Six African American Scholars Appointed to Faculty Posts at Colleges and Universities

Telissah Williams has been named interim chair of the division of fine arts and humanities at LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis. She has been a member of the LeMoyne Owen College faculty since 2010.

Williams holds a bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in Spanish from the University of Memphis, a master of education in instructional technology from American Continental University and a master’s degree in Spanish language education from Nova Southeastern University.

Vanessa K. Valdés has been named director of the Black studies program at the City College of New York. She is an associate professor of Spanish and Portuguese and has been a faculty member at the university since 2007.

Dr. Valdés holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Yale University and a Ph.D in Spanish and Portuguese from Vanderbilt University in Nashville.

Consuelo Wilkins has been named to the newly created positions of vice president for health equity at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and associate dean for health equity at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. She currently serves as associate professor of medicine and executive director of the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance.

Dr. Wilkins holds a bachelor’s degree in microbiology and a medical doctorate both from Howard University.

Nicole M. Mitchell has been named to the William S. Dietrich II Endowed Chair in Jazz Studies, director of the jazz studies program, and professor in the department of music at the University of Pittsburgh. She currently serves as a professor of music at the University of California, Irvine.

Professor Mitchell holds a bachelor’s degree in music from Chicago State University and a master’s degree from Northern Illinois University.

Tanisha M. Jackson has been named executive director of the Community Folk Arts Center and professor of practice in the department of African American studies at Syracuse University in New York. She was assistant director of the Frank W. Hale Jr. Black Cultural Center at Ohio State University.

Dr. Jackson holds an MBA from the University of Toledo on Ohio, and a master’s degree in African American and African studies and a Ph.D. in art education both from Ohio State University.

Susan Campbell has been named assistant professor of animal and poultry sciences in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech. Her research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms of altered synaptic communication that leads to the development of epilepsy and identifying targets that may serve as therapeutic targets for treatment.

Dr. Campbell holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and biology from Binghamton University in New York and a Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.