Dean of Students

Jhakeem Haltom was born in Ithaca, NY, and attended public school at Ithaca High School. Experiencing institutional racism and poor academic performance, he went to a boarding school at a historically black high school called Piney Woods Country Life School. The school was located outside of Jackson, Mississippi and was a sustainable self-reliant agricultural community. After high school, Jhakeem attended Wesleyan University where he received his bachelor’s degree. Shortly after graduating, he traveled around the world as a musician and pursued anthropological research. He then attended Roberts Wesleyan College, where he received his Masters in Social Work. Working at New Roots is a culmination of his life experience, and is an extremely fulfilling job.

Email: jhaltom@newrootsschool.org