Gloria brings a wealth of knowledge, expertise, and experience to the healthcare, education, and faith-centered arenas. She is a university-level professor, licensed social worker, an author, minister, and advance care planning expert with a passion for life. She holds an Interdisciplinary PhD in Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Leadership, Policy, and Foundations. Her research focuses on healthcare equity, spirituality, and culturally-responsive care at end-of-life.

Gloria has written several peer-reviewed chapters on spirituality in two publications: the award-winning book, Womanish Black Girls: Women Resisting the Contradictions of Silence and Voice (2019) and The Palgrave Handbook of Workplace Spirituality (2018).

She is the author of The African-American Spiritual and Ethical Guide to End-of-Life Care: What Y’all Gon’ Do with Me?, now in its 9th edition. The Guide provides helpful information for healthcare decision-making on advance care planning and end-of-life care options. Her work was cited in the 2015 Institute of Medicine Dying in America Report. Gloria has also authored a cultural competency training manual for social service professionals as well as several inspirational books.

Gloria has written several peer-reviewed chapters on spirituality in two publications: the award-winning book, Womanish Black Girls: Women Resisting the Contradictions of Silence and Voice (2019) and The Palgrave Handbook of Workplace Spirituality (2018). She is the author of The African-American Spiritual and Ethical Guide to End-of-Life Care: What Y’all Gon’ Do with Me?, now in its 9th edition. The Guide provides helpful information for healthcare decision-making on advance care planning and end-of-life care options. Her work was cited in the 2015 Institute of Medicine Dying in America Report. Gloria has also authored a cultural competency training manual for social service professionals as well as several inspirational books.

Gloria’s work is highly respected nationally by healthcare organizations, hospices, churches, and communities. She has provided educational presentations to hundreds of groups throughout the U.S. and Canada. She has presented her research and work internationally and nationally at conferences and other professional events, to include the Research Association Minority Professors (RAMP), International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry (ICQI), The National Association of Social Workers (NASW), National Association of Multicultural Education (NAME), and The National Council of Black Studies (NCBS). She has also been prominently featured in several national telecasts and training videos and has also been a guest on various television and radio shows, including NPR affiliate, KCUR, KCPT, and e-Care Diary.

She is a member of the Social Work Hospice and Palliative Care Network and serves on the Interfaith and Diversity Workgroup for the Coalition to Transform Advance Care (C-TAC), a national non-partisan organization that addresses disparities at end-of-life.

Dr. Gloria is the founder and President of Heart Tones™, a ministry that provides customized, educational workshops and resources related to healthcare decision-making, end-of-life, and cultural competency. Heart Tones™ started in 1986 and over the years has evolved into the source of many other projects and initiatives. Even though the goals of each project may be different, they all share the same mission of providing of hope, peace, and purpose.

The African-American Spiritual and Ethical Guide to End-of-Life Care can help families talk about and make a plan in advance so that your doctors and one’s family can know what an aging family member would want in a medical emergency situation. The Guide offers trusted and relevant information, complete with helpful resources and free access links to advance care forms by State. Dr. Gloria wrote the first edition of The African-American Spiritual and Ethical Guide to End-of-Life Care in 2006 after receiving a grant to produce her research findings into a patient education resource to offer relevant information about end of life care specifically for African Americans. The Guide is a CDC-recommended advance care planning resource book. It walks readers through the practical and legal considerations in advance care planning and provides an inviting way to talk about what one’s wishes would be if they were unable to speak for themselves due to a life-threatening accident or illness.

ACP for AA™ is a nationwide educational outreach initiative partnering with organizations to help bridge the racial disparity gap in healthcare delivery by: