THE SSCA TEAM

Sean Williams: Co-Founder

Born and raised in Brooklyn. Sean fell in love with sneakers at the age of 13. Thirty nine years later he has accepted the personal mission of making sure that people of all ages know the potential that exists for them in the athletic footwear business as not only consumers, but as the future professionals in the industry.

Sean has taught SOLEcial Studies in partnership with Colleges and Universities around the world. 

Since 2013, Sean has curated and co-curated Hip-Hop culture, sneaker and apparel exhibitions that have been seen by over 12 million people all over the world. He has worked with organizations such as the Bata Shoe Museum (Toronto), The Brooklyn Museum, Mana Contemporary (New Jersey), and the Port Authority Bus Terminal (New York City).

More about Sean's sneaker journey HERE

 

DeJongh Wells: Co-Founder 

is the obsessed storyteller and Co-Founder of OSD (Obsessive Sneaker Disorder) and the SSCA.  He grew up in the US Virgin Islands, specifically on the island of St. John, where he and his family are deeply rooted in the community. It was at a very young age that Dee learned that life is about learning, growing, and sharing one’s talents. He has used sneakers to teach, inspire and empower others.

Dee is passionate about storytelling, photography, and filmmaking.  Dee has worked with clients in the footwear industry such as adidas, Converse, Nike, New Balance, and Reebok, to name a  few. 

In 2022, Dee was featured in  "Distil Your World New York" film produced by The Macallan.

Steve Gordon, Jr: Career Coach

Steve is an internationally-published author, an award-winning designer and creative director, a former world-class athlete, track & field coach, a vintage b-boy, and a part-time ninja + get-away driver.

He has over 20 years of experience in music production, graphic design, and brand building just to start. His clients have been the likes of Ali Shaheed Muhammad (A Tribe Called Quest), Nike (Jordan Brand) and mobile phone giant T-Mobile just to name a few.

One of his hometown friends and current client is none other than the current undisputed welterweight boxing champion Terence "Bud" Crawford.

Check out Steve's 2019 feature in Omaha Magazine

 

Kool DJ Red Alert                              Educator: The Red Alert Experience

Uncle Red, as he is often called, is one of the people whose name stands synonymous with positivity, class, and among his many other positive attributes, LONGEVITY. Kool DJ Red Alert is the longest tenured DJ on urban radio.

Having recently surpassed his 40th anniversary on the airwaves, it is no surprise that this founding father of the Native Tongues movement (The Jungle Brothers, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, and more) has plenty of sage wisdom to share. Kool DJ Red Alert has the record for the most guest appearances in the music industry. 

Red's newest chapter is that of a teacher as the newest masterclass instructor at OSD's SOLEcial Studies CommUNITY Academy.

Find out more about Kool DJ Red Alert's illustrious journey HERE

Bobbito Garcia                                    Educator: The Park Player Perspective

NYC native Bobbito García is a visionary creative who has put an indelible footprint on multiple urban movements.

As the progenitor of sneaker journalism, García penned his landmark Source article “Confessions of a Sneaker Addict” in 1990, then in 2003 became the critically acclaimed author of Where’d You Get Those? NYC’s Sneaker Culture: 1960-1987 (Testify Books). He also wrote the foreword for A History Of Basketball In Fifteen Sneakers (Workman, 2023), the introduction for Out of the Box: The Rise of Sneaker Culture (Rizzoli, 2015), and contributed an essay to City/Game: Basketball in New York (Rizzoli, 2020). In 2005, ESPN’s “It’s The Shoes” series, hosted by Bobbito, became the first show on the subject in broadcasting history. 

During the 1990s, the legendary air personality was one-half of the “Stretch and Bobbito” program on WKCR. The duo introduced the world to an unsigned Nas, Biggie, and Wu-Tang, as well as an unknown Jay-Z, Eminem, and the Fugees. The total record sales for all the artists that premiered on their platform exceed 300 million. In 1998, the Source Magazine voted them as “The Best Hip Hop Radio Show of All Time,“ and in 2023, they were inducted into the NAB Radio Hall of Fame. 

A former professional basketball player in Puerto Rico, García performed in the groundbreaking Nike “Freestyle” commercial. In 2007, the brand released seven co-designed Air Force 1 sneakers bearing his name. The voice of EA Sports’ popular NBA Street video game is also a world-renowned DJ, who has spun World, Soul and Jazz music at Lincoln Center, Central Park SummerStage, and the Smithsonian (DC).

As an award-winning filmmaker, García has directed Doin’ It In The Park: Pick-Up Basketball, NYC (PBS, NETFLIX), Stretch and Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives (SHOWTIME, NETFLIX), and NY Times “Critics’ Pick” Rock Rubber 45s (Smithsonian African American Film Festival 2018 official selection). Transitioning to TV, he also directed eight “SneakerCenter” episodes for ESPN+. The documentarian’s photography has appeared in campaigns for Nike, has been licensed to Foot Locker and Patta for apparel, and has been exhibited at the Museum of the City of New York as well as multiple international galleries. 

A founding member of the Kennedy Center’s Hip Hop Culture Council and a 2018 Wesleyan University “Distinguished Alumni Award” recipient, "Kool Bob Love” currently produces his b-ball tournament Full Court 21™ in four continents, co-produces music for the Stretch and Bobbito + The M19s Band on 10x Grammy Award winner Eddie Palmieri’s label Uprising, co-hosts “Stretch and Bobbito Radio” on Apple Music Hits, and is the proud author of his first children’s book Aim High, Little Giant, Aim High! 

www.koolboblove.com

 

Jeneene Bailey-Allen                Educator: SOLEcial Studies                  

Our fun, fresh and FLY Philadelphia native is an esteemed alum of the SOLEcial Studies program. She is also the Owner of ASGMNT, the agency she created to highlight brands in fashion, footwear and accessories that are owned by women and people of color. In addition the duties mentioned above, she is also the program coordinator for Jefferson University's Fashion Merchandising & Management department.

Jeneene is now making history as the first woman teaching a knowledge intensive sneaker education course anywhere on the planet. Her goal as a newly appointed SOLEcial Studies educator is to give women a safe an welcoming space to learn about the industry among their peers who have similar if not the same struggles to make it as professionals in the sneaker industry.

Find out more about Jeneene's journey HERE