Funding is the Matter

HBCUs Relationship with NIH with Dr. Nicole Parker

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:  1. 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.  2. 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.  3. 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 4.  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.  5.  Platt, M. O. (2020). We exist. We are your peers. Nature Reviews Materials, 5(11), 783-784. 6. 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.

Navigating a Pandemic and Black Women's Mental Health with Dr. Jeannette Wade

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

The Impacts of Redlining with Kim Cameron

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.

Governance, Board of Trustees, and Black Women Presidents at HBCUs with Dr. Felicia Commodore

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_matter Twitter: @funds_do_matter To 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.

Stand With Bennet with Dr. Phylis Dawkins

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_matter Twitter: @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.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/ [https://www.wabe.org/hbcu-executive-leadership-institute-aims-to-prepare-and-develop-higher-education-leaders/]