Biography
Dr. Hattie N. Washington
Dr. Hattie N. Washington–Educator, Consultant, Motivational Speaker, Author, Founder of Aunt Hattie’s Place, and 2018 Hall of Famer (HOF) from The Maryland Women’s Commission—Nominated for HOF by Dr. Valencia Campbell, President, Prince George’s County Policy Coalition, Inc.
Dr. Hattie N. Washington served as a tenured Professor of Education at Coppin State University (CSU) in Baltimore for over 20 years. Dr. Washington made history as the first female Vice President in the University’s 100-year history. At the same time, she served as Executive Director of the Coppin State University Development Foundation.Her charge in this position was to implement a capital campaign to raise $3 million infive years. Instead, she undertook a more ambitious campaign goal and presented alittle over $8 million to the Coppin State Foundation Board, the Coppin Family, and the Board of Regents–$5 million over goal!
During the same twenty years that Dr. Washington contributed enormously to Coppin State University, she also founded in 1997 Aunt Hattie’s Place, Inc (AHP), a 501(c)(3) non-profit residential facility in Baltimore to care for males from the foster care system with special educational needs. Her dedication to youth with vast potential but mislabeled prompted her to cash in her own retirement funds to support the opening of this boys’ home. She later acquired grants, bonds, and donations to establish and build two other boys’ homes inRandallstown and Sandy Spring. With a loving staff, a team of professional practitioners, and volunteers, she provided care and nurturing for boys and young men ages eight to 21 who had been abused, abandoned, and neglected. Despite the tremendous needs of her new family members, Hattie (affectionately, call “Aunt Hattie”) believes that “all children are talented, intelligent, lovable and full of hope; but just need love, guidance, structure, and high expectations to achieve their full potential.” They needed a “helping hand,” not a “hand out.” Prior to Coppin, Dr. Washington was Asst. Superintendent of Baltimore Schools; prior, Evaluator, Maryland State Dept. of Educ.; and a teacher for many years in the USA and Greece.
Dr. Washington is the mother of two accomplished daughters (a physician and an attorney) and an author of threebooks: “Driven to Succeed: Lessons Learned Through Faith, Family and Favor;” “Aunt Hattie’s Cookbook: Southern Comfort Food Favorites;” and “Determinada A Triunfar.:” (in Spanish). She is also a contributing author in three other books. Partial proceeds from her books benefit her scholarship fund at Coppin State University for foster youth who have aged out of the foster system and want to continue their education.
Dr. Washington holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education from Norfolk State University with aminor in Special Education, a master’s degree from Ball State University (an Athens, Greece Overseas
Program) in Counseling Psychology, and a Doctorate from the University of Maryland College Park in Curriculum and Instruction. She has engaged in further post-graduate study in Multicultural Education and Special Education at Glasgow University in Scotland, UK (on a Rotary International Scholarship), in Executive Management (IEM) at Harvard University in Boston, Fundraising in Higher Education from Indiana School of Philanthropy, and inInstitutional Accountability in Higher Education at Oxford University in London, England, UK.
She has received numerous awards, plaques, citations, and other recognitions for her work with Coppin StateUniversity, Aunt Hattie’s Place, foster children, and community organizations. Just a few, include: the 2013Outstanding Service to Youth by the Montgomery County Commission on Youth and Families, Top 100 Minority Business Entrepreneurial of the Year (2009 and 2012), The Outstanding 2017 Graduate Faculty Award from Coppin State University; The Sister4Sister Network 15th Anniversary Jewel Diamond Taylor Inspirational Life Changer Legacy Award; The 2018 Maryland Women’s Commission Hall of Fame Award; The Outstanding Educator’s Award by The Delta Gamma Kappa International Society of Executive Educators (2018); WOW (Women Of Wealth) Award and WOW Magazine Article, and Cover Girl of the OWN IT Magazine, Nov. 2021.
“My work with at Coppin State, Baltimore City Schools, Maryland State Dept. of Education (MSDE), and at Aunt Hattie’sPlace (AHP) were my ministries and grew out of my childhood experiences and a need to “give back” and “pay it forward.” Throughout my career, I have sought to uplift the lives of our youth while focusing on the unmet needs, disadvantaged, mislabeled, and misunderstood children of color, especially foster boys, who were among the mostdisenfranchised and whose circumstances threatened to rob them of their dreams for a bright future. As the mother of two daughters who have grown into successful young women, my teachings, child-rearing strategies, and foundation prepared me to Teach and Rear other children and lead AHP in providing numerous foster boys with the love, guidance, structure, and high expectation; whereby many became productive young men whose dreams of HOPE and SUCCESS became a reality. I taughtmy daughters, my foster young men, and youth in general, ‘Yes, We Can; We MUST.”
For Book Signings, Speaking Engagements, Workshops or as a Consultant
Contact Dr. Washington at info@drhnwashington.com
Her memoir, Dr. Hattie N. Washington—Driven To Succeed: An Inspirational Memoir of Lessons Learned through Faith, Family and Favor, is available on this website and where ever books are sold.