Dr. Onia Mayberry

Dr. Onia Mayberry is a nationally recognized family engagement leader, therapist, policy advocate, and founder dedicated to strengthening children, families, and communities. With more than a decade of frontline experience, she specializes in supporting survivors of sex crimes and trafficking against children while advancing systems-level reform that protects and uplifts vulnerable populations. As a teen parent , Onia transformed lived experience into leadership. Her journey fuels her advocacy for early childhood education, special education equity, and sustainable support systems for teen parents pursuing secondary and postsecondary success. She is the Founder of IMPACT, a program designed to help teen mothers remain engaged in school while receiving parenting education, resource navigation, and long-term stability planning. Onia serves as a Parent Leader of Family Engagement with the National Association for Family, School, and Community Engagement (NAFSCE) Board, contributes to policy and community partnership initiatives through the HEAL Board, and chairs the Parent and Family Guidance Council for the Early Learning Alliance. Her work bridges grassroots advocacy and executive-level strategy, ensuring that parent voice meaningfully informs institutional decision-making. As a therapist and community strategist, Onia integrates trauma-informed practice, cultural responsiveness, and data-driven engagement models to improve outcomes across education, maternal health, and child welfare systems. She is also the founder of Legacy Affirming Wellness and Birthing Co., where she supports families through holistic, culturally grounded care. A former professional singer whose career was interrupted by a life-threatening medical event in 2024, Onia brings resilience, clarity, and conviction to every platform she steps onto. Her speaking engagements center on tech innovation in early education, pregnancy and maternal health equity, family engagement frameworks, and policy advocacy that moves beyond performative inclusion toward measurable impact. Onia Mayberry Wallace speaks with authority shaped by research, practice, and lived expertise equipping leaders with actionable strategies to transform systems so families do not merely survive, but thrive.