The Book of Daddy-isms: Words from The Wise

As a parent, how many times have you laid in bed and wondered, "Are my children listening to me? Is the message resonating? Will they recall these lessons on their journey through life?"

This book reveals that children do listen and that words from our parents truly matter. Whether it is a quick reminder or a message delivered a thousand times, I can personally attest that the words from the Wise ring loudly in my head just when I need them and even when I don't!

This treasured collection of conversations, lectures, text messages, emails, and hand-written notes may pleasantly surprise or remind you of things your parents and grandparents have told you. And if nothing else, for parents, it is decades of proof that children listen, absorb, and retain your words to apply them to daily life. Keep instilling knowledge; we are listening!

DeShaun N. Wise Porter is the Global Head of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Engagement at a major hospitality company. She serves as a strategic thought leader and internal consultant who is responsible for developing and executing holistic and integrated strategies that are aligned with Hilton's shared values and contributing to the building of a diverse, engaged, and high-performing organization. Prior to this appointment, she served as the VP, HR Consulting partnering with C-Suite leaders to drive and implement transformational talent initiatives focused on attracting, developing, and retaining high-potential and top performers. A passionate leader with extensive experience in driving culture change and creating opportunities that accelerate the growth of talent through differentiated talent models and scalable development programs. Her work has centered on leading global transformation initiatives, managing merger and acquisition processes, overseeing the implementation of core technologies, and developing teams across the globe. She served as an advisor on the integration of market-based compensation, and implementation of an advanced HR Information System, as well as a key architect in designing the high-performing learning organization at Kimberly-Clark, which included the first global learning management system and language-learning program. Her global business acumen paired with her cultural dexterity positioned her for short-term assignments in Seoul, South Korea, Istanbul, Turkey, and Medellin, Colombia.DeShaun is a graduate of Florida State University where she studied Multinational Business Operations and Finance. She holds a Professional inHuman Resources (PHR) Certification from the HRCertificate Institute, an SHRM-Certified Professional(SHRM-CP) from the Society for Human ResourceManagement and a Human Capital StrategistCertification from the Human Capital Institute. She is currently on the Board of Directors for FAIR Girls, Inc. and an active member of the Society for Human Resources Management, Alpha Kappa AlphaSorority, Incorporated, and The Links, Incorporated. She is active throughout her community and serves as a youth mentor and advocates for abused and molested children.DeShaun resides in Washington, D.C. with her husband, Dr. Fernando A. Porter, M.D., sons Princeton Antonio and Braylon Alexander, and fur baby Marley. When she is not spending time with family and friends or participating in civic activities, she enjoys shopping, reading, and embracing other cultures through travel.

Some call it an autobiography but in Keith Wise's words, it is "A Life Full Of Miracles." The first miracle was that I was born on June 4th, 1951in Freedman's Hospital (now Howard University Hospital) in Washington, DC. My parents were Roberta and Dr. Henry A. Wise, Jr. The two individuals were role models for me and many others throughout my lifetime. Mom was short of stature, full of love, elegant in her mannerisms, and a force to be reckoned with if you messed with her husband, her family, or her money. She was from Leavenworth, Kansas. Pop was from Cape Charles, Virginia and he became a Tuskegee Fighter Pilot. I attended Oberlin College from 1969-1971. (Fun fact, we won the OAC Conference in 1969 and Oberlin has not won since). I transferred to The University of Maryland in 1974 graduating with a BA in Psychology. While there I served as President of the University Commuters Association in 1973 representing 80%of the student population of 35,000 students. In 1980, I started with my first of many positions with Amtrak. Life led me back to my roots where I joined IKON Office Solutions followed by Toshiba and Canon, where I was quickly recognized as #1.