Latoya is a Cincinnati-based boy mom, literacy lover, and HBCU advocate. Latoya has been an early childhood educator for over 13 years. She's taught in her hometown Detroit, MI,  in Maryland (PGCPS), and at Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS). After transitioning from the classroom in 2022, Latoya is now a literacy specialist with The Literacy Lab Leading Men Fellowship program where she coaches Black and brown men between the ages of 18-24 who are placed in CPS preschool classrooms to close the literacy gap and diversify the teacher pipeline. Latoya is the CEO of Brown Hands LLC and the executive director of Brown Hands Literacy. 
 
Latoya holds a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education from Central State University and a Master's degree in Reading and Literacy from Central Michigan University. 
 
After reading many children's books to her students and sharing stories about her vacations and HBCU experience, Latoya became inspired to become an author. In 2020, Latoya self-published her first children's book Brown Hands, White Sand and started Brown Hands LLC. In 2021, Latoya published her second children's book Brown Hands, Black Schools: HBCUs. At the end of 2023, Latoya became a filmmaker by writing, directing and producing Brown Hands, Black Schools HBCUs film. 

Latoya is know for her bubbly personality and her dedication to uplifting Black communities through literacy.  For Latoya, it is more than just being an author and filmmaker. She often asks herself, “How will I plant memorable seeds for children while exposing them to the world?"