuing her mission, her unbridled passion for the organization she founded, and her commitment to helping those around her, which drives her day to day. She never backs down, even in the face of obstacles. As a result of her faith, resilience, and determination, Dr. Dawson-Threat has emerged strong and more confident as she now finds herself in a position to work alongside decision-makers after a journey filled with many descriptives of being "the first and often the only" throughout her career and service.

In the next five years, Dr. Dawson-Threat's focus is on establishing national and regional partnerships with donors and sponsors committed to investing in youth through community-based programs that are helping to narrow the gap of inequity in accessing educational and enrichment supports that can contribute to longtime success. She is deeply committed to acquiring full-time staff and an adequate facility for an operation that can leave a long-lasting legacy in the community.

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