BRANDON TUCKER  

Building Connections Between Students, Families and Community 

Brandon Tucker's journey back to Petersburg has taken him through education, mental health, community service and the classroom. Born in Petersburg and raised for part of his childhood in Chester, Tucker eventually found his way back to the city where his story began. Today, he serves as the Parent Liaison at Petersburg High School, working to strengthen connections between students, families, the school and the broader community.

For Tucker, the work is about more than a position. It is about showing up, building trust, connecting families to resources and helping young people see possibilities beyond what they already know.

WPPB 101.5 FM The LIP presents THE PULSE REPORT stories about the people, organizations and everyday changemakers helping move our communities forward. 

By Leslie International Public Press Center -

Publication date  October 4,, 2026/ 12;15am

Brandon Tucker's connection to Petersburg began long before he became a member of the city's school community.

Born in Petersburg, Tucker says his love for basketball began there before his mother moved the family to Chester, where he developed a passion for football and continued building his academic foundation.

After graduating from Thomas Dale High School in 2009, Tucker attended North Carolina Central University, earning a bachelor's degree in Recreation Administration in 2013.

His path after college was not immediately straightforward. Without experience in recreation, he worked in warehouses and at Big Lots before eventually becoming a long-term substitute at Peabody Middle School while pursuing his teaching certification.

His professional journey continued into the mental health field, where he worked with adults as a Qualified Mental Health Professional. He later returned to the classroom, first with Chesterfield County Public Schools and eventually back to Petersburg.

In 2025, Tucker returned to Petersburg City Public Schools as a long-term substitute at Vernon Johns Middle School. Although he did not secure the resident teaching position he had initially pursued, another opportunity eventually opened the door for him to remain connected to Petersburg students and families.

At the beginning of the 2026 school year, Tucker transitioned into his current role as 

Parent Liaison for Petersburg High School's Family Engagement team.

“My experience in the classroom setting coupled with my service in the community… and my roles in the mental health field has equipped me with the tools to encourage and increase parental/family involvement in school.”— Brandon Tucker 

For Brandon Tucker, being a Parent Liaison means being present.

His role begins with making himself available to the students inside Petersburg High School while also helping families connect with the resources and support they need.

Tucker describes the position as a bridge—one that helps build parent partnerships, strengthen family engagement and connect the school with the community through strategic partnerships.

His days can look different depending on what students and families need.

He makes himself accessible in the hallways between classes and during lunch. When meetings allow, he conducts home visits with families connected to his caseload, including outreach focused on chronic absenteeism.

Back at school, he maintains an open-door policy, giving students an opportunity to talk with him about whatever may be happening in their lives.

The approach is straightforward: show up, listen, identify the need and help connect people to support.

MEETING FAMILIES WHERE THEY ARE 

Building trust, Tucker says, starts with meeting families where they are.

Rather than assuming what a family needs, his approach is to establish a foundation of support and connect families with resources that can help them reach their goals.

For Tucker, two things are especially important in that process:

Consistency and transparency.

Brandon Tucker's approach to family engagement extends beyond responding to immediate needs.

Through the Family Engagement team's Community Builder's Hub, students participate in a program centered on “Building Beyond the Block.”

The twice-monthly sessions are designed to help students think about who they are becoming and how they can prepare for what comes next.

The conversations explore identity and leadership, wellness and emotional intelligence, relationships and challenges, future possibilities, and the power of using their voices to strengthen their communities.

The program also focuses on practical skills that can help prepare students for adulthood.

Tucker says the initiative is designed to expose students to possibilities beyond what they may already know while giving them opportunities to develop the skills and confidence to pursue those possibilities.

One incentive connected to the program is a trip to Washington, D.C., where participating students will attend the Professional Black Caucus and learn about career pathways that may fall outside the traditional routes they have already considered.

The Family Engagement team is also planning its first Paper Work Party, bringing students and families together to learn about resumes, starting a business and improving credit, with potential partnership support from the Boys & Girls Club.

"A focus on identity, leadership, wellness, future exposure, community voice and practical skills for adulthood."

Trust is not built in a single conversation. For Brandon Tucker, it is built through consistency, transparency and showing up when students and families need support.

Tucker believes students need to know that the adults around them will continue to show up, even when circumstances are difficult.

That consistency also means helping students take ownership of their choices and their future.

His message is grounded in his own experiences: keep going, even when the path does not unfold as expected. Failure is not final, and being delayed does not mean being denied.

For Tucker, the goal is not simply helping students survive the challenges in front of them. It is helping them recognize their ability to thrive, make thoughtful decisions and continue moving forward.     

One of Tucker's most memorable experiences with a student began with something simple: a pair of sneakers.

A ninth-grade student he worked with was frequently in detention. Tucker noticed that the student was passionate about sneakers and used that interest as a way to start a different kind of conversation.

He encouraged the student to think about life the same way he thought about his shoes: you only get one pair.

Tucker used the idea of shoelaces to represent the things that help hold a person's life together—integrity and accountability. The lesson was about taking ownership, making better choices and continuing to move forward.

For Tucker, moments like that demonstrate why relationships matter. Sometimes reaching a young person begins with understanding what already matters to them.

For Tucker, leadership begins with accountability.

He believes in doing what is right even when no one is watching, while also making time for self-reflection and understanding how personal choices affect others.

When students face difficult situations, Tucker encourages them not to let emotions make decisions for them. Instead, he challenges them to pause, think logically and consider what response will lead to a better outcome.

His message is rooted in ownership: recognize what you can control, learn from what happens and keep moving forward.

The goal is not simply to make a decision. It is to make decisions that protect yourself, respect others and create room for growth.

Tucker's work with students is shaped by experience that extends beyond the school building.

Before becoming a Parent Liaison, he worked in several youth and mental health-focused roles, including as a youth development counselor, intensive in-home counselor and mental health skill builder.

Those experiences continue to influence how he approaches students and families today.

What motivates him is simple: seeing a student leave his office with greater peace of mind than when they arrived.

For Tucker, that moment is a reminder that sometimes progress begins with simply having someone available to listen, help identify the next step and remind a young person that they do not have to navigate everything alone.

When Tucker talks about the future of Petersburg, he keeps coming back to its young people.

His hope is to see students who are willing to learn, who understand the difference between being “cool” and being “fool,” and who genuinely care about their success.

He also wants young people to develop the ability to recognize what is real, identify when something is not authentic and think critically about the people and influences around them.

At the center of that vision is a belief in the young people of Petersburg—and in the families who are raising them.

For Tucker, developing the next generation means helping students recognize their own potential while giving them the knowledge, relationships and opportunities to turn that potential into something greater.

Brandon Tucker's message to Petersburg is rooted in the same principles that guide his work with students and families: purpose, accountability, transparency and persistence.

He describes Petersburg as a place where people can Plan to Execute with Transparency to Empower Respect and Success—with the ultimate goal of building, uniting and creating radical growth.

For Tucker, that vision starts with showing up. It means creating connections, opening doors, sharing information and helping young people understand that their circumstances do not have to define their future.

His work is a reminder that family engagement is not simply about bringing families into schools. It is about building relationships strong enough to help students see what is possible beyond the moment they are in.

Brandon Tucker's journey back to Petersburg has brought him full circle—from a young person who grew up loving basketball in the city to an adult now helping students think about who they can become.

His work is rooted in the belief that young people need more than encouragement. They need consistency, information, honest conversations and people willing to show up.

For Tucker, the hope is that students will continue to learn, recognize their value and make choices that move them closer to the future they want.

And if his work can help even one student see a possibility they had not considered before, then the work is worth continuing.

BRANDON IN A MINUTE 

Sometimes the clearest picture of a person comes through the simple things they believe. 

LESSON FROM LIFE

Change is inevitable, so you have to adapt.

WHAT KEEPS HIM GOING

The students who leave his office with peace of mind.

WHAT LEADERSHIP MEANS

Taking accountability, doing the right thing when no one is looking, and learning to recognize your own power.

THE MESSAGE HE WANTS STUDENTS TO REMEMBER

Your circumstances do not have to stop you. Courage means continuing; failure is not fatal, and being delayed does not mean being denied.

WHAT GIVES HIM HOPE FOR PETERSBURG

Students who are willing to learn, care about their success and can recognize what is genuine.