Temple University

Executive Director
Dr. Kimmika Williams-Witherspoon, PhD (Cultural Anthropology), M.A. (Anthropology), MFA (Theater), Graduate Certificate (Women’s Studies), B.A. (Journalism); is Senior Associate Dean of Strategic Initiatives and Innovation for the Center for the Performing and Cinematic Arts, a Full Professor of Urban Theater and Community Engagement in the Department of Theater at Temple University. The author of Through Smiles and Tears: The History of African American Theater (From Kemet to the Americas) (Lambert Academic Publishing, 2011); The Secret Messages in African American Theater: Hidden Meaning Embedded in Public Discourse” (Edwin Mellen Publishing, 2006) A contributing poet to 50 anthologies, Williams-Witherspoon has published 11 books of poetry, 9 book chapters, 10 journal articles, 2 books on African American Theater, published 20 articles in Newspapers and magazines, quoted or referenced in 61 news national and international articles, had 2 of her short stories published, produced and/or consulted on 6 films, performed in over 130 Poetry performances and appeared in over 85 community outreach and engagement events.

Stockton University

Director of Conference Operations
Dr. Donnetrice Allison, chair of the Africana Studies Program at Stockton University, is a media scholar who has published several articles, book chapters, and conference presentations on hip hop culture and media portrayals of African Americans. She is the sole editor of the book, Black Women's Portrayals on Reality Television: The New Sapphire, Lexington Books, and writer/creator of the television pilot, Teaching While Black. Outside the academy, Dr. Allison has conducted numerous anti-bias workshops for K-12 teachers, administrators, and law enforcement.

Stockton University

Director of Educational Initiatives
Dr. Ajani originally hails from a small community in Spring Valley, New York and graduated from SUNY Oswego in the Spring of 2014 with a B.A. in History and a minor in African American studies. He would receive an M.A. in Africana studies from SUNY Albany in 2016 and a Ph.D. in Africology from Temple University in 2021. His dissertation under the advisement of Dr. Ama Mazama is titled: “An Afrocentric Re-examination of the Historiography around the Afrikan Revolution in Ayiti (Haiti).” Currently, he is an assistant professor of Africana Studies at Stockton and his book is titled The Afrikan Revolution in Ayiti: Libète ou Lanmò, Freedom or Death (2023).

San Bernardino Valley College

Director of Technology, Marketing, & Publications
Dr. Lindsay Gary is a professor-scholar of Africology/African American Studies, Dance, and History. She is the Executive/Artistic Director of The Re-Education Project (Project 1444) and of Dance Afrikana. Her honors include being a Rice University CERCL Scholar-in-Residence, a Diopian Institute for Scholarly Advancement Fellow, a Molefi Kete Asante Founder's Award Recipient, and a Mellon Scholar in African American History. She is the director of “Who Yo’ People?”, a documentary film, and her publications include The New Red Book: A Guide to 50 of Houston’s Black Historical and Cultural Sites and Africans in Louisiana: An Afrocentric Analysis of Southwest Louisiana’s Culture Through the Lens of Spirituality.

The University of Alabama

Director of Membership and Professional Development
Teranda Donatto is the Director of Academic Support for the Learning Commons at the University of Alabama. Her unit provides students with academic coaching, supplemental instruction, and tutoring. Before her current role, she worked as the Program Director at the University of Houston and STRIVE Inc. Teranda also taught adults and teens in the U.S., South Korea, and France. Her doctoral degree is in Higher Education from the University of Houston. She holds master’s degrees in African American Studies from Temple University and in English from the University of Alabama.

Temple University

Director of Conference Coordination

Temple University

Director of Finance
Chenelle N. Idehen, Esq. (BA, Government, Harvard College; JD, Harvard Law School; MA, Africology & African American Studies, Temple University) is a corporate finance attorney and Africology PhD student at Temple. Chenelle, a Jamaican-Nigerian-American, is driven to lead with purpose and power. As an attorney in NYC, Chenelle adeptly advises private equity funds and financial institutions in leveraged finance transactions and collaborates with cross-functional teams to drive operational excellence. Her PhD research is rooted in Diopian scholarship, Nile Valley civilization, and Pan-Africanism. Chenelle, a former DISA Fellow, serves as Editor-in-Chief of Imhotep Graduate Student Journal, a peer-reviewed journal at Temple.