La Barbara James Wigfall, NOMA

I joined the K-State faculty in 1987 after ten years of private practice in Texas and faculty appointments/fellowships at Howard University, The University of Texas, The University of California/Berkeley, and The University of Arkansas/ Fayetteville. I am the first African-American female faculty member to receive tenure and promotion at K-State in 1997, having garnered several K-State awards for distinguished service to minority education and outstanding undergraduate teaching. I initiated the KSU Hazardous Substance Research Center as a strategic planner. Community projects for Stella, Missouri; Olathe, Kansas; and Newburg, Missouri highlight the positive impact of a visioning process on community well being.

Precursory research on African-American communities acknowledges the dynamic role and service cultural landscapes have performed in our nation’s history. I expanded this scholarly work in Africa, identifying patterns in the environment that may explain African-American antecedents. Ultimately, my commitment to community empowerment and preservation demonstrates how the cultivation of human and cultural assets serves as a vehicle for building sustainable communities.