Bio: Dr. Nicole Parker leads advocacy efforts for Lewis-Burke’s biomedical research portfolio in areas concerning federal research policy, biomedical research workforce policy, and health care policy, with a focus on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other grantmaking agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).  She utilizes her prior experience as a biomedical researcher to connect with clients seeking to expand their biomedical research and health-funding portfolios.  Nicole also uses her federal contractor experience with multiple offices within NIH to help clients better understand the priorities and inner workings of the agency.Articles from Podcast Episode: Hayes, Brenda D., and Leslie R. Boone. "Women's health research at historically Black colleges and universities." American Journal of Health Studies 17.2 (2001): 59. Shavers, Vickie L., et al. "Barriers to racial/ethnic minority application and competition for NIH research funding." Journal of the National Medical Association 97.8 (2005): 1063. Smith, K. C., Geddis, D., & Dumas, J. (2021). The role of the HBCU pipeline in diversifying the STEM workforce: Training the next generation of drug delivery researchers. Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, 176, 113866. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addr.2021.113866 Hofstra, B., Kulkarni, V. V., Galvez, S. M. N., He, B., Jurafsky, D., & McFarland, D. A. (2020). The diversity–innovation paradox in science. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(17), 9284-9291.  Platt, M. O. (2020). We exist. We are your peers. Nature Reviews Materials, 5(11), 783-784.Stevens, K. R., Masters, K. S., Imoukhuede, P. I., Haynes, K. A., Setton, L. A., Cosgriff-Hernandez, E., ... & Eniola-Adefeso, O. (2021). Fund black scientists. Cell, 184(3), 561-565.

Bio: Dr. Jeannette Wade is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at North Carolina A&T State University. Her areas of expertise include Medical Sociology, Race, and Gender Studies. Her scholarly work centers on improving health outcomes for Black women. Specifically, (1) engaging understudied populations in biomedical research, (2) using Black feminist theory and methods to contextualize trends in health risk behaviors and related outcomes, and (3) using team science to create culturally tailored, gender specific interventions. The health-related topics she has studied include diet and exercise, diabetes as well as sexual and reproductive health. Dr. Wade teaches courses on Race and Ethnicity, Marriage and Family, Human Sexuality, Social Statistics, and the Sociological Senior Seminar.Articles in Interview: 1. Wade, J., Poit, S. T., Lee, A., Ryman, S., McCain, D., Doss, C., ... & Morgan, A. A. (2022). Navigating a pandemic: a qualitative study of knowledge, sources of information, and COVID-19-related precautions taken by HBCU students. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 1-12. 2. Vance, M. M., Wade, J. M., Brandy Jr, M., & Webster, A. R. (2023). Contextualizing Black women’s mental health in the twenty-first century: Gendered racism and suicide-related behavior. Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities, 10(1), 83-92.Follow the podcast on 

Bio: Kimberly Cameron is the Executive Director of the North Carolina A&T Real Estate Foundation, Inc. Born and raised in Milwaukee, WI Kim moved to NC from Atlanta in 2013. Ms. Cameron was the first Black Woman to receive a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management from the University of Wisconsin and went on to obtain her MBA-Finance from Concordia University Wisconsin. Kimberly Cameron has over twenty-five years in community development.  She has worked on projects that served as catalysts for the revitalization of neighborhoods in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia, Durham, and Greensboro, NC. Ms. Cameron understands that creating healthy communities involves active connectivity between schools, businesses, and municipalities that provide a continuity of education, jobs, and services to its residents.

Bio: Felecia Commodore is an Associate Professor of Higher Education in the Darden College of Education and Professional Studies at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA.  Felecia's research focus area is leadership, governance, and administrative practices with a particular focus on HBCUs and MSIs. Felecia’s research interests also lie in the role of boards in achieving educational equity, how leadership is exercised, constructed, and viewed in various communities, and the relationship of Black women and leadership. Felecia’s research expertise lies in the areas of organizational behavior, organizational decision-making, organizational culture, and how these three areas impact achieving equity. Felecia currently has work relating to this research published in the Journal of Higher Education, Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, and Research in Higher Education. She is also the lead author of the book, Black College Women: A Guide to Success in Higher Education. Felecia has a background working as an admissions counselor and academic advisor at Trinity University, Washington, D.C., and the University of Maryland, College Park, respectively. She also obtained an M.A. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Maryland, College Park, MD, and a B.S. in Marketing with a minor in Sociology from Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA. She earned her PhD in Higher Education from the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education.   References:1. Commodore, F. (2015). The tie that binds: Trusteeship, values, and the presidential selection process at AME affiliated HBCUs. University of Pennsylvania. 2. Commodore, F., Freeman Jr, S., Gasman, M., & Carter, C. M. (2016). “How it’s done”: The role of mentoring and advice in preparing the next generation of historically Black college and university presidents. Education Sciences, 6(2), 19.3. Commodore, F., Lockett, A. W., Johnson, A. C., Googe, C., & Covington, M. (2020, January). Controlling images, comments, and online communities: A critical discourse analysis of conversations about Black Women HBCU presidents. In Women's Studies International Forum (Vol. 78, p. 102330). Pergamon.4. Freeman Jr, S., Commodore, F., Gasman, M., & Carter, C. (2016). Leaders wanted! The skills expected and needed for a successful 21st century historically Black college and university presidency. Journal of Black Studies, 47(6), 570-591. Follow the podcast on IG: @funding_is_the_matterTwitter: @funds_do_matterTo subscribe to this podcast, you can find it on Spotify, Apple, or other podcast platforms. This is a bi-weekly podcast, and I will see you in two weeks. 

Bio: Dr. Phyllis Worthy Dawkins is the former president of Bennett College. She is the Executive Director of the HBCU Executive Leadership Institute at Clark Atlanta University (HBCU ELI at CAU). Follow the podcast on IG: @funding_is_the_matterTwitter: @funds_do_matter References:Burnett, C. A. (2020). Diversity under review: HBCUs and regional accreditation actions. Innovative Higher Education, 45(1), 3-15. Gasman, M. (2017). Truth, generalizations, and stigmas: An analysis of the media’s coverage of Morris Brown College and Black colleges overall. In Historically Black colleges and universities (pp. 109-148). Routledge. https://www.chronicle.com/article/despite-raising-9-5-million-bennett-college-loses-accreditation-and-then-regains-it-temporarily/ https://www.wabe.org/hbcu-executive-leadership-institute-aims-to-prepare-and-develop-higher-education-leaders/ 

Bio: Dr. Kalynda C. Smith earned a Ph.D. and an M.S. in Social Psychology from Howard University and a BA in Psychology and English from Truman State University. Dr. Kalynda C. Smith is a social psychologist with expertise in STEM education and identity development research. I am currently a Co-PI or investigator on several interdisciplinary NSF-funded STEM education research projects.Source: Kalynda Smith, Barbara Boakye, Dawn Williams, Lorraine Fleming (2020). (The Exploration of how identity intersectionality strengthens STEM identity for Black female undergraduates attending a historically Black college and university.). (3) 88, pp. 407-418. Journal of Negro Education.Follow the podcast on IG: @funding_is_the_matterTwitter: @funds_do_matterTo subscribe to this podcast, you can find it on Spotify, Apple, or other podcast platforms. This is a bi-weekly podcast, and I will see you in two weeks. 

I will be back on January 23, 2023. Follow the podcast on IG: @funding_is_the_matterTwitter: @funds_do_matterHave a good holiday! 

Dr. Akilah R. Carter-Francique (Ph.D., University of Georgia) joins Benedict College in the fall of 2022 as the Dean of the School of Education, Health and Human Services. With 20 years of experience in higher education, an extensive research background, and a strong vision for leadership in the field of education, Carter-Francique has served sporting spaces and centered experiences of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). Carter-Francique examines issues of race, gender, and social class and their intersections with sport, education, and society. She has presented at regional, national, and international conferences and written several articles and book chapters across academic disciplines including being the co-editor of Athletic Experience at Historically Black Colleges and Universities: Past, Present, and Persistence and Critical Race Theory: Black Athletic Experiences in the United States.Prior to her appointment to Benedict College, she served as the Executive Director for the Institute for the Study of Sport, Society, and Social Change (ISSSSC) at San Jose State University which birthed her co-organization with the Wall of Song Project. Carter-Francique also serves as a research council member with Laureus “Sport for Good”; an academic advisory council member for Athlete Voices; an editorial board member for the Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics; and, in 2018-2019 she served as the President of the North American Society for the Sociology of Sport (NASSS). Carter-Francique is the co-founder and CEO of Francique Sport and Education Consulting.  Twitter: @doctafranciqueInstagram: @doctafrancique

Bio: Joseph N. Cooper is the inaugural Dr. J. Keith Motley Endowed Chair of Sports Leadership and Administration at the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Boston. Prior to UMass Boston, Cooper served as an associate professor at the University of Connecticut (UConn) in the Sport Management program in the Department of Educational Leadership and Neag School of Education. Cooper earned his undergraduate degrees in Sociology and Recreation Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH), master's degree in Sports Administration in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science from UNC-CH, and a doctorate in Kinesiology with a concentration in Sport Management and Policy from the University of Georgia (Athens, GA). His research agenda focuses on the intersection between sport, education, race, and culture with an emphasis on sports involvement as a catalyst for holistic development. He is also the faculty founder of Collective Uplift (CU), an organization designed to educate, empower, inspire, and support individuals to maximize their holistic potential both within and beyond athletic contexts. He has presented research at international, national, and regional conferences and published numerous peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, edited books, and op-ed contributions. As a result of his research, he has been cited in various media outlets including the New York Times, Boston Globe, ESPN, Le Monde, ABC News, Yahoo, and Diverse Issues in Higher Education. He is the author of From Exploitation Back to Empowerment: Black Male Holistic (Under)Development Through Sport and (Mis)Education (Peter Lang).Find Dr. Joseph N. Cooper on Twitter: @JNCoop05 

Bio:  Chimi Boyd-Keyes, Founder and CEO of CBK Enterprises. Based in North Carolina, CBK Enterprises is an intersectional for-profit consulting firm that focuses on racial and gender equity for all organizations and with particular expertise in training, strategic planning, and assessment of gender-based violence advocacy organizations. The motto for CBK Enterprises is “cultivating safe, inclusive environments through innovation and collaboration.’ We have existed since 2010 and have always had diversity, inclusion, and equity as our central focus. We believe in connecting individuals to community goals so that they see that our work is bound together. When a community is elevated, every individual benefits. We are a team of dedicated staff who wish to enhance their services to all members of the community by taking an intentional approach toward equity, inclusiveness, anti-oppression, and anti-racism.Link to Website: https://chimi.biz/