After 21 years in the military, Otha Thornton has gotten used to taking orders. But in 2005, he got an unusual command: Lead the PTA.
Thornton was stationed at Fort Meade, Md. In uniform, he attended his first PTA meeting at Meade Senior High where his daughter was newly enrolled in the school of 2,000. Only seven parents showed up.
One of the parents was his post commander, also in uniform. He asked Thornton, “What are we going to do about this?” Thornton took the hint and enlisted as vice president.
Now, the Georgia native and Smyrna resident is in line to become the National PTA’s next president and its first black male leader. Thornton rose quickly through the PTA ranks by applying the same strategic problem-solving techniques used in his decorated military career.
"It’s a natural fit," said Gen. Barrye Price, who supervised Thornton and considers him a friend. "He is a leader. He is a phenomenal communicator. He has an infectious spirit that just makes you like him immediately."
Thornton, 44, is the oldest of seven and grew up working class in the small town of Elberton. He graduated from Morehouse College in 1989 and immediately joined the Army. Since, he has lived all over Georgia and the world with his wife, Caryn, a Spelman graduate, and their two children. He worked in the White House communications agency under presidents George Bush and Barack Obama, and earned a Bronze Star Medal for his service in Iraq.
Now retired from the military, Thornton is focusing on his role as the PTA’s president-elect. At the national level, the group focuses on federal education policy and programs, and advocating for children nationwide. He will shadow the current president, Betsy Landers, until officially starting his two-year term in 2013.
Thornton will bring a different point of view to the mostly white, middle-class, female-led organization that reflects the changing demographics of America's public schools. After all, he's seen how students are educated all over the world. He himself was able to achieve profound success despite his upbringing in a single-parent home, something he credits to education.
“I've been in urban, rural, suburban, military school systems,” he said. “I look at it like this: You’re giving children an opportunity whether they are from Bankhead to Buckhead, to live their dreams and accomplish their potential. It fulfills me that I am serving children of this nation.”
When speaking around the country, Thornton shares stories about his service at Meade as evidence of what organized parents can accomplish. When he joined the school's PTA, he built agendas to focus the meetings. He made sure the agendas went out to parents via e-mail and letter, and that parents were notified of meetings by phone.
In Thornton's first year, membership jumped from 25 to 200 parents, he said. By the end of the second year when he became president, the group had 400 members. Meade launched a "No Parent Left Behind" initiative, asking each guardian for 10 hours of volunteer time. By year's end, the school documented 10,000 hours.
The school's academics improved, too. In 2004, Meade didn't hit annual academic achievement goals, said Thornton. In 2010, the school was named one of "Americas Best High Schools," by Newsweek Black students earned the highest public school SAT score averages in Maryland, he said.
Thornton described himself as a "key advocate" in the improvement, but said PTA can't take all the credit. Still, the parents brought positive momentum and positive attention to the school.
Rhoda Spence, president of the Atlanta Council of PTAs, said Thornton is humble and accessible, known for sending out weekly updates to keep and being diligent about keeping members informed.
"He’s always down to earth," she said. "He's accessible to all levels of PTA, from local units to the parents. If you have a few minutes to talk, he is willing to listen."
After his success at Meade, Thornton was drafted to join the National PTA, where he has served in several roles. Now in line to lead one of the nation's most recognizable organizations, Thornton said he plans to build leadership, focus on advocacy and increase membership.
"We will make sure we reach out to all communities to represent all children in order for them to reach their dreams and potential," he said. "Because education is that vehicle."
Otha Thornton
Age: 44
Family: Wife Caryn, an educator, daughter Candice, 22, who attends Spelman, son Otha, 19, who attends Morehouse
Education: Master's in communications, Michigan Tech, 2001; bachelor's urban studies/management, Morehouse College, 1989.
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