Founded on October 14th, 2018 on the grounds of Hope United Methodist Church in Southfield, Michigan.

The members of Southfield Esquire Mentoring Program Inc. take mentoring seriously! Our advisors and executive board members believe in preparation for excellence. We believe in challenging all of our young men and getting the best out of them. It is important that anyone looking to join our mentoring program share the same mindset and commitment to excellence.

There are many mentoring program options in the immediate geographic area that do not ask for any major commitments from their families. We are different! If a young man is accepted into our mentoring program, we make a commitment to guiding that young man toward excellence.

We seek serious individual mentees, mentors and executive board members that are willing to give our program the required time and energy necessary to ensure the program thrives and continually develops.

We work hard but we also have plenty of fun along the way. The motto for our program is… “If you aren’t ready to go hard, it’s best to go elsewhere”.

The purpose of the Southfield Esquires Mentoring Program is to provide mentoring to young boys (grades 7-10) that are enrolled in public, private, or charter schools enrolled within the Detroit Metropolitan area.  We provide workshops, community service activities, and interactive programming. The Southfield Esquires program cultivates future community leaders with a commitment to civic engagement and community service.  

How this is achieved: 

The Southfield Esquire Mentoring Program, Inc.(SEMPI) provides program participants with:

• Exposure to the Detroit and Southfield Area business professionals to learn about career development and engage in networking
• Workshops on issues needed to prepare young boys and men with the knowledge necessary to compete not only in the academic environment but in “life” too
• An opportunity to “learn about and compete for” academic scholarships locally and nationally
• An opportunity to learn how to constructively resolve interpersonal disagreements
• One-to-One Mentoring
• Coordinate external outings to expose youth to multicultural activities essential to
  21st-century job and community success
• Community service opportunities to aid in the development of compassion and empathy for their fellow man
• Note: The SEMPI is continually seeking opportunities to provide variable programming to enhance the mental and social growth of our target audience

Dr. Linda Wood

Executive Board Member

Dr. Lynda Wood is a lifelong learner and an instructional leader at heart, with a commitment to excellence in education. Dr. Wood served as superintendent for Southfield Public Schools a perimeter
district of Detroit, Michigan until she retired in 2017. Currently, Dr. Wood serves as an Executive Coach and Head of District Transformation at the Center for Strategic Leadership and Organizational Coherence. Additionally, Dr. Wood is an adjunct
instructor for Oakland University in the Department of Education Leadership and an implementation specialist with the Statewide Field Team at the Calhoun
Intermediate School District. Dr. Wood gained her K-12 perspective from her vast educational experiences, which include the following leadership roles: Associate Superintendent for Instruction, Curriculum Director, Elementary School Principal, Supervisor of Assessment, Testing and Instructional Delivery and Science Teacher Leader for Detroit and Southfield Public Schools. During her years as a school and district level
administrator for Southfield Public Schools, she was instrumental in the
development and implementation of instructional initiatives, strategies and
programs that resulted in improved student and teacher performance.

Dr. Wood has been a consultant and presenter for many educational organizations
at the local, state and national level. Some include, the National Science Foundation,
Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) Faculty Member,
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, College Board Superintendents
Council, Learning Forward, Oakland Schools Teaching and Learning Council, and
Middle Cities Board of Directors.

Dr. Wood has received numerous awards throughout her career for her expertise.
These awards include, the Michigan Department of Education’s Systemic Initiative –
New Visions for Teaching Science, Booker T. Washington Excellence Award, the
National Science Foundation’s Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics
and Science Teaching. Dr. Wood was also featured in the Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) publication “In Focus” which
highlighted her leadership in Southfield Public Schools.

Dr. Wood has a Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Instruction with a cognate in
Educational Leadership from Wayne State University, a Master of Science Education
from Wayne State University and a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Michigan State
University.

Ms. Sheri Stuart

Executive Board Member

Sheri L. Stuart is a graduate of Central Michigan and Michigan State University where she studied broadcast journalism.  Her career has spanned leadership roles as a multi-platform journalist and public relations strategist.  She is the recipient of several journalism education fellowship awards as well as a Polaris award from the Public Relations Society of America-Inland Empire Chapter.  As a writer and reporter, her work has been featured in multiple media outlets, including the Los Angeles Wave, the Flint Courier, Crown City News and WBKB TV, where she served as the news director and evening anchor.

Sheri is currently the director of Communication Services for Oakland Schools where she manages strategic internal/external communications to support the goals and objectives of the organization.

In her spare time, Sheri enjoys reading, sewing and spending time with family and friends.

Dr. Patty Oehmke

Executive Board Member

Dr. Patty J J Oehmke, Ph.D. (Patty), is an Associate Director of Recreational Sports and Fitness Services at Michigan State University. She has more than 30 years’ experience in Health Promotion, Wellness, Recreation and Higher Education, student focused leadership.

Dr. Oehmke earned her MA in Exercise Physiology and a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration with a specialization in Higher Education Administration, Health Promotion and Wellness from Michigan State University

Patty excels at working seamlessly between visionary strategic plans and detailed programming and implementation.  She provides you with the systems and capacity needed to deliver on your wellbeing knowledge and competency.  With her extensive experience in leadership and student development, she provides you with the facilities, programming, and experiences you need to participate in inclusive, successful leadership initiatives.  These initiatives will improve student retention while enabling diverse student populations to be both healthier and improve their academic performance.  Patty also excels at program design for intergenerational health and wellness leadership for large and small populations, including staff, retirees, and community partners.

Anthony Redditt Esq.

Executive Board Member

Anthony Redditt is a Detroit native and graduate of Cass Tech High School.  He has a bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems from Eastern Michigan University and a Master of Arts in interdisciplinary studies from University of Michigan-Dearborn. 

Mr. Redditt completed his law degree at Detroit Mercy School of Law and is an attorney for over 10 years. He currently works for a federal agency and has experience in both civil and criminal litigation. As a current Royal Oak resident, you will often find him and his young daughter attending local festivities around the area.  

Principal Edward Hill

Executive Board Member

Edward Hill was born and raised in Detroit, MI and a graduate of Detroit Cody High School.  Attended Michigan State University and majored in Mathematics with a Science minor.  Graduated MSU in 1992 and began teaching in Southfield Public Schools.  Taught 6th -12th grade math for 12 years before becoming an assistant principal at Southfield-Lathrup High School (2004).  Worked as an assistant principal for 6 years before becoming principal at Birney K-8 in 2010.  Resident of Farmington Hills where I reside with my wife Jolia and three daughters Avery, Amyre, & Adyson.