From the rugged area of Newark, NJ, life for Quniana Futrell ain’t been no crystal stair. She has been featured on PBS’s Emmy award-winning show, Virginia Currents. A real success story, affectionately known as “Author Q.,” is a champion for change. Quniana has been a city of Portsmouth resident since 2004, along with her supportive husband, Alton, and their three children, Ajala, Alton & Arielle.
Quniana attained an Associate of Applied Science degree in Early Childhood Development from Tidewater Community College. From Norfolk State University (BEHOLD), she earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Early Childhood Education and a Master of Arts Degree in Pre-Elementary Education. She went on to secure an Education Specialist Degree in Early Childhood Education from Walden University and is currently working on her Doctorate in Community Care and Counseling from Liberty University.
In 2015, Mrs. Futrell became an Adjunct Professor in Early Childhood Education at the Portsmouth Campus of Tidewater Community College, proving their motto, from here, go anywhere. In addition, she operates a full-time Life-Coaching & Consulting firm and co-owns Creative Learners Academy, a Portsmouth childcare center.
A believer in lifting others as she climbs, Quniana is as passionate about her philanthropy work as she is about everything she does. Mrs. Futrell is not simply a giver—she empowers. Living her life by the motto, “Change the Family, Change the World®,” she established her 501c3, Building Resilience in Communities, Inc., which restores hope for families impacted by incarceration.
Quniana is a proud member of Portsmouth Reads, a local non-profit striving to increase the reading rates in the city. She is a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) member. As well as local affiliates: The Virginia Association for Early Childhood Education (VAECE) and The Southeastern Virginia Association for the Education of Young Children (SEAEYC). She is a member of the illustrious Portsmouth Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, where she served as Line President (Fall 2020).
As a speaker, expert trainer, and 6x best-selling author, Author Q, transforms and impacts lives across the globe, including partnering with Wells of Hope Schools located in Kampala, Uganda – where they have created a Champions Club in honor of her work.
Honorable Quniana Futrell was elected to the Portsmouth School Board on November 8, 2022, and is humbled to serve her city.
Quniana Futrell embodies the late educator Rita Pierson’s words, “Every child deserves a champion, an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection, and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be.”
*School Board members are individually elected by a vote of eligible citizens. Individual members have no authority or duties except as may be assigned to them by the School Board as a whole. Information provided in the School Board member biographies is provided by the member and does not necessarily represent the position of Portsmouth Public Schools or the School Board as a whole.