I am a high energy, mom of four beautiful children.  I love the color orange, African dance and building bridges to the world.  When you work with me, you will walk away, not just informed, but empowered and energized with tools to continue your work regardless of the field in ways that will impact future generations.

 

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Education/Professional Summary

I received my PhD in Intercultural Communication from Howard University in Washington, DC in 2007.  I published my dissertation entitled, "The Shifting Character of Social and Ethnic Identity among Black American Sojourners" as a monograph in 2009. I received a BA in Spanish from Spelman College and a MA in International Communication and Cultural Anthropology from the American University in Washington, DC. I have been teaching in higher education since 2005.  I have taught a wide range of courses in higher education including: public speaking, interpersonal communication, intercultural communication, human communication, media, culture and society, small group communication, international communication, business communication as well as a faculty-led student travel course: City as Text.

June 2017, I launched Bilingual Brown Babies, a specialized service for families of color who are serious about raising their children bilingual in English and Spanish.  Bilingual Brown Babies is intended to be a movement that increases the number of children of color who are biliterate in English and Spanish in order to maintain footing in this increasing competitive global workforce.

 

I have facilitated workshops around cultural sensitivity and intercultural learning for public and non-profit sectors.  Past clients include: Clark Atlanta University, Youth for Understanding, The Exchange and the PAYS Program, an afterschool program funded by the City of Atlanta's Office of Cultural Affairs.

 

Scholarly Contributions

 I have published extensively in both English and Spanish in scholarly and trade journals as well as in national US news publications. I have traveled to 17 countries across the globe for academic and professional endeavors.  a strong advocate for study abroad in particular for students of color. I have a vested interest in the construction of identity with bilingualism. In addition to From Sabotage to Support: A New Vision for Feminist Solidarity in the Workplace (2019), co-authored with Dr. Joy Wiggins, I have published several other books including: Raising Bilingual Brown Babies: Everyday strategies to become a confident bilingual family (2018, KDP Publishing) and Language, Identity and Choice: Raising Bilingual Children in a Global Society (2015, Lexington Books) which talks about my own experiences raising my children bilingual.  For a complete list of my publications, click here.

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I am currently member of the National Communication Association (NCA), National Collegiate Honors Council, Lambda Pi Eta Communication Honors Society, The Organization for African American Linguists and the Edward Alexander Bouchet Graduate Honor Society.

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