The Sterling Institute

Investing in you — and your community.

The Sterling Institute invests in positive youth development through transition services that provide exposure and experiences — working to make young men and women of color prominent and proud in their communities. Its programs serve adolescents ages 14 to 17 and young adults ages 18 to 24 across Memphis, building the security, connection, and belonging that carry a young person into adult life. Co-founded and co-led by Dr. Dedriene Rogers, Ed.D. and Dr. Marian Kelley, Ed.D. — two career educators who have spent their lives advocating for students and families with unique learning needs.

What The Sterling Institute Does

Information & Referral

Ask questions, learn about resources, and find out where to go for what you need — the front door for a family that does not know who to call.

Peer Support

Tear down barriers and reach personal goals with a peer by your side — someone who has walked the same road.

Independent Living Skills Training

Gaining the practical skills to live and work independently — the groundwork under every first job.

Professional Development

Specialized training for organizations and schools serving diverse learners in behavioral support, special education, and English language learners.

Youth & Young Adult Transition

Support for youth transitioning into adult life, post-secondary education, or moving into the community — the years when a young person either gets caught or gets lost.

A FRIEND OF LABOR

Dr. Dedriene Rogers, Ed.D.

Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder, The Sterling Institute · Board President, The Metamorphosis Project

Dr. Dedriene Rogers is a native Memphian, raised in the Hyde Park neighborhood of North Memphis. She earned her bachelor's degree at Austin Peay State University, a Master of Teaching at Freed Hardeman University, and an Education Specialist degree and doctorate from Northcentral University. She has spent more than twenty years with Memphis-Shelby County Schools working alongside students with exceptional needs, their parents, and their teachers — and she is also Chief Executive Officer of Changing Minds Consulting Agency, LLC and owner/operator of D & R Trucking Company, LLC. A friend of labor, Dr. Rogers runs two Memphis organizations at once: she co-founded and leads The Sterling Institute while serving as Board President of The Metamorphosis Project.

Leadership

Dr. Marian Kelley, Ed.D.

Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder, The Sterling Institute

Dr. Marian Kelley spent her teenage years in Homewood, a neighborhood of eastern Pittsburgh, and is glad to call the Memphis area home. She earned her bachelor's degree at the University of Memphis, a Master of Curriculum and Instruction at Strayer University, and an Education Specialist degree and doctorate at Union University. With twenty years in Tennessee's public and charter school sectors, she also owns SBK Ed. Consulting and is a founding board member of Empower Memphis. She realized as a child how badly people with disabilities needed inclusion and acceptance, and she has specialized in advocacy for students and families with unique learning needs ever since.

The Handoff Labor Has Been Waiting For

A young person who ages out of school services at eighteen is exactly the worker the labor movement needs and most often loses. The Sterling Institute catches them in that gap — independent living skills, a peer at their side, and a referral to someone who can actually help. Ages 18 to 24 is also the front end of District 10 Trades Pathways: free OSHA-10 training, tools provided, and a route into a union apprenticeship. Same young adults. Same crossroads. One side hands off to the other.

A Community Partner of Labor Education

Dr. Dedriene Rogers is a friend of labor, and The Sterling Institute is the kind of partner that makes a trades pipeline real — Sterling prepares a young adult for independent life and work, and Labor Education hands them a free, union-aligned pathway at the end of it. Refer a young person to Sterling, or send a Sterling young adult to District 10 Trades Pathways. Schools and locals can also book Sterling's professional development for staff who serve diverse learners.

Connect with The Sterling Institute

Want to get involved, partner, or learn more? Reach out through their website.