Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Developmental Psychology
Howard University
2025
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Faculty
Faculty
Sheryl C. Johnson-Ross
Associate Professor
Department/Office
- Communication Studies
School/College
- School of Communications
Biography
Sheryl Johnson is an associate professor in the Department of Strategic, Legal and Management Communications at Howard University. She is a tenured Professor with an eclectic background in media and strategic communications. At Howard University, she has served as a lead in her department on various initiatives and duties including, former Assistant Chair. At the University level, she has served on the President’s Strategic Committee among others. Her research interests include both strategic communications and psychology disciplines and focuses on diversity in the industry and the impact of media messages.
As a practitioner, she began her career in radio in the Washington D.C. market, writing commercials, selling syndicated radio programs and working for top rated stations including NBC and ABC owned stations. In New York, she worked at Ogilvy and Mather in Network TV Buying and performed special projects for ABC network sales and CBS network marketing departments. She enjoyed a successful 14 year career at The Washington Post Newspaper and managed the largest revenue generating category of $150 million dollars and created and facilitated training for the advertising sales department. Sheryl’s additional experiences include local television sales and public television grant writing.
Education & Expertise
Education
Master of Science (M.S.)
Clinical Counseling/Psychology
Johns Hopkins University
2007
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
Media Management/Business
Howard University
1986
Academics
Academics
Howard Entertainment Capstone
Howard Entertainment Strategic Communications
Howard Entertainment Advanced
PR Writing
Advertising and Storytelling
Capstone Communications
Introduction to Advertising
Intro to Strategic Communications
Advertising Sales
Media Planning and Buying
Research and Marketing
Advertising Campaigns
Interviewing Techniques
Research
Research
Funding
2012 - AAF Advertising Camp; $6,700; AdCamp DC grant to Department of Journalism
2010 - Center of Excellence in advertising Making a Lateral Move into Advertising Initiative; $750,000; To serve as curriculum director/developer and research professional to $5 million initiative with the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4As)
2010 - American Advertising Federation; $1,500; Travel grant for work on Supplier Diversity Whitepaper for advertising industry, Los Angeles, California
Featured News
Featured News
Read: The New Yorker | The Tight-Knit World of Kamala Harris’s Sorority
Publications and Presentations
Publications and Presentations
Kerner Issue: The Role of HBCUs in Training Journalists to Improve Media Images Post-Kerner
Kerner Issue: The Role of HBCUs in Training Journalists to Improve Media Images Post-Kerner
Little research has been conducted to examine the role of Howard University and other HBCUs in diversifying the media and assisting in the expansion of career opportunities for Black journalists, particularly in the aftermath of the release of the 1968 Report of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders. Popularly called the Kerner Report, it harshly critiqued mainstream journalism’s role in perpetuating the unrest of the 1960s and the inequalities experienced by African Americans. Specifically, the report faulted the news media in failing to hire African Americans who could provide a more accurate depiction of the challenges faced by African Americans in their communities. Released amid the civil disorders of the 1960s, the Kerner Report became the impetus for as many as six HBCUs to later establish substantial journalism and mass communications programs to train Black journalists to enter mainstream newsrooms as the demands grew to diversify the profession. This article would add to the literature by highlighting the role of HBCUs in desegregating the media and by documenting the efforts of Howard University’s School of Communications, as well as programs at other HBCUs, to expand opportunities for Black journalists and media executives, as well as to offer a counternarrative to the mainstream media’s deficit-based approach in reporting on the lives of Black people.
Advertising summer camp for high school students
Advertising summer camp for high school students: A recruitment tool for industry diversity
The U.S. advertising industry has long struggled to recruit ethnic minorities and other underrepresented groups to its work force. In addition, working in the technology sector and entrepreneurship have become increasingly more desirable options for minority candidates, attracting younger and creative talent that once considered advertising a viable career choice. Efforts from the advertising community and academics could help to recruit younger candidates before they have solidified their impressions of the job market or early in their undergraduate careers. This paper analyzes the shifting industry landscape and recruitment efforts and provides a case study of the American Advertising Federation (AAF) AdCamp as one potential solution to the challenges of recruiting minority candidates to advertising. Additionally, the paper provides teaching techniques and implementation suggestions whereby professors and universities can create their own advertising “camps” to increase interest and diversity in the industry.