Dr. Traci L. Gardner-Petteway

In This Section

Dr. Traci L. Gardner-Petteway
Lewisville, Texas
Marcus High School, Flower Mound, Texas

Personal and Professional Information

  • Wife, Mother, Daughter, Aunt, Niece, Cousin, and friend / mentor to many!
  • 25-year Non-profit Business Owner: Hope Inc.  (www.DrTraciPetteway.com) 
  • Certified John Maxwell Team: Coach, Trainer, and Mentor
  • Public School Educator, Retired College Professor, and Certified Family Counselor
  • Tarrant County College Academic Advisor/Career Coach
  • Certified Life Coach
  • Certified Conflict and Mediation Facilitator
  • Best Selling Author
  • Empowerment Speaker
  • Philanthropist
  • Business Consultant – Leadership Development & Diversity, Equity, and. Inclusion (DEI)
  • Certified Interaction Associates Team: Adaptive Leadership, Essential Facilitation, Facilitative Leadership, and Pathway to Change

Education

  • D. Min. Christian Leadership – Faith Leadership University (2009)
  • Ph.D. Social Work / Community Service – Capella University (2008)
  • Executive MBA – Baylor University (2023)
  • M.A. – Psychology/Human Resource Mgmt. – Our Lady of the Lake Univ. (2001)
  • M.S. – Women in Leadership - Yale University: School of Management (2021)
  • B.S. – Business Management: Non-Profit Management – Wiley College (1999)
  • Exec. C-Suite Certification–Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion – Cornell Univ. (2020)

PTA Involvement

Current service includes:

  • Marcus High School PTSA – Volunteer

Previous service includes:

  • Elected National PTA Board of Director Member (2018-2022)
  • Appointed National PTA Convention Committee (2018-2019)
  • Appointed National PTA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee (2019-2020)
  • Appointed National PTA Governance Committee (2019-2021)
  • Appointed National PTA Membership Committee (2021-2022)
  • Appointed National PTA Strategic Vision Committee (2021-2022)
  • Elected High School PTSA President (2016)
  • Appointed Middle School PTA Program Chair (2016)
  • Appointed Middle School PTA Council Delegate (2016-2017)
  • Appointed High School and Middle School PTA/PTSA Teacher Appreciation Chair
  • Solicited European PTA Scholarship Judge (2019-2020)
  • Appointed High School PTSA Scholarship Chair (2019-2021)

Community Involvement

Current service includes:
  • Appointed City of Lewisville Advisory Board – President
  • North Texas Food Bank - Feed the Community (including during COVID-19)
  • Westside Baptist Church Youth Ministry - Servant Leader / Superintendent 
  • Jack and Jill of America, Inc. (Protocol) 
  • Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (Parliamentarian)
  • Lewisville Morning Rotary - President
  • Community in Schools of North Texas (CISNT) - Mentor
  • Children’s Advocacy Center - Advocate
  • Court Appointed Special Advocate for Children (CASA) - Mentor
  • City of Lewisville Mayor Commission Special Task Force
  • National Alliance Mental Illness (NAMI) – member
  • American Psychological Association (APA) – member
  • American Sociological Association (ASA) – member
  • National Association of the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
  • Texas Association of Black Personnel in Higher Education – (Parliamentarian)
  • National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI)
  • National Association of Black MBA’s
  • Junior League Collin County Executive BOD Council – (Secretary)
Previous Service Includes:
  • Appointed Special Olympics - Coordinator
  • Lewisville Education Foundation (LEF) - Scholarship Judge
  • Big Brothers Big Sisters – Mentor
  • Leadership Lewisville - Participant
  • Leadership Flower Mound - Participant
  • Union Gospel Mission – Homeless Shelter for Veterans – Life Skills Coach

Honors and Awards
  • PTA Life Membership - State of Oklahoma
  • PTA Life Membership - State of Texas
  • Paul Harris Fellow - Rotary International
  • PTA Lifetime National Supporting Member

Traci Petteway portrait



Candidate Narrative

Dr. Traci Petteway

 Dr. Traci Petteway, native of Louisiana and resident of Texas, non-profit business owner, renowned empowerment speaker, 20+ year mental health professional, educator, philanthropist, and professionally published best-selling author. She is a Certified John Maxwell Team Coach, Trainer, and Mentor who travels helping companies create equitable platforms for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives, policy revisions, best hiring and retention strategies, and implement strategics to ensure all staff members feel that they belong. Served as keynote speaker: National and Regional Conferences, Public School Districts, Council and State PTA Conventions, as well as workshop presenter and panelist participant!

Dr. Traci has been married for over two (2) decades and they have two (2) children: a son who is a Senior at Baylor University and a daughter who is a junior in high school. She is the proud product of Caddo Parish Public School System in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Dr. Traci has earned: Bachelor’s Degree, three (3) Master’s Degree’s, including an Executive MBA from Baylor University and M.S. from Yale University School of Management in Women’s Leadership, and two (2) Ph.D.’s. in Social Work and Community Service. In addition to being a tenured professor, Dr. Petteway is an Academic Advisor for First Time in College, Traditional, and Veteran/Military Connected Students.

Dr. Traci earned the Paul Harris Fellow Award with Rotary International and PTA Honorary Life Membership in the State of Oklahoma and Texas.

Dr. Traci is involved in her community. She is proud to be a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Junior League, and Jack and Jill of America, Inc. Traci was the first African American to serve as President of her son’s high school PTSA and the first African American, from Texas, to serve at National PTA as a twice elected Board of Director member.