Dean Herring is an accomplished educator, Mentor, and Leader here in the city. He serves as the Dean of Culture for Sampson-Webber Academy, a K-8 school in the Detroit Public Schools Community District.

He was born and raised on the Westside of Detroit, MI, where he attended Biddle Elementary and Webber Middle school, and he graduated from Northwestern High School. He earned his associate in liberal arts from Wayne County Community College, earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism from Wayne State University, and he holds a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Oakland University.

In the past four years, he has been committed to building strong relationships with his students. He has voluntarily revived an athletics program at the school, with the re-establishment of the girls’ and boys’ basketball team, cheer team, track and field, and flag football. In Dean Herring’s office, students are challenged, supported, nurtured, elevated, and loved. His passion and love for his students shows and is expressed in his daily interactions with his current and past students.

In addition to his work as a Dean, over the past 15 years, he has worked tirelessly to help transform the minds of young men in the Detroit community, especially where he grew up. He first got his start by mentoring at YouthVille Detroit, which was a youth development center dedicated to exposing young people to potential career paths. He first noticed a group of young men who came to his class daily, but were not really interested in the class, they were looking for a direction in life. This would be the birth of his male mentoring program established in April 2009.

He has taken young men on college trips across the country. Through this positive exposure and other community activities, he has helped more than 250 plus young men graduate from high school and go on to college or into the workforce. He is the proud recipient of the DPSCD Outstanding Educator Award, RARE Everyday Hero Award, City of Detroit Award of Excellence, and many more awards.

Dean Herring is a proud member of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., inspired by his mentor, the late Mr. Wayne Q. Owens, who was a father to him. Phi Beta Sigma fraternity’s motto is Culture for service and service to humanity, building off their three pillars of Brotherhood, Scholarship, and Service. Dean Herring has dedicated his life to the service of his community.