About Dr. Porter
A lifetime of education, service & leadership
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"The most important part of my job has never happened at a desk."
Born in Chicago and raised in the close-knit community of Saint Anne, Illinois, Dr. Jarman Myron Porter grew up in a family where education and service were daily expectations. His parents, Dr. Leonard Porter and Evelyn Porter, were a college professor and teacher, and their example helped shape his lifelong commitment to students and communities.
That commitment began early. As a sixth-grade drummer, he performed in the National Independence Day Parade in Washington, D.C. and was selected by his peers to place a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. At St. Anne High School, he participated in basketball, soccer, track and marching band, earning state and all-conference recognition before being inducted into the school's Hall of Fame.
Education & Formation
Learning with purpose
Dr. Porter earned his bachelor's degree in Business Management from Southern University and A&M College, where he participated in the Economics and Marketing clubs and volunteered with an achievement group serving at-risk teenagers. College English professor Dr. JoAnn Marx became an important mentor, encouraging him to recognize his ability as a speaker and writer.
He earned his master's degree from Olivet Nazarene University in 1999 and completed his Ph.D. through The Union Institute in 2004. His published dissertation, The Effective Collaboration Between Higher Education Institutions and Community Leaders, examines how institutions and communities can build productive partnerships.
Students & Community
Programs that opened doors
After returning to Saint Anne, Dr. Porter began as a substitute teacher at his former high school. There he created the Gentlemen of Esquire, a mentoring program for twelve at-risk young men focused on discipline, manners, leadership, business skills and college exposure. Its success led the school to recognize it as an official club.
As Coordinating Counselor for Kankakee Community College's Upward Bound Program, he helped rewrite a grant that secured $1.6 million in operating funds. He also co-founded Rising Suns Development Corp. with fellow Saint Anne alumni to support the community's economic, social, political and educational development.
His community work included developing a major capital initiative for the Kankakee County Black Chamber of Commerce and producing Black History programming for Kankakee School District 111. He has worked alongside cultural leaders including Dr. Haki R. Madhubuti and Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu and has appeared on a panel with Dr. Michael Eric Dyson.
teaching & Advocacy
Leadership beyond the classroom
Dr. Porter taught at Kankakee Community College and Eastern Illinois University, maintaining both commitments for more than two years. As chair of the Kankakee NAACP Education Committee, he advocated for students and helped prevent three young men from being wrongly placed in special education. His service earned the branch's 2003 Presidential Award, and he remains a lifetime NAACP member.
He also developed minority-teacher recruitment proposals for Kankakee School District 111 and wrote the play What A Test Can't Measure for the district's Black History Program. His work reflects a consistent belief that institutions improve when adults pay attention, ask better questions and act on what students need.
College Leadership
Builing systems that serve students
In 2004, Dr. Porter joined Arkansas Baptist College as Director of Student Services and was promoted to Vice President of Student Affairs six months later. His portfolio included student life, athletics, residential services, campus operations and the budgets of thirteen departments.
He launched initiatives to strengthen athletic and residential programs, improve meal access for student-athletes and students remaining on campus during breaks, restore weekly chapel and expand campus safety planning. He also created intramural programs and began the college's application process for membership in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
Believing education should correct behavior without abandoning the student, he developed service-based alternatives to suspension and expulsion. In 2005, his Campus Cleanup initiative gave students a constructive way to restore their standing through campus service and contributed to fewer disciplinary infractions.
A Continuing Mission
Dr. Porter's work is guided by a simple conviction: students, schools and communities can always become better without belittling the people they are called to serve.
An author, educator, speaker, former mayoral candidate and lifelong advocate, he continues to build a legacy of practical change rooted in dignity, accountability and opportunity.
Dr. Jarman Myron Porter
Author · Educator · Speaker
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