27.56% increase in dollars over last year

39.50% increase in alumni participation

Again, We could not have done it without you and look forward to continuing this exciting trend in the upcoming year. 

Sincerely,

Jens Frederiksen, Ph.D.
Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Strategic Development

ALUMNI NEWS
YANIKA SMITH-BARTLEY ’98 NAMED TO BEST OF THE BAR BY THE NASHVILLE BUSINESS JOURNAL  

The Nashville Business Journal has announced that Yanika Smith-Bartley has been named to the 2017 Best of the Bar listing. For 16 years, the Nashville Business Journal has annually recognized the leading lawyers and corporate counsel in Middle Tennessee. The 2017 honorees were recognized during a special reception on Tuesday, June 27 at The City Winery in Nashville. Smith-Bartley holds a bachelor’s degree from Fisk University, a doctor of jurisprudence from Vanderbilt Law School and serves as Legal Counsel for Asurion Corporation.

JAMAAL SHEATS ‘02 NAMED TO 2017 LEADERSHIP NASHVILLE CLASS  


Leadership Nashville has announced that Jamaal Sheats is among forty-five participants selected for its 2017-2018 class. Founded in 1976, Leadership Nashville annually selects the top leaders across various industries to participate in a nine-month leadership program. Sheats holds a bachelor’s degree from Fisk University, a master’s degree from Tufts University and currently serves as Director and Curator of the Fisk University Galleries.

DENNIS DEVEAUX ’04 NAMED ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF BAHAMAS ADVISORY TEAM AT KPMG MANAGEMENT CONSULTING

KPMG Management Consulting has announced the appointment of Dennis Deveaux to its Bahamas Advisory Team. As a newly appointed Associate Director, he will be responsible for supporting the ongoing development of KPMG’s Management Consulting practice in The Bahamas and regionally for KPMG’s Data & Analytics advisory business. Deveaux holds a bachelor’s degree from Fisk University and a master’s degree from the Saunders College of Business at the Rochester Institute of Technology.

IONIS MARTIN ’57 NAMED TO WHO’S WHO IN AMERICA LISTING FOR EXCELLENCE IN ART EDUCATION AND HISTORY
Ionis Martin, co-founder of the Artists Collective, has been named to the annual Who’s Who listings for outstanding contributions to art education.  Each year, the annual listing profiles individuals based on their positions, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field. Martin has been recognized by the Connecticut Art Education Association and has been a grant recipient from the Connecticut Commission on the Arts. Additionally, she has been awarded an Art Fellowship from Skidmore College and named a DuBois Institute Fellow at Harvard University.  Martin holds a bachelor’s degree from Fisk University, a master’s degree from the University of Hartford and a master’s degree from The Pratt Institute.

Campus News
JULIET JOHNSON NAMED TO THE COMMON APPLICATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The Board of Directors of The Common Application has announced the appointment of Juliet Johnson to a two-year term. The Common Application is a non-profit organization made up of college admissions and higher education administrations with over 700 colleges and universities represented. With nearly 20 years of experience in admissions and recruitment, Johnson presently serves as the Dean of Recruitment and Admissions at Fisk University. Johnson holds a bachelor’s degree from Grambling State University and a master’s degree from Louisiana State University.


CASSIE RENEASE PERKINS NAMED FINALIST FOR NASHVILLE EMERGING LEADERS AWARD
The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and Young Professionals Nashville have announced that Cassie Renease Perkins is among the seventy finalists for the Nashville Emerging Leaders Awards (NELA). Each year, NELA’s recognize young professionals under the age of 40 for significant professional accomplishments, as well as their commitment and contributions to the community. Perkins holds a bachelor’s degree from Belmont University, a master’s degree from Middle Tennessee State University and serves as an Academic Skills Specialist at Fisk University.

FISK ENGLISH MAJORS SELECTED FOR RESEARCH CONFERENCES 
Elijah Porter ’18 was selected by The Leadership Alliance for a summer research experience at New York University.  He will be mentored by Dr. Anna McCarthy in cinema studies.  Elijah is a member of Fisk’s W.E.B. DuBois Honor Society.

Michelle Jones and Samanda Robinson, both 2017 graduates of Fisk, attended the SSRC -Mellon Mays Annual Graduate Student Summer Conference at the University of New Mexico- Albuquerque. While at Fisk, Jones and Robinson were UNCF-Mellon Mays fellows. Jones will begin her master’s studies in English at Eastern Illinois University in August 2017. While at the SSRC-Mellon Mays Annual Conference, Robinson presented her project, "Sequential Art and Social Justice Movements: Slave Narrative Time Travel in Octavia Butler's Kindred," on a panel composed of graduate students from around the country. Robinson will begin her Ph.D. studies in English and Women's and Gender Studies at Johns Hopkins University in August 2017.



Kiana McClintick '18, an English major and Women's and Gender Studies minor, attended the Nordic Association for American Studies (NAAS) 25th Biennial Conference in Odense, Denmark at Southern Denmark University. While there, she presented her project, "Trapped in the Portrait: American-Danish Intersectional Literature." A current UNCF-Mellow Mays Fellow, McClintick was the only American undergraduate present at the conference and one of two Undergraduates who presented. 





Iyanna Charise Hamby ’18 was selected by the Big Ten Academic Alliance and The Leadership Alliance for summer research experiences at Northwestern University and Columbia University, respectively.  She opted to attend Northwestern University in order to work with Dr. Harvey Young whose research specialty is African American theater.  Hamby is a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow, a member of the W.E.B. DuBois Honor Society, and Mortar Board, Inc. 








In Memoriam 
ALSTON B. MEADE,SR.,Ph.D. '56 - of Detroit, MI passed away on June 7, 2017. A memorial service will be held at 11:00am on Saturday, July 8, 2017 at the True United Church, 6201 Old York Rd., Philadelphia,PA.

ARTIMESE BLAND PACK '50 - of St. Louis, MO passed away on July 1, 2017. A memorial service was held on July 11, 2017 at the Layne Normandy Chapel in St. Louis, MO.