'Representation matters': Miami doctoral candidate to be first Black woman on Dayton suburb BOE

Dormetria Robinson Thompson is a former teacher and youth minister who was raised in Alexandria, Virginia, and attended Howard University.

She’s also the out-of-school time director of compliance at the Omega Community Development Corporation (Omega CDC), the associate minister at her church, a published author, public speaker, artist, doctoral candidate and soon-to-be the first Black woman to serve on the West Carrollton City Schools Board of Education.

Thompson will be sworn in during a meeting on Jan. 7, 2026.

Growing up in the Washington Metropolitan Area, Thompson said she has always been “keen” on politics and thought she might run for office at some point. Her father was in law enforcement, and her mother was a nurse, which she said led her to be reared in community service and volunteerism.

Although she was raised in what she considered to be a “very multicultural community,” she didn’t have any Black teachers throughout school. Her first time having a Black professor was when she attended Howard University to earn her Bachelor of Fine Arts.

Since then, Thompson has been an educator for over 20 years, has a master’s in divinity and is currently pursuing her doctorate in philosophy in educational leadership at Miami University.

“I just knew that this was the right time,” Thompson said of running for a seat on the board. She said she understands the value of public education as someone who attended Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia.

“I’m a product of public education and a product of high quality,” she said.

Representation and models for leadership

Thompson said she’s lived in the Dayton area for 16 years, and in that time, the demographics of the West Carrollton area haven’t changed much. But she said many people seem to be leaving the Dayton and Trotwood areas, and it appears there’s a higher proportion of Black families now.

Still, West Carrollton has an all-white city council and an all-white board of education.

“I know that representation matters,” Thompson said. “I know that there are so many people that I have looked up to throughout my life, Black women, along with my mom, but other Black women that have been in leadership that have been instrumental in giving me a focus … or I want to emulate something about them, or their leadership style.”

Thompson said, while she will proudly represent all scholars in West Carrollton Schools, she knows her presence on the board will show Black girls they can do it, too. 

“I do very well know that my presence is going to be impactful, specifically for Black girls, and I think also for Black families,” Thompson said.

She said she also thinks earning her doctorate at 55 will be an inspiration to people to know it’s “never too late.”

‘Doing what’s best for the kids’

Thompson started an after-school program at Omega CDC called Scholars of H.O.P.E. (healthy, optimistic, prepared and educated) in 2017, where she is currently embedding her study for her doctorate. 

The study, called “Sista Circle,” includes eight Black girls in the seventh and eighth grade and focuses on their lived experiences while being in the after-school program. She said Sista Circle is four weeks of art-based research where the students engage in themed art presentations and journaling each week and are provided a space to express themselves. 

She said she chose this study topic because of the way Black girls are often “adultified,” criminalized and forgotten.

When she takes her seat on the board, Thompson said she wants to focus on school safety and ensuring scholars are prepared for the workforce, college or military through the programs the district offers. She said she also has a vision of partnering with rural communities to change legislation requiring public school districts to bus charter and private school students, which she said takes funding away from public school students.

Along the campaign trail, Thompson said many people seemed to be excited to see a new face, but also supportive of diversifying representation on the board. She said she spoke to many people she disagreed with politically, but ultimately found herself listening a lot.

When asked about the elimination of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in education and changes in guidance for teaching history in schools, Thompson said, “First of all, I completely believe in diversity, equity and inclusion and access, and I will continue to believe in those things, and we’re not going anywhere.”

“What makes this country beautiful is the diversity, is the differences, is the beauty of different hues and different textures of hair and different foods and different cultures,” she said. “That’s what makes America great.”

Thompson said there is power in how stories are told and by whom, and historical days are important for celebrating the richness of the country.

Ultimately, Thompson said, “I’m not going to back down from doing what’s best for the kids.”

“I’m not going to back down from doing what’s best for families, whether you like my vote or not,” she said. “I’m going to stand up for what I believe is the right thing to do, that is the equitable thing to do.”

Thompson said she believes her experience at Miami and in other aspects of her life, including her diverse and educational background, will make her an effective school board member.

“I think that I will be able to be an asset to the community and to the school board to bring a different lens to make West Carrollton Public Schools even better,” she said.