Who am I?
Born and raised in Toledo, Ohio as the only child of a single mother, I graduated from Maumee Valley Country Day School, the top ranked private high school in the state. From there, I attended the University of Pennsylvania where I majored in History.
My interest in History was born in the classroom of Dr. Lee Cassanelli who taught African History. Although most of my undergraduate career was spent in African history courses, my Honors Thesis was in U.S. History—Black Soldiers and Racism in the Civil War, which was guided by Dr. Drew Faust and Dr. Robert Engs. In addition to being mentored by some of the nation's top historians, I was guided and developed on the academic path by the Mellon Minority Undergraduate Fellowship Program (now Mellon Mays).
When I graduated from college, I was awarded a Fulbright Hayes Fellowship to study Women's roles in the Struggle for Independence in Ghana, West Africa. Upon completion of that year, I returned stateside to earn a PhD from Duke University in U.S. History where I was fortunate to have studied with some of the giants in the fields of 19th and early 20th century history, including Syd Nathans, Peter Wood, Lawrence Goodwyn, and Ray Gavins. I earned a certificate in Women’s Studies.
Since 2017, I have been employed at Howard University, where I served as Department Chair for 6.5 years. I have a long list of accomplishments in that capacity, which are all listed on my CV.
I have one daughter, Kaia, who is a Pediatrician. I spend my free time watching movies, traveling the world, and doing home renovation and decorating projects with my partner, Vincent.
