Board Members

Dr. Kerwin Scott, DDS, is the first Black male Periodontist Resident at the University of Florida. Raised by his parents and alongside an older sister and two younger sisters, Kerwin spent his childhood in Milwaukee, WI, with his immediate family and teenage years in a suburb of Atlanta, GA, with his uncle. “My son was a curious child. He was always exploring and has always been a risk-taker. His best attribute is that he can take bad situations and turn them into good ones. He doesn’t let anything break him,” said his mom.

After high school, Kerwin enlisted in the US Marine Corps. He wanted to play basketball and was sold a dream by the recruiter that he would play basketball for the Marine Corps. That did not work out. Instead, he had to learn how to thrive in a strict environment and become more organized and strategic. Although it was a challenging experience, Kerwin was able to implement what he learned. While serving, Kerwin began to dream about life outside of the military. He had a love for animals and science and figured that he should become a Marine Biologist.

Kerwin’s path to attend college started after visiting Lane College, an HBCU in Jackson, TN, with his late cousin Edwin Marcel Jones. Kerwin says that the first thing he saw on campus was “the greeks strolling on the yard,” and at that moment, he knew that he was going to enroll. At Lane, Kerwin studied Biology, worked with the Basketball team, and was mentored by Dr. Taylor. “I remember working in Dr. Taylor’s Office and Michi, his surgical assistant, asked me to wash the instruments, and I replied, I’m not washing any instruments, I am here to become a doctor.” Kerwin loves to tell people that story. He continued, “Dr. Taylor waited until the end of the day; he pulled me to the side and said, Did you tell Michi that you aren’t going to wash any instruments? Kerwin, you have to know everything about what goes on in this office. Don’t you know that I wash instruments?” said Dr. Taylor.

After graduating from Lane College Magna Cum Laude with a Biology degree, Kerwin was rejected from several dental schools. He had a hard time getting a competitive score on the DAT exam. Every year, he tried a new study strategy, Kerwin says, “I remember recording a message on my voicemail that said, Hey this is Kerwin, and I’m studying. I can’t talk right now.” That’s how focused he was. After four years of rejection letters, Kerwin received an acceptance letter for the Master of Health Science program at Meharry Medical College. Enrolling in the program meant that he would have to leave his job as a Representative for the Social Security department, relocate from Memphis to Nashville with his newlywed wife and small child without the guarantee of Dental school.

The family decided to take a risk, and they moved from their new home in Memphis to a tiny apartment in Nashville. He had the weight of his new family on his shoulders while enrolled in the full-time program. Most of his classmates were young and had entered the program immediately after undergrad. Kerwin already had experience from the Marine Corps, working a career job, and interning at an Oral Surgery office. However, Kerwin hadn’t been in college in a while and had to learn how to study with younger people.

After Kerwin completed the Master of Health Sciences degree, he was not immediately offered admission into the Doctor of Dental Surgery program. He was devastated. After letter writing, several meetings, and fervent prayer, the admissions committee reviewed his application again; he was admitted into the dental program. His dream was delayed, not deferred.

While enrolled as a Doctor of Dental Surgery student at Meharry Medical College, Kerwin soared. Scott was determined to prove why he belonged in the program. He became an active member of the American Student Dental Association, Oral Surgery Club, and held a leadership position in the Salt Wagon Dental Clinic. He maintained a 3.0 GPA and formed a study group with Kami’Lah Brown, who is now a Dental Resident in the Department of Otolaryngology in the Division of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery at Johns Hopkins, and Se’quon Scott, who will begin as a Periodontist Resident at University of Texas at Austin in Fall 2021.

He also had fun. He was the star player on the Platinum Collection intramural basketball team and was a mentor to incoming members of his fraternal organization, Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. He and his wife also bore a son, Kerwin Scott, Jr. He was committed to his profession and personal life and made sure that his family was involved in his collegiate experience. Initially, Scott wanted to follow in his mentor’s footsteps to become an Oral Surgeon; however, he decided to pivot to Periodontology. He felt this career would allow him the ability to spend more time with his family.

He completed Oral Surgery and Periodontist internships at Vanderbilt University, and the University of Florida during his senior year. “I had to stay with a current UF Pediatric Resident and Meharry Medical College grad; because it was a week-long internship, and I only had enough money to get there and come back.” Kerwin continued. “My family and I were on a tight budget, with two small children and one salary; we did not want to spend the money on a hotel,” said Kerwin.

While at the University of Florida, Kerwin said, “I fell in love with the experience, the people, and the city. I could picture myself there.” During the matching process, Kerwin ranked the University of Florida as his number one pick. They ranked Kerwin as well. Kerwin and his family purchased a home and moved to Gainesville, FL. Kerwin became the first Black male Periodontist Resident at the University of Florida.

Kandra Albury is an author, children’s advocate and literary coach with more than 15 years of professional writing experience. She is the president and CEO of Kids’n Capes, Inc., which is a sustainable non-profit that serves as a catalyst for community members, donors and organizations to help prevent and raise awareness of childhood sexual abuse, bullying and illegal drug use.

Kandra served as the vice-president of business affairs and development/marketing with North Central Florida DNA Laboratories in Alachua, FL.

Her passion for writing started her sophomore year of high school when she enrolled in a journalism class. From there, she began writing for her high school newspaper and working on the yearbook committee.

Kandra’s professional experience includes working as a news reporter, television news producer and a supervisor of external communications with an emphasis on speech writing for chief executive officers.

She has a bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of North Florida and a master’s degree in mass communication from the University of Florida; thanks to the generosity of the Tom Joyner Morning Show. She earned a Ph.D. in ministerial education from Truth Bible University in ministerial education and leadership.
As a conqueror of childhood sexual abuse, she is a champion of courage and uses her voice to advocate for the voiceless. She is a certified Darkness to Light Sexual Abuse Prevention Training Facilitator.

In 2012, she published her memoir “From Food Stamps to Favor.” Immediately after writing her first book, she released the signature book in her children’s book series titled, “Don’t You Dare Touch Me There!” Kandra will re-release her memoir April 2020. Since 2015, she has released three additional children’s books in The Feisty Four Children’s Book Series titled: “NO! …And I Mean NO, Let’s Say NO To Drugs!” and “Leave Us Alone You Mean ‘Ole Bully!” In fall 2018, she released “You Did It Not Me, Brave Brittany Speaks Up!” This unique series is designed to empower children, three and up, to discover and activate their superpower-courage-to prevent sexual abuse, bullying and illegal drug use.

​Also in April 2020, Kandra will release the first-of-its-kind, comprehensive, Pre-K through 12-grade C.A.P.E. Curriculum. This unique online resource for educators will address body safety, bullying and illegal drug use prevention. 

Kandra is married to James C. Albury, manager of the Kika Silva Pla Planetarium at Santa Fe College in Gainesville, FL. They are the proud parents of three COURAGEous children and one brave grandson.

When Kandra isn’t coaching clients on writing their books or teaching intensive writing classes, she is equipping children and parents how to become their own advocate. She enjoys coaching literary clients, evenings at the beach, trying different desserts and exercising.

She believes courage is the new superpower! ™

For over 14 years, Dr. Carjie Scott has served college students of all ages, interests, and backgrounds. She is a trusted Higher Education Executive at Tennessee State University (Digital Recruitment, Enrollment Partnership, and Virtual Engagement) and Santa Fe College (Adjunct Instructor – Student Development and Leadership) who is proficient in streamlining the admissions process and improving student retention while increasing college graduation rates. She is the Co-Founder of The Education Equalizer Foundation and author of “You are Accepted: How to Get Accepted into College and Life.” In her book, she details her commitment to equalizing and maximizing educational opportunities for students, particularly Black and first-generation students.