Driven by her commitment to advancing learning methodologies and empowering both students and teachers, Betty Allums, PhD, has established a distinguished career in education. Since 1997 she has served as an education specialist through Betty Allums Thinklink, alongside holding the role of executive director of the company since 2013. Through this organization, Dr. Allums has dedicated her expertise to helping individuals develop their thinking abilities by emphasizing intentional and achievable cognitive growth. Her work with the Structure of Intellect (SOI) model spans more than 40 years, during which she has become recognized as an expert in the field.
In addition to her leadership at Betty Allums Thinlink, Dr. Allums has contributed as the executive director of Applied Scholastics of El Cerrito since 2012. In this capacity, her responsibilities include overseeing educational programs that foster intellectual development and critical thinking among diverse student populations.
Prior to focusing on Betty Allums Thinklink, Dr. Allums devoted more than 10 years to her work as an education specialist at Allums House and Allums Academy, both of which she founded in 1990. These ventures focused on developing individualized learning programs for children in foster care. From 1985 to 1989, she took on the same role at Allums Assessment Center, where she first demonstrated her skilled understanding of SOI methods.
Dr. Allums’ tenure as learning skills specialist and director of the Intensive Learning Experience at Sonoma State University from 1980 to 1985 was particularly impactful. In these roles, she extensively applied the SOI model with students and developed a state-funded program that trained teachers to assess and address specific cognitive abilities in their classrooms. Students participating in this program initially ranked in the bottom 40th percentile of admitted students but experienced significant progress.
At the outset of her professional life in 1970, Dr. Allums spent nearly 10 years as director of the Black Asian, Chicano, Urban Program (BACUP) at the University of California, Berkeley School of Education. Concurrently with that and in affiliation with the university, she was a supervisor and coordinator for teacher education programs for the Berkeley Unified School District. Dr. Allums also chaired the minority recruitment committee for BACUP, contributing to greater inclusivity and cultural relevance in teacher training programs. Her early career includes teaching English at Contra Costa College and French at Peres K-8 School.
Dr. Allums’ work is backed up by an extensive and international academic history, beginning with studying French at Université catholique de l’ouest in affiliation with the University of Notre Dame and, in 1964, a Fulbright grant to attend the University of Strasbourg. She completed additional coursework through a National Defense Education Act-funded scholarship at Mount St. Joseph University (formerly the College of Mount St. Joseph) and participated in an Education Professions Development Act program at The Ohio State University’s Lyon, France, campus. Subsequently, Dr. Allums obtained a Bachelor of Education from San Francisco State University and a master’s degree in legal studies from Lone Mountain College (now part of the University of San Francisco). She rounded out her education by earning a PhD with a focus on education and educational psychology.
Among her many professional affiliations, Dr. Allums is most proud of her service as congress chair for the Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research, where she organized an international congress in Jamaica attended by participants from 50 countries. She also contributed as a governing board member of the Richmond Unified School District and through membership in the Association of Teacher Educators, the Foreign Language Association of Northern California and the American Association of Teachers of French.
Outside of her professional accomplishments, Dr. Allums is a loving mother to five children and grandmother to one. Moving forward, she plans to relocate to Oakland, California, where she hopes to collaborate with local educators to enhance their capacity for identifying strengths and weaknesses in students. As she always has, Dr. Allums will advocate for school districts to provide comprehensive training in critical thinking skills. She is also currently writing a book on SOI training with the intent of providing educators and the general public with practical resources for developing thinking skills. This volume will build on Dr. Allums’ legacy of educational innovation and empowerment for both teachers and students.