Leadership Team
Renita Marshall, DVM
Vice Chancellor for Academic & Student Services / Associate Dean College of Agricultural, Human & Environmental Sciences and Project Director (PD): Center of Excellence for Nutrition, Health, Wellness and Quality of Life
Southern University Agricultural Research & Extension Center and the College of Agricultural, Human and Environmental Sciences
Dr. Renita Marshall began serving as the Vice-Chancellor for Academics and Student Support Services-Associate Dean for the Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center and College of Agricultural, Human and Environmental Sciences in November 2019. The Ag Center’s programs are multi-disciplinary with collaboration among research scientists and cooperative extension personnel from Southern University, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, and other entities. Programs in the SU Ag Center focus on but are not limited to Sustainable Agricultural Systems, Nutrition and Health, Family and Human Development, Urban Forestry and Natural Resources, Youth Development, and Economic and Community Development. The College of Agricultural, Human and Environmental Sciences consists of three departments: Agricultural Sciences, Human Sciences, and Urban Forestry and Natural Resources, each with diverse program concentrations.
Dr. Marshall currently serves as the Charter president of the National Association for Black Veterinarians, Committee Chair of the Southern University Baton Rouge Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, Coordinator for the National Animal Identification Systems, Member of the Southern University Baton Rouge Institutional Review Board for the Use of Human Subjects in Research, Contact Veterinarian for State Agricultural Emergencies for the Louisiana Department of Agriculture, and a member of the Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge Zoo Advisory Committee. This is just a sampling of the national, regional, and local organizations to which she belongs.
Dr. Renita Marshall is a native of Mansfield, La. She received her B.S. degree (1999) from Southern University and A & M College in Baton Rouge, LA, her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine (2003) from Tuskegee University School of Veterinary Medicine, and an M.S. degree in Biomedical Sciences with a residency completion and Post-Doc in Comparative Animal Medicine (2006) from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Her research there focused on reproductive physiology. She has a demonstrated record of successful and productive applied research projects in the area of major importance for health problems in livestock. An accomplished researcher, animal scientist, veterinarian, extension educator, and faculty of the Southern University Ag Center and College of Agricultural, Human and Environmental Sciences, Dr. Marshall prides herself in facilitating partnership development, strategic planning, mentoring students from pre-college through graduate, supporting researchers, faculty, and staff statewide, and giving back to the community. While balancing research, teaching, and cooperative extension, she enjoys reading, youth sports, and family time with her husband, LTC David Marshall, Jr., and her two daughters, Sydney and Karsyn.
Email: renita_marshall@suagcenter.com or renita_marshall@sus.edu
Kiyana Kelly, MPA
Director, Center of Excellence for Nutrition, Health, Wellness and Quality of Life
Southern University Agricultural Research & Extension Center and the College of Agricultural, Human and Environmental Sciences
Kiyana E. Kelly, MPA serves as the Director of the Center of Excellence for Nutrition, Health, Wellness and Quality of Life with the Southern University Agriculture Research and Extension Center where she provides multi-state leadership (Louisiana, Alabama, North Carolina) and coordination of Academic, Research, and Extension programs in nutrition, health, wellness, and quality of life. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Education and Promotion from Southeastern Louisiana University and a Masters in Public Administration from Southern University A&M College. She serves as a Facilitator with The Extension Foundation. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She also serves as a Mentor with Teen Lead Mentoring.
Email: kiyana_kelly@suagcenter.com
Shengmin Sang, Ph.D.
Professor / Co-PD: Center of Excellence for Nutrition, Health, Wellness and Quality of Life
North Carolina A&T State University
Dr. Shengmin Sang is currently a Distinguished Professor of Functional Foods and Human Health at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University/North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis. He is also a full-faculty member in the UNC Linebergar Comprehensive Cancer Center at UNC Chapel Hill, an adjunct Professor in the Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutritional Sciences at North Carolina State University, and the Associate Editor of Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Dr. Sang’s lab has interest to purify and identify bioactive components from functional foods and herbal medicine and to further study their bioavailability, biotransformation, and preventive effects on cancer, asthma, and metabolic syndrome using in vitro and in vivo models including human trials. His lab also uses metabolomic approaches to study food biomarkers. Currently, his lab is studying the bioactive compounds in whole grains (wheat, oat, and barley), ginger, tea (green tea and black tea), apple, soy, and blueberry. He has received several professional awards, such as the Young Scientist Award and the Fellow Award of the Agricultural and Food Chemistry Division of the American Chemical Society, the Matthew Suffness Young Investigator Award of the American Society of Pharmacognosy, and the Research Article of the Year Award of the Journal of Agricultural
Email: ssang@ncat.edu
Norma Dawkins, Ph.D., CFS
Professor and Chair, Department of Food & Nutritional Sciences / Co-PD: Center of Excellence for Nutrition, Health, Wellness and Quality of Life
Tuskegee University
POSITION/EMPLOYMENT- Professor, Department of Food & Nutritional Sciences, Tuskegee University 2004- Present- Senior Research Scientist, Slim Fast Food Company, Covington TN, 2000-2002- Associate Professor, Department of Human Nutrition& Food, Southern University 1999-2000- Assistant Professor, Department of Human Nutrition & Food, Southern University 1995-1999- Graduate Teaching Assistant, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, 1990-1994- Research Associate, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, 1989-1990- Parish Officer/Director, Rural Farm Family Development, Ministry of Agriculture, Jamaica W.I.
RESEARCH INTEREST/TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
- Basic and applied research in the prevention and reduction of risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer and obesity.
- Utilization of non-traditional vegetable containing high levels of bioactive compounds in innovative product development.
Teaching Philosophy:
The concept of learning should be focused around four areas: independent thought process and critical thinking, problem solving skills, group interaction, and utilization of learned ideas. My primary role as a professor is to assist students to achieve their learning goals and to create for each student an environment that supports the concept of learning. I have three goals for students which are presented on the first day of class; 1) To learn how to think critically; 2) To understand the widespread applications of food and nutritional sciences; and 3) To truly enjoy learning. To further allow students to develop independent thought process and critical thinking skills, I strive to create an environment of inquiry, reflection and thoughtful communication in the classroom. This allows for the development of the individual’s creativity and the desire to ask and explore relevant questions. This means that I must always maintain a balance between sailing perilously through the deep blue sea of supplying students with too much information that overwhelms their creativity and wading through the shallow water of not providing enough foundation for their judgments to be properly formed.
LEADERSHIP/ AWARDS/HONOR SOCIETIES
- Commissioner, International Food Science Certification Commission (IFSCC), Institute of Food Technologists (2015-2018)
- Present Elect, IFSCC, 2016-2017; President, IFSCC, 2017-2018
- Treasurer, SEIFT, 2016- Present
- Outstanding Faculty Performance Award for Service, CAENS, Tuskegee University, 2019
- Outstanding Faculty Performance Award for Research, CAENS, Tuskegee University, 2008
- Graduate Achievement Award, Great Lakes Section, Institute of Food Technologists (1994)
- Thomas Rumble Graduate Fellowship, Wayne State University (1990-1991)
- Graduate Research Scholarship, Wayne State University (1991-1992)
- Gamma Sigma Delta- President Elect/President, 2009- 2010/2010-2011
- Sigma XI Scientific Research Society
- Phi Upsilon Omicron
Email: ndawkins@.tuskegee.edu
