Joel A. Freeman, Ph.D

Raised in a small town in Alberta, Canada, Joel A. Freeman brings a rich reservoir of personal experience blended with contagious enthusiasm, clarity and down to earth humor to empower people from diverse walks of life with improved communication skills and maximized productivity. 

“Dealing With People Who Drive You Crazy!”® is not only the brand for his company, but also is the title of the most requested seminar experience… with a book in the works.

Freeman participated in a Pan African Conference (Fall, 2002) addressing tribal warfare, AIDS and conflict management, with well over 100 African Kings and Queens in attendance (Benin, West Africa). Dr. Freeman is currently working on several films including, African Kings: A Journey Into The Past, Present and Future of African Kingdoms.

A seasoned, well-traveled veteran, Joel has an impressive list of satisfied clients ranging from the Prime Minister of Grenada (and his senior advisors), top government official & business professional of Nigeria, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Permanent Secretaries of Barbados to the White House Communications Agency (WHCA), Keller Williams, Secret Service, Defense Security Service (DSS), Rutgers University, National Security Agency (NSA), E! Entertainment Television, Blacks In Government (BIG), NASA, Verizon, FBI, GE, Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), EMI Music Group, Ikea, NRC, CDC, NTSB, YPO, DISA, NIH, Coakley & Williams Hotel Management, Association of International Schools of Africa (AISA), National Counterterrorism Center, US Sentencing Commission, Billboard Music Group, National Counterterrorism Center, Nigerian National Assembly Service Commission, Black Public Relations Society, European Council of International Schools (ECIS), many pro athletes and executives around the globe.

For 20 wonderful seasons Freeman worked in player development as veteran mentor/chaplain for NBA’s Washington Bullets / Wizards (1978-1998) – serving as a sounding board for the players of the team, some in upper management, members of the coaching staff, and also players from other teams. Survived six coaching changes.

Duties involved team meetings before every home game, counseling, studying with them, golfing, hanging out, spending time together discussing top-of-mind issues, helping new players and their wives feel welcome and a part of a new team culture, keeping in touch with their parents, and so much more. Absolute confidentiality. Kind of a combined player development assistant, empathic listener, kick-butt coach, mentor, counselor, spiritual adviser, pastor and confidant.

Quite a number of pro athletes from basketball and hockey to football and baseball have consulted with him on a variety of personal and professional matters.

Dr. Freeman currently serves as a United States Secret Service chaplain.

Freeman has served as mentor to Sports World (’98-’04), at the time an organization with ex-pro athletes who speak to close to a million young people every year. Freeman is a Diplomate member of the International Sports Professionals Association (ISPA).

Listed in Marquis Who’s Who in the World, Dr. Freeman holds a master of science degree in the field of counseling from Loyola College (Baltimore) and also a Ph.D. in the same discipline. A number of his Ancient Egyptian photographs have been published by McGraw-Hill, Teaching and Learning, Rosh Gadol (Israeli science magazine for kids), Nelson Educational, the Pharaoh’s Curse video game and utilized in countless educational settings.

As a State of Maryland Board certified professional counselor (intentionally inactive) and behavioral analyst, he specializes in equipping individuals with the tools to create proactive, motivated personal and business environments. His initiatives in government agencies, the corporate world, small businesses, and nonprofit organizations have received exceptional evaluations and references because of his articulate, entertaining, and thought-provoking style of communication.

Black History 365®

Dr. Freeman is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of BH365®, LLC. Joel is co-author (with former Superintendent, Dr. Walter Milton, Jr.) of the comprehensive K-12 Black History 365® curriculum, available for public/private/home schools (and for coffee tables) across America right now. It engages all ages, from K to gray. The main purpose of BH365® is to provide tech-savvy educational resources that will invite students to become:

• Critical thinkers
• Compassionate listeners
• Fact-based, respectful communicators
• Action-oriented solutionists

Unit One of the BH365® textbook documents the genius, creativity and productivity of the peoples of ancient Africa. We started in this manner, because we do not want to reinforce the notion that Black History started with enslavement. The engaging timeline (in the following 9 Units) continues on through the past 4 centuries, up to contemporary times and topics. We have included an entire Unit about the North Star and our connection to Canada through the Underground Railroad.

Dr. Freeman is a popular speaker on the topic of Black History, speaking at Blacks In Government, NASA, Department of Justice, NIH, Verizon, ICE, Frostburg State University, Walter Reed Medical Center, AISA (Association of International Schools of Africa), SSA, FBI, ASALH (Assoc. for the Study of African American Life & History), Baltimore City Community College, Los Alamos National Laboratory and many other organizations around the world. On certain occasions, Freeman will bring 20-30 pieces of the TFI Black History Collection when invited to speak on the intriguing topic, “A White Man’s Journey Into Black History“®.

Freeman collects and studies vintage handwritten letters and first edition books, especially from the 16th century all the way to mid 20th century. He’s a big fan of primary source material. Dr. Freeman has cobbled together an a comprehensive article “Confessions of a Budding Truthcentrist.” In it he seeks to provide an even-handed definition and critique of both Afrocentrism & Eurocentrism.

FREEMAN INSTITUTE ONLINE STORE