The Black Communication and Technology (BCaT) Lab at the University of Maryland is hosting a panel about alternative careers outside of academia. Panelists include representatives from the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture, the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), and independent scholars.
The event will take place on Zoom and in the BCaT Lab (Skinner 3115) at the University of Maryland.
Panelist Bios
Dr. Laura Coyle joined National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) in 2010, where she established the cataloging, photography, rights and reproductions, and digital assets management programs; oversees the collection database; and participates in the museum’s publication program. Dr. Coyle was the NMAAHC project manager (2019–2023) for the processing and digitization of the Johnson Publishing Company Archive, and published "Right from the Start: The Digitization Program at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture" in The Public Historian (2018).
Dr. Jovonne J. Bickerstaff is the Director of Intentional Design for an Equitable Academy (IDEA) at ACLS, where she designs and implements strategic initiatives to foster networks and forums for promoting equity, justice, and well-being in the academy. She leads change acceleration programs like the Intention Foundry (IF) and the Leadership Institute for a New Academy (LINA), and previously led the Emerging Voices Fellowship program. An interdisciplinary scholar of race, gender, and emotions, her work examines carework and emotion work in close relationships (familial, platonic, and romantic), ethics of care (self and communal), and dynamics of intergenerational trauma and healing.
Dr. Keyanah Nurse is the Senior Program Officer for Intentional Design for an Equitable Academy (IDEA) Programs, where she leads the Digital Justice Grants Program and co-leads the Intention Foundry. Before joining ACLS, she was an ACLS Emerging Voices Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. There, she contributed to doctoral career diversity initiatives and received digital humanities training for her research on the history of the global Black press.
Dr. Alexandria Lockett is a Director of Lateral Recruiting and DEI partner at eXacta Global—a woman-owned recruiting firm that specializes in legal and business crossover roles for attorneys. Prior to joining eXacta, Dr. Lockett served as a writing and rhetoric instructor for almost 20 years and held leadership roles in writing centers, career services, and hybrid and remote classrooms, and published award-winning research about race, technology, literacy, and access. Dr. Lockett continues to work as an independent scholar, recently serving as a Wikipedia Scholar-in-Residence for AfroCROWD and as an advisory board member for Wiki Education’s Mellon Social Justice Initiative.