One of the most compelling voices of our time, Byron V. Garrett, President and CEO of Life Works International, currently serves as consultant to Fortune 500 companies, non-profits and school districts across the country. Byron is the former CEO of the National PTA, the nation's largest child advocacy association composed of more than five million members around the globe. Throughout his career, he has been a visionary agent of change promoting the idea that everyone has an obligation and opportunity to serve the best interests of our nation's most precious resource – children.

Byron possesses a unique combination of experience from both the non-profit and governmental sectors. Byron served as the first Chief of Staff for the Office of Public Affairs at U.S. Customs and Border Protection (an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security). Prior to this, Garrett served as National Program Leader for the National 4-H Headquarters at the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the program's seven million participants and 90,000 clubs. While at USDA he was appointed by The White House as Co-Convener of the Helping America's Youth initiative, an interagency effort to address challenges facing youth and to promote successful solutions.

Earlier in his career, Garrett spent a decade in Phoenix as an education advocate and community leader. He served as Policy Advisor for Faith and Community Initiatives for Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano (current U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security); prior to that role, Byron was the Director of the Governor's Division for Community and Youth Development, where he administered multiple boards and commissions. Garrett is also a former K-8 charter school principal.

He has been a guest on the Today Show, MSNBC, Fox and the Dr. Phil Show, and profiled in a number of publications, such as the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and JET. Garrett was named by Ebony to its "Power 150," an annual list of "The Most Influential Black Americans." Garrett serves as Senior Advisor to the President & CEO of the Americas Promise Alliance and is a member of Parenting's Mom's Congress Advisory Board. Byron also serves on the Advisory Board for the Mary J. Blige and Steve Stoute Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now, Inc. (FFAWN).

Garrett is a former entertainment columnist for the Arizona Informant and an author of several books including "The ABC's of Life." An accomplished speaker, Garrett has delivered presentations all across the U.S., Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean. Byron matriculated through the public schools in the Carolinas, holds a BA from High Point University, MA from the University of Phoenix and has completed doctoral coursework at Pepperdine University.

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