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Samuel Betances
Travels From TRAVELS FROM
Illinois, USA
Speaker Fee Range SPEAKING FEE RANGE ** Please note that while this speaker’s specific speaking fee falls within the range posted above (for Continental U.S. based events), fees are subject to change. For current fee information or international event fees (which are generally 50-75% more than U.S based event fees), please contact us.
$10,000 to $15,000
Book This Core Agency Speaker BOOK SAMUEL BETANCES
speakers@coreagency.com
PROFILE
Samuel Betances
Travels From TRAVELS FROM
Illinois, USA
Travels From SPEAKING FEE RANGE*
$10,000 to $15,000
Email Core Agency Book Samuel Betances
speakers@coreagency.com
  • Dr. Samuel Betances has conducted hundreds of diversity seminars and training workshops, and worked with numerous clients to inspire teams to appreciate their differences and work together toward a better future.
  • Dr. Betances is passionate about making organizations and communities a better place by helping them understand diversity and how the changing face of America impacts them.
  • Humor, passionate storytelling, interactivity and practical guidelines are just a few of the things Dr. Betances offers his audiences during his thought-provoking presentations about diversity and the changing demographics in America.

Dr. Samuel Betances has decades of experience inspiring teams of people to aim high, appreciate their differences and work together toward a better future. His passion is to increase the cultural competencies of mission-driven teams so they can more effectively help urban students move from poverty to graduation.

Betances is best known for his workshops, keynotes and consulting on educating and graduating first-generation students from “book-poor” backgrounds. His own life experience includes growing up in poverty, dropping out of school and then earning two degrees from Harvard University. Betances worked at the U.S. Department of Education and as a Professor of Sociology at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago for 25 years. He and his wife, Dr. Laura M. Torres Souder, have provided staff development training to more than 1,000 schools, and provided diversity training and advocacy for literacy throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico, Guam and Micronesia.

His latest book, Ten Steps to the Head of the Class: A Handbook for Middle School Students, is a step-by-step guide to help middle school students develop good study skills that will give them an edge in school and life. Betances also is the author of six other books. He regularly speaks to audiences about women's issues, African-American historical month activities, Hispanic events and celebrations, and the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He challenges audiences everywhere with his powerful message: "It matters less where we are from; what really matters is where we are going. Accept our diversity. Embrace it. Make it work for you. Harness the rainbow."

Samuel Betances credits where he is today with taking the hard lessons he learned from the streets and reshaping them into a personal vision. His love of reading is one of the main things that propelled him forward to eventually earn a Ph.D. from Harvard, be honored as Professor Emeritus, and become a consultant to U.S. presidents, CEOs, community groups, educators and young people.

VIDEOS
TESTIMONIALS

"We could not be more pleased with the diversity message that you so eloquently conveyed. The feedback of those that had the privilege of experiencing your viewpoint has been overwhelmingly positive; folks haven′t stopped talking about you yet!"
Ford Motor Company

"Stimulating!!! Thought Provoking!!! Even your most skeptical executive will see the bottom line benefits of diversity as a business strategy. Dr. Betances makes a compelling argument as to how organizations can reap the benefits of implementing a diversity strategy."
Salvador Mendoza
Director of Diversity
Hyatt Hotels Corporation

"I have personally been involved in numerous learning opportunities at Meijer Inc. over the years. By far, Dr. Samuel Betances has been the most significant person we have had work with us. His presentations and mere presence has changed lives!"
Van McMullan
Director of Learning Services
Meijer, Inc.

"Your speech on diversity was very dynamic and well received. We may set aside one week during the year to celebrate diversity, but we must practice diversity every day as a way of life."
The Walt Disney Company

"To date I have received well over 100 calls and e-mails regarding your very passionate, energized and powerful message you shared with us. You definitely met our expectations and surpassed our requirements regarding your presentation."
Verizon Wireless

"Your talents to motivate and inspire are tremendous and made a lasting impression on me. I have shared your points with my children, friends and associates. I applaud you and consider it a privilege to have heard you speak."
Xerox

"We were delighted with your presentation last Tuesday morning at the Time Warner Human Resources Conference. Your energy, passion and humor represented a great beginning for our conference."
AOL / Time Warner

"Thanks again for the tremendous diversity seminar you provided for the Adventist Health System! I appreciated your thoughtful, yet very passionate presentations which were appropriately sprinkled with much appreciated humor."
Adventist Health System

"As usual, you were outstanding and your interaction with both small and large group members left an indelible impression about the power of diversity and the need to work together to accomplish our leadership diversity goals. Your message was inspirational, thought provoking, and filled with important information that established a framework for our community to address leadership and diversity in a seamless fashion."
Dr. Valarie Greene King, Director of Diversity Initiatives
University of Central Florida

PROGRAMS

Dr. Samuel Betances helps others learn the importance of pulling cultures together as a way of bringing America back to the top in education, business, and society. He likes to say: “Our mission is to make America stronger, healthier and freer than when we found her.”

Betances’ style as a workshop leader is to guide the group through a highly interactive and fun search for solutions. Sessions are customized for the client, and group exercises are designed to remove the barriers that keep the organization from reaching its goals.

The Benefits and Values of Diversity:
In this dynamic presentation Dr. Samuel Betances uses humor to unlock your mind and open it to new ideas and new perceptions. You will learn how demographic changes are likely to impact the way organizations must do business today and in the future, by focusing on diversity as a bottom-line issue and mission-driven initiative. Personal stories and anecdotes from Dr. Betances′ amazing journey from Harlem to Harvard add insight to his important message. Come prepared to laugh and learn!

Ensuring the Success of All Students Through Multicultural Education
This keynote address is a passionate, entertaining, and motivational journey that provides insight into why diversity is a plus, not a minus, in education. We′ll examine the quest to sensitize ourselves to diversity in our schools and glean the positives of multiculturalism while pursuing academic excellence.

Dr. Betances also discusses the "10 Habits of Highly Ineffective Students and teachers" from his acclaimed book and audio series, Ten Steps to the Head of the Class.

As a biracial, bicultural, and bilingual citizen of the world, Dr. Betances has worked in all 50 states, all 6 U. S. territories, and internationally. He inspires willing learners to aim high, to reject rejection, and to embrace themselves and each other as powerful team members working toward a more prosperous future.

Dr. Betances brings a breadth and depth of understanding on how we must make sense of differences, and challenges negative mindsets with his problem-solving methodology and extensive grasp of issues. However, this great motivator was not supposed to make it. Out of the bowels of inner city poverty, with the stigma of minority group status, violence, welfare, and illiteracy in two languages, he arose.

With strong spiritual convictions and a passion for reading, Samuel Betances has taken the hard lessons from the mean streets of life and reshaped them into his personal vision. He embarked on a journey from dropping out of school to earning a Doctorate from Harvard University and works to help others learn the importance of pulling cultures together as a way of bringing America back to the top in education, business, and society in general.

Other Suggested Programs:

  • The Power and Legitimacy of Diversity in Spiritual Identity Development
  • Change, Restructuring and Reform
  • Parents as Teachers
  • Bilingual Education as Understandable Instruction
  • The Dropout Rate vs. The Dropout Problem: Empowering First Generation College Students
  • Up With Reading: Empowering Non-Academic Proficient Students
  • From Harlem to Harvard: Lessons from the Journey
  • Ten Habits of Highly Ineffective Teachers
  • Ten Habits of Highly Ineffective Students
  • Women in Leadership and Administration
  • Removing the Eight Panels Which Make Up the Glass Ceiling
  • Affirming Women Without Putting Men Down
  • The Value-Subtracted Dimensions of Sexual Harassment
  • Cooperation and Conflict Among U.S. Hispanics/Latinos
  • The Nonverbal Communication Styles of Hispanics and Anglos Impacting the Workplace
  • African-Americans and Hispanics/Latinos: Eliminating Barriers to Coalition Building
  • After the Apology, What?
  • Why Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is Worthy of a Legitimate Federal Holiday
  • Eliminating Prejudice: From Destructive Contact to Constructive Cooperation
  • Why White Males are Indispensable in the Quest to Build Non-Racist, Non-Sexist Inclusive Systems
  • Diversity and the Global Economy
  • Making Heads Count Instead of Counting Heads in the Workplace
  • Sidetracking Diversity: The Games Organizations Play
  • Compliance Programs and Diversity Initiatives: Making Sense of the Difference
  • Diversity in America and in the Popular Culture
  • Diversity as a Plus for the Bottom Line

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WHAT CLIENTS ARE SAYING ABOUT CORE SPEAKERS

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YPO: Young Presidents’ Organization
YPO: Young Presidents’ Organization
“It was an extreme pleasure to work with our account rep. She was friendly, flexible, and knowledgeable about all their speakers. She made the process simple. I cannot begin to put into words the impact that our speaker had on our audience. People are still taking about his presentation and his program set a standard on all diversity programs.”
FDIC: Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
FDIC: Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
“Once again our agent did an outstanding job. Not only did he provide me with a number of options for potential speakers but he helped with seeing who was available, when they could speak, and getting everything done in a timely fashion. I look forward to working with him again.”
Auburn University
Auburn University
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American Lung Association
American Lung Association
“This has been one of the most outstanding speaker agencies I have had in my 25+ years in the hospitality industry. They have helped my company secure speakers for years to the delight of my attendees. They have secured high profile speakers, even within the confines of a tight turnaround and an even tighter budget. I recommend their services without hesitation. They are truly leaders in their profession looking out for their clients: excellent is all I can say!”
AHIMA
AHIMA
“My Account Executive was able to work within my quick turn around time and price limitations to find the perfect speaker for the job. Although I thought finding and booking a speaker for our sales meeting would be the most difficult part of the planning process, your agency made it the easiest.”
Ales Group USA, Inc.
Ales Group USA, Inc.
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BASF
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DeVry Education Group
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ABS Capital Partners
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KPMG, Europe
KPMG, Europe
“Your speakers bureau was a tremendous resource for the NHL as we planned and executed our NHL Club Business Meetings. Their assistance with securing our keynote was invaluable. They provided detailed information in a timely manner which was crucial to the success of the event. The execution was seamless! ”
National Hockey League
National Hockey League
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Mayor’s Commission on Unity, Diversity and Prosperity for Columbus, GA
Mayor’s Commission on Unity, Diversity and Prosperity for Columbus, GA
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Babcock & Wilcox
Babcock & Wilcox
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American Society of Association Executives
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Credicorp Bank
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Volkswagen
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