Dr. Patience E. Fonkem, PhD

 

Patience E. Fonkem, Ph.D., Executive Director of DFESHCS retired from K-12 education after 35 of fulfilled teaching career. She continues to work as an adjunct professor of special education at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Oshkosh as needed. A well-grounded academic, Dr. Patience Fonkem taught in Cameroon, Canada, and the United States. She also worked as a Community Based Residential Facilitator (CBRF) for the Residential Care for Developmental Disabilities (RCDD). She is currently one of the personal care providers for her twenty-two-year-old daughter with multiple developmental disabilities.

An enthusiastic, compassionate, and self-reflective professional, Dr. Fonkem studied education at Universities in Cameroon, Canada, Israel, and the United States and perceives the world as one big stage where individuals, the main actors, each have specific roles to play depending on the opportunities to which they are exposed. For her, the opportunities individuals have, coupled with the inclusiveness and cultural responsiveness with which these opportunities are presented, determine how individuals embrace their respective roles on the world stage. She, therefore, believes in the power of diverse opportunities tailored to meet the varied needs of all individuals irrespective of cultural background, ethnicity, gender, creed, race, disability, and/or need.

Dr. Fonkem understands her role as an educator in the paradigm of a learner. Her research interests include inclusiveness and cultural responsiveness, multicultural education, student learning, behavior, and motivation. Before her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction Leadership, her degrees included a Bachelor’s in Education; a Bachelor’s in Child Psychology, a Master’s in Elementary Education, and a Master of Science in Special Education. She currently serves as Secretary of the Transnational Education and Learning Society (TELS) and Executive Director of DFESHCS.Some of her publications include The Undertones of Culture in Education: The Exigencies of Trans-Cultural Consciousness, In Emmanuel Jean Francois (Ed.) Transnational Education in Perspectives in Transnational Higher Education 2016 pp. 141 – 162; Decline or transformation: the interface of culture and development in Nweh, In Fonkem Achankeng (Ed.) Lefua in Lebialem: decline or transformation Madison, WI: Nkemnji Global Tech. pp. 71-78; Rethinking the role of the Lebialem Woman, In Fonkem Achankeng (Ed.) Lebialem: Issues and challenges at century’s end. Platteville, WI: Nkemnji Global Tech. pp. 50-56.

In addition to her personal experiences as a parent of children with disabilities, she has received training both formally and informally with certifications in Med Administration, CPR, First Aid, Nonviolent Conflict Intervention (NCI), QPR Gatekeepers Training, Youth Mental First Aid and Culturally Responsive Practices Training and volunteers as a facilitator for Celebrate Diversity Fox Cities (CDFC).
Dr. Patience Fonkem advocates for a society that consciously and deliberately taps into the positives of every human with the goal of building cultural bridges that are inclusive, flexible, and responsive. DFESHCS is proud to be led by Patience E. Fonkem, Ph.D., a compassionate and dedicated professional who inspires the organization to provide excellent services.

Inspirational Background

Advisory Board

  • HIM Distinguished Professor, Fonkem, Achankeng (PhD.)
  • Professor Fonkem, Ekokobe (DO)
  • DR. Atemnkeng Dibaki (DNP)
  • Mr Mbua Fonkem (BS Psychology)