Biography

dominic k. mckenzie is a tenure-track assistant professor of digital storytelling in the Cathy Hughes School of Communications at Howard University. He is also the director of the Howard University Multicultural Media Academy, a high school journalism workshop training future reporters in the art of storytelling on health disparities in minority communities.

Before joining Howard, he was director of the Journalism degree program at Oakwood University, an HBCU in Huntsville, Ala., on faculty at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York and Northern Caribbean University. 

From the island of Jamaica, he is the chief architect of two undergraduate degree programs in Journalism at Oakwood -- the only Journalism degrees offered in North Alabama. Prior to that, he worked at Spectrum News as a reporter, covering stories on health, politics and the Caribbean diaspora. While there, his stories often aired across Spectrum News stations and CNN affiliates across the United States. McKenzie received a citation from the New York State Senate in 2021 for excellence in journalism and youth development. In Jamaica, he was a radio news anchor, TV reporter and producer.

He holds a Master of Arts degree in Journalism and a post-graduate certificate in Entrepreneurial Journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York. There, he specialized in city government, broadcast and data journalism. 

He takes special research interest in journalism curriculum development and assessment, international student populations at historically Black universities, cannabis regulation & research and politics.

The professor coaches national pageant winners as an extension to his commitment to empowering women and challenging harmful stereotypes associated with beauty standards. He provided intense interview and presentation coaching to Dr. Jordanne Lauren Levy, Miss Universe Jamaica. After an intense interview round, she finished as a Top 20 Finalist at Miss Universe 2023. He also coached Miss Universe Bahamas 2024, Selvinique Wright.