Dr. Courtney Bell-Duncan exemplifies the heart of the Black Men Teach mission through their commitment to empowering educators, students, and uplifting the community. Their work reflects the values of integrity, representation, and purpose that define who we are and what we stand for.
Dr. Courtney Bell-Duncan’s career represents more than a decade of dedicated work at the intersection of education, equity, and systemic transformation. Her journey began in the classroom, where she discovered that teaching was not just about delivering content—it was about seeing and honoring the full humanity of every student and family she served. This revelation became the driving force behind everything that followed: a relentless commitment to creating educational experiences that franchise the disenfranchised.
As the Founder and CEO of Courtney S. Bell Consulting — answering the call for educational justice— Dr. Bell-Duncan has evolved into one of Minnesota’s most sought-after facilitators for professional development that actually changes how educators think and practice. Her workshops are legendary not for their comfort, but for their power to create genuine breakthrough moments. Participants often describe her sessions as “life-changing”—not because she tells them what they want to hear, but because she guides them toward truths they didn’t know they needed to face.
This same unflinching commitment to transformation now shapes her work as Senior Director of Collective Impact at Black Men Teach, where she leads the Thrive by 2035 Coalition. The coalition unites 27 multi-sector partner organizations around an audacious goal: increasing Black male elementary school teachers in Minnesota from 50 to 450 by 2035. For Dr. Bell-Duncan, this isn’t simply about recruitment—it’s about fundamentally reshaping who children see when they walk into a classroom. It’s about ensuring that Black boys, and all students, encounter educators who reflect the fullness of their communities and possibilities.
Through strategic partnership building, policy advocacy, and the kind of truth-telling that has defined her career, she orchestrates collective action that transforms aspiration into measurable change, proving that when diverse stakeholders align around equity, systemic transformation isn’t just possible—it’s inevitable.
I am a connector, facilitator, influencer, organizer, supporter, and backbone leader. I work to build authentic relationships with external partners and to facilitate the collective process of recruiting, preparing, placing, and retaining Black men to teach in Minnesota elementary classrooms.
I was most attracted to the collective effort of BMT and our Thrive By 2035 partner organizations to recruit, prepare, place, and retain Black men in elementary classrooms throughout Minnesota. I believe in the power of collectivism to create enduring impact and systemic change.
I would encourage them to remember that who they are, where they’re from, and what they’ve experienced will serve as a source of authentic connection with their scholars.
I want the community to know that I was created to answer the call for educational justice and to serve the underserved and overlooked children of Minnesota and beyond. This is my life’s work, and I do not take it lightly. I am always on a mission to franchise the educationally disenfranchised by way of curricular and instructional excellence and equity.
I want the community to know that I was created to answer the call for educational justice and to serve the underserved and overlooked children of Minnesota and beyond. This is my life’s work, and I do not take it lightly. I am always on a mission to franchise the educationally disenfranchised by way of curricular and instructional excellence and equity.
I am a connector, facilitator, influencer, organizer, supporter, and backbone leader. I work to build authentic relationships with external partners and to facilitate the collective process of recruiting, preparing, placing, and retaining Black men to teach in Minnesota elementary classrooms.
I was most attracted to the collective effort of BMT and our Thrive By 2035 partner organizations to recruit, prepare, place, and retain Black men in elementary classrooms throughout Minnesota. I believe in the power of collectivism to create enduring impact and systemic change.
I would encourage them to remember that who they are, where they’re from, and what they’ve experienced will serve as a source of authentic connection with their scholars.
Ms. Goetzen, Mr. Lundeen, Mr. Fresco, Dr. Favor, and Dr. Alexander each took the time to build authentic relationships with me and called me to live up to my full potential as a student and leader. They each held me to a high standard of excellence and supported, scaffolded, and provided opportunities for my continued growth and success.
I want the community to know that I was created to answer the call for educational justice and to serve the underserved and overlooked children of Minnesota and beyond. This is my life’s work, and I do not take it lightly. I am always on a mission to franchise the educationally disenfranchised by way of curricular and instructional excellence and equity.
Black Men Teach
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St. Paul, MN 55102
Dr. Courtney Bell-Duncan’s career represents more than a decade of dedicated work at the intersection of education, equity, and systemic transformation. Her journey began in the classroom, where she discovered that teaching was not just about delivering content—it was about seeing and honoring the full humanity of every student and family she served. This revelation became the driving force behind everything that followed: a relentless commitment to creating educational experiences that franchise the disenfranchised.
As the Founder and CEO of Courtney S. Bell Consulting — answering the call for educational justice— Dr. Bell-Duncan has evolved into one of Minnesota’s most sought-after facilitators for professional development that actually changes how educators think and practice. Her workshops are legendary not for their comfort, but for their power to create genuine breakthrough moments. Participants often describe her sessions as “life-changing”—not because she tells them what they want to hear, but because she guides them toward truths they didn’t know they needed to face.
This same unflinching commitment to transformation now shapes her work as Senior Director of Collective Impact at Black Men Teach, where she leads the Thrive by 2035 Coalition. The coalition unites 27 multi-sector partner organizations around an audacious goal: increasing Black male elementary school teachers in Minnesota from 50 to 450 by 2035. For Dr. Bell-Duncan, this isn’t simply about recruitment—it’s about fundamentally reshaping who children see when they walk into a classroom. It’s about ensuring that Black boys, and all students, encounter educators who reflect the fullness of their communities and possibilities.
Through strategic partnership building, policy advocacy, and the kind of truth-telling that has defined her career, she orchestrates collective action that transforms aspiration into measurable change, proving that when diverse stakeholders align around equity, systemic transformation isn’t just possible—it’s inevitable.
