About Us

Our History

KCTI was founded in 2015, by Larry G. Tucker, LMFT in response to the community’s growing need for culturally competent and responsive training/support. According to the NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) mental health prevalence is higher in diverse groups while also being less likely to use health services. Mr. Tucker’s goal is to use this non-profit to bring awareness to the healthcare system while simultaneously training professionals to work cross-culturally.

Currently, KCTI has two established outlets for combating these issues. The first is our training’s, which include an annual fall conference and smaller training’s and workshops throughout the year. Click here to learn more about how to attend our training’s and what’s offered. Our second channel of work is through our relational internship, in-which students get the opportunity to earn credits towards their schooling while learning practical skills for becoming a culturally competent professional. Click here to learn more about how to apply and what to expect through our internship.

About Us

Our Mission

Create a mental health provider workforce and community that is more diverse and culturally competent.

Vision

We inspire to Engage, Embrace, Empower and Equip.

Engage the community to proactively address the shortage of mental health providers of color and leadership

Embrace all forms of diversity by offering ethnically and culturally relevant training experiences

Empower trainees to develop and sustain mental healthcare practices and policy for culturally diverse communities

​Equip training participants with new information, skills and knowledge necessary to grow individually and collectively

internship

By participating in our Training's and Internship, you can expect to help:

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meet the team

Our Chief Officers

Larry G Tucker

Board President

Larry G Tucker
Larry Tucker is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and co-founder and CEO of Kente Circle, LLC, a South Minneapolis clinic providing culturally responsive mental health services and professional development training since 2004. In 2015, Tucker founded Kente Circle Training Institute to meet increasing demand for the nonprofit training work of Kente Circle. He has been a Practicum Supervisor and Assistant Professor for the Marriage and Family Therapy program at Saint Mary’s University since 2007. From 2004-2008, he taught advanced Marriage and Family Therapy Skills and Multicultural Studies at Argosy University. In addition to his role as KCTI Board President, Tucker has served on the University of Minnesota Trauma Recovery Project’s Behavior Health Practitioners Committee as well as on the Advisory Board for the Marriage and Family Therapy program at St. Mary’s University and University of WI-Stout’s MFT Program. He is a Bush Foundation Fellow (2016) and has received numerous awards for his work in the community. In 2015, Tucker was recognized as a finalist in the Neighborhood Development Center’s business growth and entrepreneur of the year category.

Dr. William Allen

Board Vice President

Dr. William Allen
William D. Allen is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and owner of Healing Bonds, a private practice in Minneapolis. Dr. Allen regularly consults with social service organizations and government agencies on a range of subjects related to family mental health and well-being. He is on the adjunct faculties of several local colleges including the Universities of Minnesota and St. Thomas, and is a frequent lecturer to organizations and practitioners seeking to increase their cultural competence. Dr. Allen’s most recent publications discuss effective therapies for youth of color in the nation’s child welfare system and clinical approaches for working with African-American males (with L. Tucker and J. Rosier) which appear in Black Fathers: An Invisible Presence. Dr. Allen has served on the boards of several local and national organizations including the Minnesota Association of Black Psychologists, the Minnesota Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, the University of Minnesota’s Consortium on Youth and Families, and the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR). In 2011, Dr. Allen was awarded the Marie Peters Award by the National Council on Family Relations in recognition of his significant contributions in service to ethnic minority families. He has served on the Board of KCTI since 2015.

Renita Wilson

Board Secretary

Renita Wilson

Renita Wilson is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) and Clinical Director of Kente Circle. Since 2011, Wilson served as an associate therapist and intern supervisor, becoming Clinical Director in 2015. In addition to overseeing operations and maintaining a clinical caseload, Wilson supervises a staff of approximately 20 clinicians and interns who make up KCTI’s internship program. Prior to joining Kente Circle, Wilson served as Licensing Supervisor of Ramsey County Child Foster Care managing all functions of the department including supervising 16 staff members. Wilson also spent four yeas as a Children’s Mental Health Case Manager for Ramsey County Human Services after spending seven years as a Program Manager at African American Adoption Agency. Wilson has over eleven years of experience providing on-call mental health counseling for Regions Hospital and Touchstone Residential Facility. She started her career in mental heath services at Amherst Wilder Foundation where she worked for four years. Wilson is a member of the Minnesota Association of Black Social Workers and a board approved supervisor for LICSWs. She is also a board member of the Philando Castile Relief Fund. She has served on the Board of KCTI since 2015.

Pam Tucker

Board Treasurer

Pam Tucker
Pam Tucker is Chief Financial Officer and Business Manager of Kente Circle. Early in her career, her passion for science led her to the field of Radiology. In 2003, she received her degree as an MRI Technologist from Normandale Community College and the University of Minnesota. In 2005, she became registered and licensed as one of a small number of African American MRI Technologists in the State of Minnesota. From 2004 to 2013, Tucker worked for one of the top Radiology clinics in Minnesota, Suburban Imaging. While working in radiology, Tucker combined her passion of cooking and business to become the owner of Sweet Indulgence Catering, a business she led from 2006 to 2010. Taking her interest in business a step further, Pam became the part-time business manager for Kente Circle in 2008. At that time her duties involved billing third-party insurance and bookkeeping. After ten years with Kente Circle, Tucker now serves as full-time Chief Financial Officer and Business Manager. She oversees the day-to-day operations of the clinic, including supervising office support staff, accounts receivable and payable, payroll, medical records, scheduling and human resources. She has served on the Board of KCTI since 2015.

meet the team

Training Development Team

Zayed Ahmed

Zayed Ahmed

Outreach Coordinator

PHD, LPCC, LICSW

Dawn Surman

Dawn Surman

Events Coordinator

MA

LJ Tucker

LJ Tucker

Social Media Coordinator

MS

Wei (vivi) Zhou

Wei (vivi) Zhou

Support Volunteer

Kong Moua

Kong Moua

Tech Support

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LaCresha Payne

Training Coordinator and Trainer

MSW, LGSW

Graduate Intern Application