Dr. Toni Sims-Muhammad is an exceptionally outstanding Carroll High School Alumnus. Toni graduated in 1987 with several honors and awards such as Louisiana Board of Regents Scholar, Carroll High School Diploma, Monroe City School Board Award for High Scholastic Scholarship (Finishing in the top ten percent of the graduation class). While at CHS, Toni was a member of the Honor Society, CHS Homecoming Court-Ms. Senior Maid, CHS Student Government Association, CHS Choir, and CHS Track Team. Toni received a full scholarship to attended Southern Methodist University in Texas, and after completing one year, she returned to Monroe to attend Northeast Louisiana University where she pursued and completed a degree in Sociology in 1991. Toni earned a Masters of Art Degree in Sociology from Grambling State University in the Summer of 1993 and began teaching at Grambling in the Fall of 1993 in the department of Sociology and Psychology. Dr. Toni has taught at Grambling State University, Georgia Perimeter College, Western Illinois University, University of Phoenix, and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (where she earned tenure).
During her tenure at ULL, Dr. Toni served the university in numerous capacities to name a few Service Learning Projects & Grant Writing; Chair and Co-Chair Academic Development & Program Committees, Community Service: Mentoring Programs, Community Leader, Community Development for Youth, Online Course Developer, Programs for Mentoring Young Girls and Youth Advocacy. Dr. Toni leads and mentors through being a self-starter and motivator to young men and women, especially students of color. Dr Toni has mentored many students in their quest for thesis and dissertation completion.
In 2005, she was an invited presenter at the distinguished Oxford Roundtable at Oxford University in London, England. She has also presented at Southern Sociological Society, National Association of African & African American Studies, the Association of Black Sociologist and holds membership in countless other professional societies. She is a recognized as a scholar in the Directory of American Scholars, Who’s Who of American Scholars of the American Council of Learned Societies and Who’s Who in Social Sciences Higher Education of Academic Keys for the Social Sciences. One of her most outstanding honors was the Lafayette Parish Commission on Women, Woman of Excellence Award for Community Service in 2011.
In 2007, Dr. Toni etablished Vanguard Educational Services, a not for profit community outreach ministry organized for charitable, educational, religious and scientific purposes that focuses on self-improvement as the basis for community development with an emphasis on entrepreneurial, technical and vocational training.
Her latest national initiative is NATIONAL BLACK WOMAN’S HERITAGE MONTH -a movement to bring the legacy of the American black women to national recognition as distinct and culturally significant to the advancement of the black community and to American society.
Dr. Toni has authored several books and published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Toni has 4 children, Tynetta, Ava, Amir, and Kaeed and is married to Mr. Tarik Muhammad. Presently, Dr. Toni serves as Associate Professor & Coordinator of Sociology at Livingstone College, in Salisbury, North Carolina.