Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

African Diaspora History
Howard University
2013

Master of Arts (M.A.)

African American Studies
Temple University
2010

Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

Business Administration
Bowie State University
2008

HBCU Faculty Fellowship Sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities, August 2025

College of Arts and Sciences Award for Outstanding Teaching by an Associate Professor, 2024-25

National Archives Foundation Cokie Roberts Women’s History Commended Scholar, 2023

Brown University/National Endowment for the Humanities Born Digital Scholarly Publishing Fellow, 2022

Books

(UPCOMING) The Cambridge History of Black Women in the United States

Mary McLeod Bethune the Pan Africanist

This book examines the Pan-Africanism of Mary McLeod Bethune through her work, which internationalized the scope of Black women’s organizations to create solidarity among Africans throughout the diaspora. Broadening the familiar view of Bethune as an advocate for racial and gender equality within the United States, Ashley Preston argues that Bethune consistently sought to unify African descendants around the world with her writings, through travel, and as an advisor.

Mary McLeod Bethune in Florida: Bringing Social Justice to the Sunshine State

Mary McLeod Bethune was often called the First Lady of Negro America, but she made significant contributions to the political climate of Florida as well. From the founding of the Daytona Literary and Industrial School for Training Negro Girls in 1904, Bethune galvanized African American women for change. She created an environment in Daytona Beach that, despite racial tension throughout the state, allowed Jackie Robinson to begin his journey to integrating Major League Baseball less than two miles away from her school. Today, her legacy lives through a number of institutions, including Bethune-Cookman University and the Mary McLeod Bethune Foundation National Historic Landmark. Historian Ashley Robertson explores the life, leadership and amazing contributions of this dynamic activist.

A Seat at the Table

A Seat at the Table: Black Women Public Intellectuals in US History and Culture

A Seat at the Table: Black Women Public Intellectuals in US History offers an important yet often overlooked treatise on Black women’s intellectual work. Editors Hettie V. Williams and Melissa Ziobro bring together an impressive group of scholars to provide an extensive examination of the work of both lesser known and more famous Black women. From Mary McLeod Bethune and Oprah Winfrey to Mildred Fay Jefferson and Jocelyn Elders, the book features a diverse group of women from a wide spectrum of fields. Building on two earlier texts, Mia E. Bay, Farah J. Griffin, Martha S. Jones, and Barbara D. Savage’s Toward an Intellectual History of Black Women (2015) and Hettie V. Williams’s Bury My Heart in a Free Land: Black Women Intellectuals in Modern U.S. History (2017), this new edited volume further validates Black women’s roles as intellectuals while expanding views of how they are viewed as such historically. From their speeches, to their community engagement, to their roles in the military, Black women made calls for justice and equality, relying on their lived experiences as sources of knowledge. The work defines public intellectual work in a way that centers Black women for who they are and not by their affiliations, essentially shifting the focus away from the academy by valuing lived experience as something from which we all can learn.

Past and Present Black Female Mayors in Florida

Chapter: Past and Present Black Female Mayors in Florida in Political Black Girl Magic: The Elections and Governance of Black Female Mayors

Political Black Girl Magic explores black women’s experiences as mayors in American cities. The editor and contributors to this comprehensive volume examine black female mayoral campaigns and elections where race and gender are a factor—and where deracialized campaigns have garnered candidate support from white as well as Hispanic and Asian American voters. Chapters also consider how Black female mayors govern, from discussions of their pursuit of economic growth and how they use their power to enact positive reforms to the challenges they face that inhibit their abilities to cater to neglected communities.

Looking Beyond the United States

Looking Beyond the United States: Mary McLeod Bethune’s Relationship’s with Afro-Cubans

Known as “First Lady of Negro America” Mrs. Mary McLeod Bethune was much more than an American leader, she was a world leader who was respected and admired by people around the globe. This work examines Bethune’s significance in the global community, specifically her relationships with Afro-Cubans, to understand the boundless impact of her leadership. Newspaper accounts of Bethune’s 1930 trip to Cuba and writings in the Aframerican Women’s Journal on the National Council of Negro Women’s participation in a 1940 study trip to Cuba reveal Bethune’s commitment to learning more about challenges faced by Afro-Cubans through in-person visits to the country. The research also reveals how she is perceived by Afro-Cubans including visitors to America and the Society of Afro-Cuban Studies, which bestows her with honorary membership. As a clubwoman, she continues the tradition of those who came before who engaged with people outside of the United States, following the footsteps of women like Ida B. Wells and Mary Church Terrell. Ultimately this work challenges the idea that Bethune is an American leader by expanding her scope of influence to Cuba.

INVITED TALKS AND PRESENTATIONS

2026 - "Bridging the Gap Between Traditional Historians and Public Historians," Realizing the Power of History: Past, Present, and Future Strategies Conference, May 2026, National Council on Public History, Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, George Washington University, Washington, DC. 

2026 - "100 Years of Negro History and Mary McLeod Bethune's Interpretation of the Work of Carter G. Woodson," History Day Program, April 2026, Morgan State University Department of History, Geography and Museum Studies, Baltimore, MD.. 

2025 - “Activist, Educator and Global Leader: Reframing the work of Mary McLeod Bethune" Paper Presentation, March 2026, National Council for Black Studies 50th Annual Conference, Baltimore, MD. 

2025 - "A Historical View of National Council of Negro Women", Lecture, December 2025, National Council of Negro Women Affiliates Assembly, National Council of Negro Women, Washington, DC. 

2025 - "Mary McLeod Bethune the Pan-Africanist Lecture," Women's History Month Program, March 2025, The Du Bois Center at Bowie State University, Bowie State University, Bowie, MD. 

2025 - "Mary McLeod Bethune the Pan-Africanist Lecture," Black HIstory Month Program, February 2025, San Jose State University Department of African American Studies, Virtual. 

2025 - “Evolving Towards a Greater Understanding of African American Clubwomen” Paper Presentation, New Directions in African American Women’s History Panel, January 2025, American Historical Association Conference, New York, New York 

2024 - Blassingame Luncheon on Mary McLeod Bethune, Panel, September 2024, Association of African American Life and History Conference, Pittsburgh, PA 

2024 - “Advancing the Field: Cambridge Studies on Black Women in the United States” Roundtable, September 2024, Association of African American Life and History Conference, Pittsburgh, PA

2024 - “Advancing the Field: Cambridge Studies on Black Women in the United States” Roundtable, September 2024, Association of African American Life and History Conference, Pittsburgh, PA 

2024 - “Practice and Theory: How Internships Inform History Students About the Long Civil Rights Movement” Panel, August 2024, The Association of African American Museums Conference, Baltimore, MD 

2024 - "The Significance of Mary McLeod Bethune's Leadership in 2024" Keynote Speaker, February 2024, National Archives and Records Administration -Say It Loud! African American EAG, College Park, MD. 

2024 - "Expanding the Practice, Reach, and Impact of Historical Scholarship through Born-Digital Publication" Panel, January 2024, American Historical Association Conference, San Francisco, CA. 

2023 - "Carrying the Light: Mary McLeod Bethune and Black Women's Activism" Roundtable, October 2023, The American Dream Reconsidered Conference, Roosevelt University, Roosevelt University, Chicago, IL. 

2023 - “Mary McLeod Bethune" Panel, September 2023, Association for the Study of African American Life and History Conference, Jacksonville, FL. 

2023 - "Black History as Public History: Public History Educators Share Their Experiences" Roundtable, September 2023, Association for the Study of African American Life and History Conference, Jacksonville, FL. 

2023 - "Material Memory: Digital Storytelling as Resistance-New Protocol for Illuminating Black Voices" Panel, September 2023, Association for the Study of African American Life and History Conference, Jacksonville, FL. 

2023 - “A Model for Diversifying and Expanding Digital Publishing: Brown University Library’s National Endowment for the Humanities Institute" Virtual Panel, May 2023, Library Publishing Coalition. 

2023 - "State of the Field: Black Women's Public History" Panel, April 2023, National Council on Public History Conference, Atlanta, GA 

2023 - "Digital Publishing-Lessons from Brown University's Born Digital Scholarly Institute” Virtual Panel, April 2023, Toward Radical Imagination: HBCU’s & Digital Libraries Conference, Digital Library Federation & the HBCU Library Alliance

2023 - "Black Women and the Power of Biography" Paper Presentation, March 2023 Organization of American Historians Conference, Los Angeles, CA