Executive Director
Nghana Lewis holds a PhD from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and a JD from Loyola University College of Law, New Orleans. She is currently Associate Professor of English and African & African Diaspora Studies and Director of African & African Diaspora Studies at Tulane University. She also runs a private law practice, specializing in criminal defense, education, and civil rights claims. She can be reached at (504) 862-8179 or ntlewis@bellsouth.net.
Board of Directors
Patricia Andujo received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Western Illinois University, where she graduated magna cum laude in English in 1992. She continued her studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, receiving an M.A. in 1995 and a Ph.D. in 2002, both in English. Dr. Andujo is currently Associate Professor of English at Azusa Pacific University. She can be reached at (626) 615-6000, ext. 3775, or by e-mail at pandujo@apu.edu.
Stacey Walters completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign in Economics. She holds a Master of Education degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) with a specialization in Leadership and Administration as well as Special Education. In her current position as retention coordinator in the College of Business Administration at UIC, she primarily works with first-year students as they transition from high school in to higher education. She can be reached at (312) 996-6396, or by e-mail at deven@uic.edu.
Miyoshi Brown is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Sociology, Minor in African American Studies, and Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction. She also holds National Board of Professional Teaching Standards certification. She can be reached at (773) 386-1378, or by e-mail at miyoshi08@hotmail.com.
Melissa Jean-Baptiste earned a B.S. in Speech and Language Pathology from the University of Southwestern Louisiana (currently, University of Louisiana at Lafayette). She earned a Master of Education in Communications Disorders from Southern University A&M College. She is currently a consultant to SunRise Academy in Washington, D.C., a charter school for inner city youth. She can be reached at (703) 622-7295, or by e-mail at melissajean29@yahoo.com.
Floyd Jones is Director of Operations for Corbel Systems International, LLC, a company that provides staffing, training, and other professional services for the video game industry. He previously worked as a Senior Executive Account Manager for Glaxo SmithKline. He holds a B.S. in Marketing from the University of Alabama and an MBA from Capella University. He can be reached at (301) 749-2038, or by e-mail at savendible@aol.com.
Ruth Nicole Brown is an assistant professor of Women & Gender Studies and Educational Policy Studies at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She specializes in the study of performance ethnography. She is also an expert evaluator of after school programs for girls. She received her BA in political science from the University of Illinois and her MA and PhD in political science from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She can be reached at (217) 244-5638, or by e-mail at rnbrown@uiuc.edu.
Sheara Williams is a native of New Iberia, Louisiana. She earned a BA in Rehabilitation Psychology from Louisiana State University in 1992; a Masters in Social Work from LSU in 1994; and a PhD in Social Work from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in 2004. Her research focuses on the interrelatedness of children’s mental health, social, behavioral, and academic competencies and has been featured in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence, the Journal of Immigrant and Refugee Studies, and the Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment. She can be reached at (713) 743-8120, or by e-mail at swilliams3@uh.edu.
A life-long resident of Louisiana, Chad Guillory earned a BA in Management from the University of New Orleans in 1994. He is the Founder, former CEO, and current President of Guillory and Guillory, Inc., an umbrella company to two subsidiaries: C&F Specialty Products, a wholesale distributor of novelty items and décor, and Mobile Scrubs, an on-site retail business, providing medical uniforms for the healthcare industry. He can be reached at (504) 913-6277, or by e-mail at CJGuill@aol.com.
Latest News & Announcements
ESSENCE is the recipient of a 2009 grant from the Regional Arts Council of Houma, Louisiana (Terrebonne Parish). Funds will be used to organize a literacy project for students in St. John the Baptist Schools. The adopted text is Ernest Hill's A Life for a Life.