"I Am The Message."
First-Generation College Graduate
Former Chief of Staff for the President's Daily Brief
From a courtroom promise to coordinating daily intelligence briefs for the President of the United States, Donnie is living proof that students and first-generation trailblazers can break generational cycles while reaching the highest levels. Donnie speaks to schools and Trio programs because he walked their exact path.
The Promise That Changed Everything
Donnie grew up as the son of an incarcerated father.
Donnie’s father was in and out of prison throughout his childhood. He had no consistent male role model. The streets weren’t just a temptation—they were his reality.
By 19, Donnie was following in his father’s footsteps.
He was shackled in a courtroom, facing felony charges for assault and battery on a police officer with intent to maim. As he stood there, facing the weight of his choices, he turned and saw his mother in tears—her face holding both pain and hope. That moment broke him… and rebuilt him.
He realized: he was becoming his father. He was continuing the cycle.
He made a silent vow to himself right then:
“I will never be the cause of her hurt again. I will break this generational cycle.”
That promise became his fuel. His mission. His purpose. He served time for his choices. But when he got out, he made a decision—to become something his father never became.
He enlisted in the United States Navy and served 7 years as a Logistics Specialist with 3 deployments. He learned discipline, leadership, and what it means to serve something bigger than himself.
When he left the Navy, he used his GI Bill to do something no one in his family had ever done: go to college.
Donnie became a first-generation college student—with no family roadmap, no one to call when things got hard, navigating financial aid and registration alone, while raising his children as a single father.
He knows what it feels like to sit in class wondering if he belongs. To battle imposter syndrome. To feel the isolation. The guilt of succeeding beyond his family’s experience.
But he refused to repeat his father’s path. He kept going.
He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from the University of Phoenix.
Then he earned his Master’s degree in Strategic Intelligence from the National Intelligence University—one of the most elite graduate programs in the nation.
With his advanced degrees and Top Secret/SCI clearance, he was selected for one of the most prestigious positions in the intelligence community:
Chief of Staff for the President’s Daily Brief.
For 3 years, he coordinated daily intelligence briefings for the President of the United States—ensuring the most critical intelligence from across our government reached the Oval Office.
From son of an incarcerated father to a courtroom at 19 to briefing materials that reached the President.
He didn’t just break the cycle. He shattered it.
Now he speaks to TRIO programs and first-generation college students because he wants to be the voice he wishes he had when he was lost and didn’t know if he could finish.
Every time he shares his story, he honors that courtroom promise.
Every time he helps a first-gen student push through doubt, he’s proving that breaking cycles is possible.
I don’t just speak to motivate. I speak to prove.
Because I Am The Message.
WHO DONNIE SERVES
Donnie speaks to students and first-generation trailblazers
Primary Audience
Donnie primary speaks to Trio programs, schools and first-generation trailblazers- because that’s who he was and that’s the audience he knows best.
You’re navigating college without a family roadmap. No blueprint. No one in your family understands what you’re going through.
He was you.
He earned Bachelor’s degree as a first-generation trailblazers using GI Bill—while raising children as a single father. Then he earned his Master’s in Strategic Intelligence from the National Intelligence University and went on to serve as Chief of Staff for the President’s Daily Brief.
From no family college history to the highest levels of national security.
Donnie knows the doubt. The imposter syndrome. The isolation. The guilt when you succeed beyond your family’s experience.
But he also knows how to finish. And he knows there’s no ceiling for first-generation trailblazers.
He Is The Message you need to hear.
Primary Speaking Topics
✅ “I Am The Message: From Courtroom to the President’s Daily Brief”
Complete transformation story—proof that first-gen trailblazers can break cycles and reach elite levels
✅ “The First-Gen Formula: Graduating Without a Roadmap”
Practical strategies for persistence, overcoming imposter syndrome, and navigating college systems
✅ “No Ceiling: From First-Gen trailblazers to Elite Professional”
For high-achieving students—showing there’s no limit to where first-gen Trailblazers can go
✅ “Feel It. Flip It. Flex It.™: Building Self-Agency for First-Gen Success”
Signature framework students can use immediately to turn struggle into strength
Donnie’s Mission
Impact 100,000 Students by the End of 2026
His mission is to use his speaking platform, workshop, and mentorship to develop self-agency and social emotional learning (SEL) in schools and first-generation trailblazers.
What Trio Programs and schools gain
✔ Improved student persistence & graduation rates
✔ Reduced imposter syndrome & increased sense of belonging
✔ Boosted engagement & attendance
✔ Students equipped with actionable tools, not just motivation
✔ Communities built around breaking cycles and finishing strong
“When students see what’s possible in me—they start to believe it’s possible in themselves.”
WHY "I AM THE MESSAGE"
People often ask me why I say “I Am The Message.”
Here’s why: I don’t stand separate from what I teach. My life IS the lesson.
When I speak to first-generation trailblazers about finishing college, I’m not guessing—I finished as a first-gen college graduate while raising my children as a single father.
When I tell TRIO students they can overcome imposter syndrome, I’m not theorizing—I felt it every single day in class and still earned a Master’s degree from one of the nation’s most elite programs.
When I say first-gen trailblazers can reach the highest levels of their field, I’m not motivating—I’m demonstrating. I coordinated intelligence briefs for the President of the United States.
I Am The Message means every word I speak is backed by every step I’ve taken.
It means when you see me on stage at your TRIO conference or school you’re not just hearing a story—you’re seeing the exact outcome your program is designed to create.
It means I’m not asking your students to do anything I haven’t already done.
My transformation is their blueprint.
My finish line is their proof that it’s possible.
My life is the message that students and first-gen trailblazers can break cycles, finish strong, and excel at the highest levels.
That’s why schools and TRIO programs book me.
That’s why students believe me.
Because I AM what I’m asking them to become.
I Am The Message.
Trio Programs
He IS a TRIO Success Story
Donnie isn’t someone who read about first-gen challenges—he lived them:
- Son of an incarcerated father
- First person in his family to attend college
- Single father navigating college with no family guidance
- Used GI Bill and financial aid
- Overcame imposter syndrome at every level
- Finished with Bachelor’s AND Master’s degrees
- Reached the absolute top of his field (Chief of Staff for President’s Daily Brief)
When you book Donnie, your students see the exact outcome your TRIO program is designed to create.
Unmatched Credibility
- First-generation college graduate (Bachelor’s + Master’s from National Intelligence University)
- US Navy veteran (7 years, 3 deployments)
- Former Chief of Staff for the President’s Daily Brief (Top Secret/SCI clearance, 3 years)
- Current federal leader (Director of Central Services, U.S. EEOC)
- Lived experience: single parent, first-gen Trailblazers, veteran, son of incarcerated father
TRIO-Specific Expertise
- Understands TRIO’s mission, language, and desired outcomes
- Content aligned with TRIO objectives: persistence, retention, degree completion
- Addresses the specific challenges TRIO programs measure
- Available for Council for Opportunity in Education (COE) events
Authentic Connection
Students see themselves in Donnie’s story:
- From streets to success
- From doubt to determination
- From imposter syndrome to elite achievement
- From “I don’t belong” to “There’s no ceiling for me”
He meets students where they are and shows them where they can go.
Measurable Impact
Sessions designed to improve:
- Student persistence & graduation rates
- Retention rates
- Student engagement & sense of belonging
- Academic confidence & self-agency
- Reduced imposter syndrome
Students don’t just leave inspired—they leave equipped with tools and action plans.
Professional Excellence
- Polished, high-energy delivery
- Customized content for each TRIO program
- Seamless event coordination
- Social media promotion of your event
- Post-event follow-up resources
