Toni Patricia Robinson

Toni Patricia Robinson was born on August 13, 1952 in Baltimore City to parents Gloria Madeline Johnson and Charles Augustus Johnson. Toni grew up one of four siblings (two brothers and one sister) on Federal Street in East Baltimore. As an adult, she gained a younger god-sister.

She received her early education at St. Katherine’s, a Catholic elementary school in Baltimore City where she honed her distinctive cursive writing style. She later attended Catholic High school and married young to Wilbert Leon Robinson. This union gave rise to her only son, Corre Leon Robinson in 1971.

Toni worked with the Social Security Administration in Woodlawn Maryland from 1970 to 1995. Following her divorce in 1980, she resumed her education at the Community College of Baltimore and later received a Masters of Science degree from Johns Hopkins University in human resource development, and a Juris Doctorate law degree from Seattle University School of Law.

Upon finishing her law degree in Seattle, she partnered with other lawyers to found ADR Options Consulting, Inc., a consulting firm offering early intervention and preventive dispute resolution for public, private and non-profit organizations. Soon after, Toni took on the position of Ombudsperson in the Office of the President at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. For her service to the MIT community, she was awarded the 2015 Collier Medal of Excellence. She retired in 2017.

Growing up, Toni was blessed with a large loving family with whom she shared many wonderful experiences including weekly gatherings with extended family and chartered trips together to Florida, Pennsylvania, Williamsburg or the Caribbean. Following the Johnson matriarch tradition, she always greeted you with a warm smile, a strong hug, and most often a “Hello darlin!”.

She relished being near lakes and oceans. She loved lighthouses and maintained an extensive collection of lighthouse artifacts at her home in Massachusetts, most of which she donated to a local lighthouse museum prior to relocating to North Carolina. She was also “fascinated” by home improvement and construction projects and collected many books and tools.

She loved having lunch with close friends and colleagues, and especially loved playing, dancing, and having adventures with her granddaughter, nieces and nephews. Toni also enjoyed going to theater performances and destination vacation trips with friends. After retiring from professional life, she found enjoyment in the freedom of driving long distances to and from Massachusetts.

Toni was an advisor and confidante to many people, including wary students, relatives and professional colleagues. Outside of work, she helped people fill out school applications, navigate through grievances and disputes, and overcome major transitions in their lives. She even challenged her nieces to finish their education before starting families by offering them a trip to their destination of choice.

Toni was an outspoken advocate for underserved communities, including people with disabilities, Native Americans, women and youth. She volunteered and donated to numerous charitable organizations. Her dedication as a loving, supportive community mother, and a champion of righteousness and upliftment of those in most need is an enduring inspiration to us all.

She leaves to celebrate her life, her siblings Dale, Oguntolu, Troy and Mildred; her son Corre and his life partner Zulayka; her granddaughter Zawadi and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and other relatives and friends.