Glenn Wilkerson

Dr. B. Glenn Wilkerson was raised in a loving, supportive family in Odessa, Texas. He graduated from the University of Texas and earned three post-graduate degrees from Brite Divinity School (Texas Christian University) and Union Theological Seminary (Columbia University).

Wilkerson is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and served as senior minister of the Cypress Creek Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Northwest Houston for 35 years. He served as President of the Houston Northwest Chamber of Commerce and was named "Northwest Houston's Man of the Year." He currently serves as President of the Cypress Creek Cultural District.

For years in his ministry, Glenn counseled young people dealing with drug and alcohol issues, sexual promiscuity, gang activity, and violent behavior. Without exception, all of those children were coming from a position of low self-esteem; and, tragically, if a child has a low opinion of herself, she is likely to cave into negative peer pressure in hopes of being accepted and winning approval.

Disillusioned by the false premise of the self-esteem movement, with its emphasis upon children's achievement and performance, Wilkerson in 1992 launched an in-depth self-esteem study in cooperation with the late Dr. Ron Lorimar with the University of Texas School of Public Health (Houston).

This ground-breaking study revealed a new paradigm in regard to the origins of self-esteem. High self-esteem in children is not created by high performance; it is the product of a child's having a relationship of unconditional love with at least one adult who is primary in that child's life. This ground-breaking research is reinforced by the recent Harvard study revealing that a relationship with just one caring, supportive adult can positively impact a child's life trajectory.

President and founder of The Children's Center for Self-Esteem, Inc. (dba The ARKGroup), Wilkerson is nationally-recognized for his work in elevating the social-emotional health and creating positive self-concepts in children. His recent work has focused on the root causes of school violence and draws a sharp distinction between mental illness and emotional illness. Mental illness is neurological--brain chemistry gone awry--and is characterized by conditions such as schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder. Emotional illness has environmental origins and reflects social and emotional health--eg. feelings of being unwanted and unloved, lack of empathy, and inability to control emotions.

Dr. Wilkerson points to the University of Southern Illinois Medical School study of 157 school shooting incidents that concluded that only 17% of the shooters showed signs of mental illness. Wilkerson says, "Mental illness is not the root cause of the vast majority of school shootings. The problem is an epidemic of emotional illness. In almost all instances, shooters are teens who suffer from an acute emotional illness that reflects heart-shattering feelings of being unwanted and unloved." Wilkerson has emerged as a clarion voice calling for all schools to offer parent and teacher enrichment programs that provide training on how to provide the unconditional love and care that allow children to feel respected and wanted.

Glenn is the author of Trekking: Searching for Love and Self-Esteem; If Jesus Had a Child; Reflections on Mortality: Insights into Meaningful Living; and the nationally-acclaimed ARK (Adults Relating to Kids) Program that incorporates best practices in parenting and teaching. His research-based ARK programs are widely shared in schools, churches, prisons, and community service organizations.

Dr. Wilkerson is the recipient of the State of Texas Board of Education’s Regional “Hero for Children” Award and was a participant in the White House Conference on Youth, Drug Use and Violence. He has been the keynote speaker and workshop leader at numerous conventions and convocations, including the State of Texas PTA Convention, the Texas Behavior Support Conference, the Texas State Conference on Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships, the PTA “Pre-School Convention,” the Mental Health Association of Greater Dallas’ “Adolescent Symposium,” the Texas Education Agency’s “Parent Involvement Conference,” and the “Texas Superintendent’s Conference.”

His recreational pursuits have included a black belt in tae-kwondo and several world records in power lifting. He is the father of four wonderful adult children and says that, "Without a lick of bias, I can honestly claim to have eight of the most beautiful, intelligent, kind, resourceful, witty, and talented grandchildren the world has ever seen."

Visit www.thearkgroup.org for parenting resources, teaching and daycare certifications, and court-mandated parenting classes.