Manny Scott was hands down AMAZING! Our staff, superintendent, and campus leaders loved Manny Scott’s message. He was exactly what we all needed to hear. Thank you for all of your help.
Dr. Manuel Scott
Speaker, Author, Original Freedom Writer
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Atlanta, GA, US
Dr. Manuel Scott
Biography
By 16, Dr. Manny Scott's life was hanging by a thread. He had dropped out of school at 14. His father was in prison. His best friend had just been murdered. He had lived in 26 different places and was missing 60 to 90 days of school a year. Sitting alone on a park bench, angry and out of hope, he was headed down a road that would have destroyed him.
Then a few people refused to give up on him. They helped him turn the page, and he found his way to the back row of Erin Gruwell's English class, the students the world would come to know as the Freedom Writers, whose story inspired the hit film Freedom Writers.
He became the first person in his family to graduate from high school. He went on to earn a B.A. in Rhetoric and Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley, a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and a Ph.D. in Intercultural Studies from Trinity, where his research examined how cultural self-awareness shapes our ability to connect across cultures.
For more than 25 years, Dr. Scott has carried one message into schools, districts, conferences, and organizations: the Power of One. One teacher, one leader, one caring adult can change the direction of a life. He has delivered more than 2,500 keynotes and presentations to roughly 2.5 million people in 49 states and on six continents, and has twice spoken at ASCD. He has helped more than 2,000 schools and organizations strengthen student achievement, teacher efficacy, and intercultural competence, and his story has helped prevent thousands of suicides.
Today his work also looks ahead. Through BRIDGE to the Future, he helps educators and leaders navigate artificial intelligence and rapid change without losing what matters most. His conviction is simple: technology is changing the future, but people still change lives.
Dr. Scott is the author of several books, including Even on Your Worst Day You Can Be a Student's Best Hope and his memoir, Turning the Page. He is also a pilot, ordained minister, mentor, and content creator. He and his wife, Alice, have three children, and the Scott family has explored 49 states and more than 50 countries and territories together.
Dr. Manuel Scott
Featured Videos
Current: Schools Are in a State of Emergency
Time 03:33
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Dr. Manuel Scott
Featured Keynote Programs
Becoming Interculturally Competent
Increase your organization's intercultural understanding, impact, and income.
Do you want to improve the cross-cultural understanding of your staff, and increase your company’s impact and income?
Or, are you unsure about how to meaningfully address your diverse workforce about the unrest in our country?
Or, would you like your employees to examine the impact of race on your company and society, and understand the role that racism plays in racial achievement gaps?
ADAPT TO OPTIMIZE YOUR ORGANIZATION
The world is quickly changing in population density, technology, travel, immigration patterns, racial/ethnic, political, socioeconomic, and religious diversity. These changes have created a world that requires us to regularly interact with co-workers and customers of different cultural origins—be they in our companies, our schools, next door, across town, or thousands of miles away.
Whether or not your company embraces these changes, they will continue to increase in both frequency and intensity, and grow in importance. Ignoring them can hurt your business.
Your company’s success depends on your employees’ ability to cultivate healthy cross-cultural relationships that are based on genuine, in-depth understandings of people who have perceptions, opinions, and attitudes different from their own.
To achieve those kinds of relationships, your employees must develop intercultural competence.
WHAT IS INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE?
Intercultural Competence is the perception that a person has the motivation, understanding, and skills to speak and behave in ways that are effective (in achieving one’s goals) and appropriate (without violating the rules of the context in which the interaction takes place).
Intercultural Competence Involves 6 Key Components:
1. Perception: competence is not about what you do, but how you are perceived by others.
2. Motivation: competence depends on you having a properly oriented attitude.
3. Understanding: competence emerges from your understanding of yourself, of others, and of key processes of interaction.
4. Skills: competence is built upon on your ability to apply your motivation and understanding.
5. Effectiveness: competence flows from your ability to set context-informed goals.
6. Appropriateness: competence requires that you understand the rules and expectations of the world around you.
HOW CAN MANNY SCOTT HELP YOUR GROUP DEVELOP INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE?
For the past 20 years, Manny has provided professional development on intercultural competence for nearly 2,000 organizations, corporations, and schools in 49 states. Also, he is completing his Ph.D. on Intercultural Communication Competence. Finally, he has African-American, Latino, and Irish heritage, which has given him a unique perspective about our multi-cultural world.
Becoming Interculturally Competent is a presentation in which Manny equips your staff to develop the attitude, understanding, and skills to behave and speak across cultural differences in effective and appropriate ways.
The Power of One
This message is so personal for me because when I was going through the most difficult moments of my life; when I was so sad that I used to cry myself to sleep at night, drenching my pillows (or the floors of homeless shelters) with tears and hoping that my eyes would not open the next morning; when I was in those dark places, it was loving adults—teachers, coaches, a lunch lady, an assistant principal, a man struggling with an addiction to drugs, and others— who, despite all that was wrong in the world, lovingly met me at my point of need and helped me overcome so many seemingly insurmountable obstacles in my life. They helped me go from being a high school dropout to the man I am today—living my dreams as an author, a husband, father, pilot, and public servant.
The Power of One Keynote: Manny shares how he went from a 0.6 GPA and a high school dropout to a Ph.D. student, husband, father, pilot, and public servant. This presentation reminds leaders that even on their worst days, they can be someone’s best hope.
How to R.E.A.C.H. Youth Today
We are in a new world, characterized by rapid changes in population density, technology, immigration patterns, ethnic, religious, economic, and political diversity. These changes have created a world that requires school employees to regularly interact with people of different cultural origins—be it in their classrooms, in schools, next door, across town, or thousands of miles away. Whether or not schools embrace these changes, these “conversations” will continue to increase in both frequency and intensity and grow in importance. In How to R.E.A.C.H. Youth Today, I equip school employees with the awareness, understandings, and skills to communicate across those differences, to reach across those divides, and to teach across those cultures.
How to REACH Youth Today Keynote/Seminar: By sharing very real, life-changing lessons Mr. Scott has learned from teachers and loving adults who helped him, and from the work he has been doing with kids for the last 18 years, he shows how to cultivate healthy relationships with students—and all youth, so that they can excel in school, and come out prepared for work and life. Learn how to transform our schools into safe, positive environments where all adults are equipped to REACH kids, and all kids are empowered to REACH their destinies. This is available as a keynote, half-day, or full-day option.
Customized Keynote Address
Mr. Scott offers customized keynote addresses for teacher in-service days, universities, conferences, graduations, and businesses.
Dr. Manuel Scott
Featured Books
Even on Your Worst Day, You Can Be a Studenta s Best Hope
by Dr. Manuel Scott
As Manny Scott travels the world speaking to students and educators, he meets young people whose stories sound a lot like his owna childhood that was marked by poverty, instability, violence, and despair until a few caring educators showed him how to find meaning in the classroom and gave him a glimpse of his own possibilities. So many kids he meets today need this kind of hope and practical assistance. But with all that is already on educators plates, what can an individual teacher do to help traumatized children believe in themselves, succeed in school, and graduate prepared for work and life? Here, youll find answers. With the same passion that inspires so many who hear him speak, Scott presents an approach informed by the teachers who helped him and honed through years of connecting with kids who desperately need someone to show them a path to a more positive future. He shares the little things you can do to prepare yourself for the hard work of making a difference and offers advice for bridging cultural divides, earning students trust, and equipping them to take responsibility for their own success.This book is a reminder of the incredible power every teacher has to help young people rewrite their destiniesand its a call to action for all who read it.
How to R.E.A.C.H. Youth Today
by Dr. Manuel Scott
Your Next Chapter - How to Turn the Page and Create the Life of your Dreams
by Dr. Manuel Scott
Speak - How to Make a Difference and a Living as a Professional Speaker
by Dr. Manuel Scott
Dr. Manuel Scott
Featured Reviews
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to some of the most common questions about booking Dr. Manuel Scott for your event.
How do I book Dr. Manuel Scott for my event?
Booking Dr. Manuel Scott with Premiere Speakers Bureau is a streamlined 4-step process:
- Availability Check: Contact us with your event date and budget to verify if your desired speaker is available.
- Hold Date: We place a temporary "hold" on the speaker's calendar while you finalize internal approval.
- Contracting: We issue a contract outlining the fee, cancellation policy, and event expectations.
- Logistics: Once signed, our event management team handles all travel booking, itinerary, and AV requirements.
Why should I partner with Premiere Speakers Bureau rather than contacting speakers directly?
Partnering with Premiere Speakers Bureau provides a comprehensive safety net for your event that direct booking cannot match. You get the same speaker for the same price, but with a dedicated team with over 30 years of event experience handling contracts, logistics, and are prepared for any emergency. We know what it takes to run an excellent event.
What makes Premiere Speakers Bureau unique compared to other agencies?
Premiere Speakers Bureau distinguishes itself by having over 30 years of experience while partnering with more than 35,000 events. PSB has also built a streamlined, fully online process that makes booking a speaker, handling travel and payments extremely easy for anyone looking to plan a speaker led event.
How does Premiere Speakers Bureau's 'Zero Cost Service' model work?
Premiere Speakers Bureau operates on a 'Zero Cost Service' model for event planners. Our services—including research, booking, and logistics—are always free to the client. The speaker covers our commission from their standard honorarium as payment for our role in marketing and managing their engagements.
How much does it cost to book Dr. Manuel Scott?
Available on request. Send us your date and budget and an agent will confirm.
What are the standard policies for speaker travel and expenses?
Travel expenses are negotiated during contracting. We generally recommend a flat travel fee for simplicity, though we also offer line-by-line invoicing when preferred. PSB ensures these expenses adhere to professional standards, and our Event Portal allows for easy tracking and invoicing.
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