Biography

Retired. Freddie Groomes-McLendon received the B.S. degree and the M.S. degree in Counseling and Guidance from the Florida A. & M. University and the Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the Florida State University. She also completed Post-Graduate work at Harvard University. She retired in 2003 after serving more than 40 years in teaching and college administration. Being active in her profession, she holds numerous awards, citations, and special listings. At the time of her retirement, she served as Executive Assistant to the President at the Florida State University. During her career she served as president of the American Association for Affirmative Action. She was engaged in research and publishing in the areas Affirmative Action, Human Relations , Organization Development and Personal Development. Dr.Groomes-McLendon was also an Associate Professor of Counseling and Human Systems at FSU and a national consultant in Human Relations and Diversity Management Training. Active in minority and women's concerns, she was Chairperson of the Florida Governors Commission on the Status of Women and served as a delegate to the International Women's Conference in Kenya. She served on the Florida Judicial Council. She also served on the Board of Directors for the Prison Rehabilitation and Diversified Enterprises, Inc. and the Big Bend Girl Scout Council. Dr. Groomes-McLendon was appointed by the then Secretary of Defense Casper Weinberger, to the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services. She also served as a member of the National Advisors for the W. K. Kellogg Foundation Leadership Fellows Program. Dr. Groomes-McLendon represented the United States at the IV International Conference on Science and Society in Yugoslavia and as a Rockefeller Fellow visited Nigeria as a scholar, analyzing higher education administration styles. She has received many honors, including induction into Florida A. & M. University's Premier Gallery of Distinction as well as honorary citizenship and keys to several cities, including Los Angeles, New Orleans, and Jacksonville, Florida. In addition, the Mayor of Tallahassee proclaimed November 18, 1996 as Freddie Lang Groomes Day, in recognition of her many contributions to mankind and her community. She is the recipient of a 1991 NAACP Black Achievers Award and the 1992 recipient of the Florida A & M University's Martin Luther King Jr. Distinguished Service Award. The following year she received the Florida State University's Martin Luther King Jr. Distinguished Service Award. As a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated Dr. Groomes-McLendon has served as National chairman of the AKA Connection, National Secretary, National Chairperson of Programs and currently serves as the Centennial National Parliamentarian. She is the recipient of the Sorority's highest award for graduate members, the AKA National Distinguished Service Award. Dr. Groomes-McLendon international speaking and consulting has taken her to Yugoslavia, South Korea, Russia, Peru, Tokyo, Japan, Italy, Panama Canal Zone and England. She has been responsible for planning, developing and implementing a $1.5 million grant from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation and served as Founding Director of Volunteers Impacting Youth. While at FSU she also developed and directed the Opportunity Leadership Enhancement program for women that was funded by the Florida Department of Education. Dr. Groomes-McLendon was recently appointed to serve on the Board of Trustees for the Edward Waters College in Jacksonville, Florida. Dr. Groomes-McLendon is the author of several resource manuals and other publications. Her most recent book is entitled "The Marginal Difference" which presents practical choices for enhancing the success quotient of students, professionals and others. She is married to Dennis A McLendon Sr. She is the mother of two adult children Linda Groomes Walton and the late Derek RaMone Groomes.