About Our Board
The Glenn Family Foundation (GFF) honors the rich legacy and faith of their parents, Essie B. and William Earl Glenn. It is through this structural and urgent community vision that the seven siblings honor their parents’ commitment to service. The Glenn Foundation endeavors to improve life outcomes for children, youth and families in the Mississippi Delta, by erasing health inequities, and working with like-minded community partners to advance the life chances of dispossessed families and communities. The GFF has provided meals to over 7,000 food-insecure children during the Foundation’s Summer Lunch Meal Program, given over 43,500 pounds of food to needy families, hosted free COVID-19 testing providing over 3,500 community members with face masks and sanitizer, provided 600+ flu shots, blood pressure checks, cancer screening and vision and dental assessments for several hundred families and individuals. The essence of GFF is best summed up in the words of their Mother’s favorite song, “If I can help somebody as I travel on, then my living shall not be in vain.” In addition to bringing ACEs awareness to communities across the region, the Foundation is developing an integrated health awareness learner-centered intervention to engage teachers, students and families in Sunflower county Mississippi.
Dr. Clyde Edward Glenn
President
Dr. Clyde Edward Glenn is the tenth child, the eighth, and last son born to the late Essie B and William Earl Glenn. Dr. Glenn serves as President of the Glenn Family Foundation, which works in tandem with the ACEs Awareness Foundation informing communities about toxic stress, emotional trauma, and their impact on one’s health.
He is a 1981 graduate of Cleveland High School in Cleveland, Mississippi, and a 1985 honors graduate, (Biology) from Alcorn State University.
Dr. Glenn attributes his success to the “foundational teaching of my parents’, a loving and supportive home environment, along with the support of my family and community, positioned me for success.” He was awarded fellowships for attending the Student Enrichment Program at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, Georgia, and the Harvard University Health Professions Program in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He entered medical school in the fall of 1985 at the University of Iowa College of Medicine, where he received his Doctor of Medicine Degree in 1990. Dr. Glenn completed his Residency in Psychiatry and Human Behavior at The Ohio State University Hospital Systems and Clinics in 1994.
In May of 2000, Dr. Glenn founded Rehoboth Psychiatric Services. As the President and CEO of Rehoboth, his mission is to assist clients in leading balanced, wholesome, and productive lives through compassionate, patient-centered psychiatric care, utilizing approaches that integrate body, mind, and spirit.
His work with the Glenn Family Foundation “honors the rich legacy and faith of our Mother and Father and their commitment to service. Our organization endeavors to improve life outcomes for children, youth and families in the Mississippi Delta, by addressing health disparities, and working with like-minded community partners interested in impacting under-resourced impoverished communities in the Mississippi Delta.”
Working with his siblings with the Glenn Family Foundation, through their Health, Wellness, & Safety Tailgate, have provided meals to over 6,000 food-insecure children during the foundation’s Summer Lunch Meal Program, given over 27,000 pounds of food to needy families, provided flu shots, blood pressure checks, cancer screening and vision and dental assessments for several hundred families and individuals by bringing consumers and providers together. “The essence of who I am is best summarized by the words of one of my Mother’s favorite songs, “If I can help somebody as I travel on, then my living shall not be in vain.”
John Henry Glenn
President Emeritus
John Glenn is the seventh son and the seventh child born to the late Essie B. and William Earl Glenn. He resides in Chicago, Illinois, and is an ordained minister in the Church of God in Christ International. He is the founding Pastor of No Respecter of Person’s Gospel Ministries. John serves as President/CEO of Right Transportation, Inc. and Grace Investors, LLC, that begin as a men’s bible study group.
John currently holds the title of President Emeritus of the Glenn Family Foundation, which works in tandem with the ACEs Awareness Foundation.
John says, ” it’s no better joy than to join my sisters and brothers in honoring our Mother and Father the late Essie B. and William Earl Glenn. They were the guiding force imparting confidence and words of wisdom to me and my siblings, and they did it with grace and dignity. Our work as a family-focused community-based foundation is rooted in the teachings imparted by parents “to always help somebody; you never know where you’ll land in life.”
John began exercising his interest in business at the age of 13 when he and his brother Eugene opened Glenn’s Shoe Shine Pick- up & Delivery Service. This business was the first African American shoe service serving the needs of citizens in his hometown, in Cleveland, Mississippi.
Upon graduating from East Side High School in 1973, he entered the U.S. Armed Forces, where he received an Honorable Discharge. He then relocated to Chicago, Illinois, where he attended Harry S. Truman College to study Business Administration and later the Cosmopolitan Chamber of Commerce Business Management School.
In 1978, John received a divine calling to the gospel ministry at New Star of Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church under the leadership of his late uncle, Pastor Jim Glenn. John attended classes at Moody Bible Institute and later joined the People’s Church of God in Christ, where he graduated class Valedictorian from the Lawrence Parks & William Eaddy Bible School and later the Bishop Charles Harrison Mason Elder’s Academy where he was ordained an Elder in the Church of God in Christ International.
John works faithfully with his family advancing the causes of their foundation to address issues impacting health disparities in the Mississippi Delta. His vision and commitment has compelled the organization to expand its outreach and services to focus on youth and families in the area of trauma and toxic stress know as ACEs (adverse childhood experiences).
Dr. Helen M. Glenn-Beady
Secretary
Dr. Helen M. Glenn-Beady is the second daughter and ninth child born to the late Essie B. & William Earl Glenn. She serves in the role of Secretary, and Chief Program & Development Strategist, for fundraising and grant opportunities for both the Glenn Family Foundation and the ACEs Awareness Foundation.
The overarching goals for foundations are, to improve life outcomes for children, youth and families in the Mississippi Delta and to inform communities about the role of toxic stress, and emotional trauma, and its impact on where we live, are educated, work, pray and play, respectively.
Dr. Beady earned her B.S. Degree in Psychology from Tougaloo College in 1979, a Master of Education in Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling & Evaluation in 1981 from Mississippi State University (MSU) and her Doctor of Education, also from MSU, in 1988. Her background and work experiences include founding and serving as President/CEO of two (2) female/minority-owned businesses.
Additionally, she has taught in both educational settings and in industry. She has worked in several Fortune 500 companies in the capacity of senior-level human resources professionals to include: Weyerhaeuser Paper Company, Amoco Oil Company, International Paper Company-Oil and Gas Division, and Uncle Ben’s Rice a subsidiary of Mar’s Inc.
Dr. Beady assists the Glenn Family Foundation and the ACEs Awareness Foundation through the strengthening of relationships between volunteers, funding organizations, and service and community-based organizations implementing sustainable solutions that impact health equity and the social determinants of health.
Dr. Beady describes her work “as honoring the legacy of her late parents as a labor of love, to give back to the Mississippi Delta (Cleveland, MS), which draws our hearts towards home.” She says her Mom and Dad believed in sharing with others and epitomized Proverbs 19:7 “He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD.”
Dr. Howard W. Glenn
Treasurer
Dr. Howard Glenn is the fifth child and the fifth son born to the late Essie B. and William Earl Glenn. Dr. Glenn is a Master of The Academy of General Dentistry graduate and has practiced for more than 40 years.
He serves as Treasurer for the Glenn Family Foundation, which works in tandem with the ACEs Awareness Foundation informing communities about toxic stress, emotional trauma, and their impact on one’s health.
Dr. Glenn earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry from Tougaloo College in 1972. He matriculated into dental school, receiving his Doctor of Dental Medicine in 1976 from the University of Connecticut, and later completing a residency in General Practice Dentistry in 1977, at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. His post-graduate pursuits include a Mastership in Dentistry from the Academy of General Dentistry, in 1996, and a Fellowship in Implant Dentistry from the renown Misch Implant Institute, in the year of 2000.
He furthered his professional training with a Fellowship in Orthodontics from Lightforce Orthodontics in 2008, earning a Certificate in Geriatric Dentistry and Implantology. His memberships in professional societies include the National Dental Association, Academy of General Dentistry, American Federation of Care Organization, Shelby County Dental Society, International Orthodontic Association, and the ACEs Connection, a professional informational exchange.
Dr. Glenn not only incorporates strategies to practice trauma-informed patient dental care, but he also holds a Certificate in Diabetes Prevention Education, imploring special techniques to treat diabetic patients. He currently holds the distinction of Board Member Emeritus from Tougaloo College Board of Directors for outstanding service of more than 25 years.
Dr. Glenn describes his work with his family foundation as a sibling inspired, family-focused community-based organization serving the needs in Mississippi’s most impoverished area, the Mississippi Delta.
“Our Mother and Father always taught us to give back and to remember from whence you came. It brings me great joy to work side by side with my brothers and sisters to enrich the lives of the place that draws upon us–called home. This work can be a little daunting at times, but if it’s not us giving back to raise life outcomes for the Delta, then who?”
Captain Albert T. Glenn
Captain Albert T. Glenn is the son of Lillian and Albert Glenn, Sr., first cousin to the late William Earl Glenn. Captain Glenn joins his relatives on the Glenn Family Foundation Board of Directors to further the mission of giving back in areas like the Delta where there is grave need.
Captain Glenn joined Federal Express Corporation (FED-X) in a management role in 1976 and decided to fulfill his dream by securing his commercial pilot’s license. He was one of only a few African American Pilots at FedEx until 1983. During his tenure at FED-X, he logged more than 18,000 flight hours and is qualified to fly state-of-the-art passenger and commercial aircraft: to include the Boeing-777, Boeing 727, DC-10’s & MD11.
Captain Glenn is a member of the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals (OBAP) and credited with leading the efforts to establish “Project Aerospace,” a Center of Excellence in aviation programming, that is accessible and affordable to youth at every age.
His unwavering commitment to youth has led to the Annual Memphis Aviation Career Education (ACE) Summer Camps, a solo flight academy, and Girls to Women and Boys to Men workshops, a partnership with the National Flight Academy. He also established aviation programs in Memphis area schools. Through his fundraising leadership, OBAP has reached thousands of youth over the past 26 years.
His son Anthony also joined him in 2010 as a pilot at FED-EX Corporation, and they completed a maiden voyage FED-EX flight to London, England, as a father-son duo.
Most recently, Captain Glenn established a flight school named for Tuskegee Airman, Lieutenant Colonel Luke Weathers, located in Olive Branch, Mississippi. His goal is to strengthen the diversity of the aviation industry by training 50 new pilots a year.
“I am honored to join my cousins to further the mission of the Glenn Family Foundation, and their work has provided an excellent entrée for The Luke Weathers Flight School to train young pilots of color from the Delta. We work hand-in-hand to recruit young people who are interested in flying as a career profession. There is no greater work than to join my cousins in honoring their parents by lifting as we climb through awareness, education and opportunity.”
Dr. Alvernica Whitfield- Lucas
Dr. Alvernica Whitfield- Lucas was born and reared in Cleveland, Mississippi, and is the granddaughter of the late Essie B. and William Earl Glenn.
Dr. Whitfield-Lucas is a 1981 graduate of East Side High School in Cleveland, Mississippi, and upon graduation matriculated to Tougaloo College, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Biology in May 1985. Upon graduation from Tougaloo, Dr. Whitfield- Lucas entered Meharry Medical College and earned a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree in May 1990. She then completed a two-year General Practice Residency Program at Nashville Metro General Hospital.
Dr. Whitfield- Lucas has served as Dental Director for several community Health Clinics and touts a total of 22 years in private practice providing comprehensive care to the underserved in her community.
Dr. Whitfield – Lucas is a member of the American Dental Association, Mississippi Dental Association, Mississippi Dental Society, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.
Dr. Whitfield- Lucas is married to Dr. Eric Lucas Sr. and has two children (Rasheeda and Eric Jr.) She enjoys spending time with her family, friends, reading, football, and traveling.
She states, “I am proud to support the legacy of my grandparents; I think they would be proud of how we are carrying on our family tradition of giving back. The Glenn Foundation makes a difference where it is needed the most.”
Christopher Merriwether
Christopher Merriwether is the son of late Daniel and Alice Glenn-Merriwether.
Chris is the Chief Marketing Officer for Invictus Pharmacy and brings 20 years of Sales and Marketing experience in the Pharmaceutical Industry. His years of experience includes having worked with Novartis and UCB Pharma. Notable is his decorated path of accomplishments that include Institutional Excellence and numerous President Club awards throughout his career.
Christopher’s greatest strengths are his creativity, attention to detail, and drive. His most recent project involved a strategic marketing plan for a large educational consulting firm seeking to expand across the United States. The results of this aggressive plan yielded profits of over $30 million annually.
In 2010, he left the pharmaceutical industry to successfully start a nationwide distributorship, where he marketed various pain management products and devices to physicians. The 1st year’s annual profits exceeded revenue of $3 million. Profits quadrupled the 2nd year mainly due to an IT portal that he created that gave his company a unique competitive advantage by providing real-time snapshot data of sales activity.
Chris holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Mississippi State University.
Chris’s desire to offer services to his fellowman has encouraged him to seek the highest level of business acumen, among his greatest joys is joining his relatives and working side by side with his relatives in the Glenn Family Foundation, giving back to communities of need in the Mississippi Delta.
Gloria Dean Mitchell-Wilson
Gloria Mitchell-Wilson is a native of Cleveland, Mississippi, and grew up three houses down from the Glenn Family home on Pearl Street. Gloria’s Mother, Dorothy Mitchell, was a Registered Nurse and friends with “Ms. Essie B,” both of whom worked at the Bolivar County Headstart in Cleveland.
Gloria is the President and CEO of Word of Deliverance Hospice Care in Cleveland, Mississippi, and was a part of the East Side High School 1975 graduating class along with her dear friend Essie Mae, the eighth child and second daughter born to the late Essie B. and William Earl Glenn. Gloria received her bachelor’s in social work (BSW) from Jackson State University 1979. Her life work to provide health care to children through annual health screenings for early detection of childhood illness and to deliver the highest level of comfort to individuals experiencing end of life challenges.
“I support the work of the Glenn Family Foundation because they epitomize the true meaning of paying it forward by sharing their time, talent, and their treasures to support communities in the Delta. I am honored to be a board member and labor beside the Glenn Family team sharing in this work.”