Faculty Awards 2025

A native New Yorker, Dr. Tafari is passionate about the arts, culture, education, and translating theory into practice. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Anthropology from Hofstra University; her Master of Arts in Teaching with Certification in Elementary Education from The Johns Hopkins University; and a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies and her Ph.D in Educational Studies with a Specialization in Cultural Studies from The University of North Carolina Greensboro. She has served as an elementary school teacher in Brooklyn, New York and in Baltimore, Maryland; and as a curriculum facilitator in High Point, North Carolina.

Dr. Tafari currently serves as an educational consultant for Guilford County Schools and as the Interim Coordinator for the Birth through Kindergarten Education program in the Department of Education at Winston-Salem State University. Dawn is also co-founder of the Greensboro Kwanzaa Collective, a grassroots organization that organizes Greensboro’s citywide 7-day Kwanzaa celebration. Dr. Tafari is a scholar activist and Hip-Hop Feminist whose research focus includes studies Black male students and teachers, Hip-Hop culture’s influence on identity development, culturally relevant teaching, and critical race theory.

Dr. Radscheda R. Nobles is an Associate Professor of Justice Studies at Winston-Salem State University. Her research and teaching are grounded in a critical examination of race, disability, and systemic injustice. A proud product of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Dr. Nobles earned her Ph.D. in Sociology from Howard University, her M.S. in Criminal Justice from Fayetteville State University, and her B.A. in Criminal Justice from Shaw University—each institution shaping a pivotal stage of her academic and professional development.

Dr. Nobles’ scholarship centers the lived experiences of marginalized communities, with a particular focus on the harm perpetuated by institutional systems. As an activist scholar, she draws on both personal and academic insight to foster inclusive, transformative, and human-centered learning environments. Her pedagogy emphasizes the power of vulnerability, encouraging students to find strength in uncertainty and resilience in adversity.

Deeply committed to bridging scholarship and community engagement, Dr. Nobles works to ensure that her research has a tangible impact beyond the classroom. Her nontraditional path to academia has infused her work with purpose and depth, allowing her to lead with both lived and learned experience. Through this dual lens, she cultivates spaces where vulnerability becomes a source of advocacy and empowerment, inspiring students to realize their potential—just as they are.

Dr. Tan Zhang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health, Physical Education, and Sport Studies, where she leads a research agenda addressing health and wellness through innovative, theory-driven interventions in physical activity intervention. Since 2017, she has authored 21 peer-reviewed publications in journals such as Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, Journal of Educational Research, American Journal of Health Education, and Journal of Adolescent Research.

Her scholarship has earned multiple accolades, including the AERA SIG 93 Exemplary Research Paper Award (2022) and election as a SHAPE America Research Fellow (2020). She is currently serving as a voting member of the SHAPE America Research Council. Committed to mentorship, Dr. Zhang has guided undergraduates to co-authorships, national conference presentations, and fully funded graduate programs.

Dr. Notis Pagiavlas is a tenured Professor of marketing and founding director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation at Winston-Salem State University. He earned a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Arlington and a B.A. from the University of California at San Diego.  Since he joined the faculty of WSSU in 2006, he has connected his students with the broader community to conduct research and applied projects dealing with entrepreneurship and creative marketing approaches for profit or non-profit entities.

Besides the typical academic duties of teaching entrepreneurial marketing and strategy, Dr. Pagiavlas has consulted with numerous organizations including Delta airlines, Industries for the Blind, Harley-Davidson, Siemens, Lockheed Martin, NASA, NCDOT and numerous others. He managed to earn a moderate low number of awards from different groups, (including his own children with the “best dad” mug purchased with his own funds). The most meaningful honor came from the 7th Annual North Carolina Association of County Directors of Social Services Best Practices Award - Achieving Excellence in Turbulent Times, Innovations in Services to Customers: TEAM-UP (Teens Engaged in Aspiring Mentorships: An Uplifting Partnership). He also received the Kauffman Foundation Platinum Award for WSSU Center for Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation.

Over the years he inspired partners, collaborators, and funding organizations to contribute over $3 million to his center to undertake projects that provide education, training, workshops, certificates, investments to start ups, and pro bono consulting services to hundreds of innovative minds to create ventures, quite often in the domain of social entrepreneurship. To facilitate these activities, he has office presence at the Enterprise Center incubator, housing over 40 associates with varying needs, ranging from business functions to candy.

His work has appeared in numerous peer reviewed journals, global conferences, and practitioner forums. He also contributes as marketing expert in court cases and serves on numerous boards, including community development corporations, arts, and entrepreneurship. 

On a personal note, Dr. Pagiavlas has collaborated with his wife to the birth of 3 children of various genders and abilities, his favorite target market.  

Dr. Richard G. Moye is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Department Chair in the Department of Behavioral Sciences at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU). He specializes in teaching statistics, research methods, and data analysis, emphasizing the use of technology such as SPSS, analyze large datasets and effectively communicate information. Dr. Moye also has expertise in survey design and is a key part of the HBCU Research Center of Excellence to provide research-based solutions to housing and community development. 

His research interests encompass patterns of residential segregation, preventing displacement, as well as vaccine hesitancy. He has presented his work at national conferences, including Urban Affairs and the American Sociological Association. 

Alicia Emerson, DPT, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy in the School of Health Sciences at Winston-Salem State University. Dr. Emerson previously was a physiotherapist for 15 years and worked primarily with uninsured/underserved patient populations with complex medical conditions, negative social determinants of health, and chronic pain. She completed her PhD from the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand in 2023, and was awarded the “Exceptional Quality Thesis” by the Division of Health Sciences. Dr. Emerson earned several degrees (MS in Physical Therapy from University of Indianapolis, MS in Rehabilitation Sciences from University of Illinois at Chicago, and a BA in Biology from Illinois Wesleyan University).

She is a Board-Certified Specialist in Orthopaedics and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists. Dr. Emerson received the 2021 Social Impact Award by the American Physical Therapy Association. Her teaching and research interests center on the functional implications in pain processing in complex patient presentations, clinical reasoning for primary care physical therapists, and managing/preventing health inequities, particularly in chronic pain.

Dr. Radscheda R. Nobles is an Associate Professor of Justice Studies at Winston-Salem State University. Her research and teaching are grounded in a critical examination of race, disability, and systemic injustice. A proud product of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Dr. Nobles earned her Ph.D. in Sociology from Howard University, her M.S. in Criminal Justice from Fayetteville State University, and her B.A. in Criminal Justice from Shaw University—each institution shaping a pivotal stage of her academic and professional development.

Dr. Nobles’ scholarship centers the lived experiences of marginalized communities, with a particular focus on the harm perpetuated by institutional systems. As an activist scholar, she draws on both personal and academic insight to foster inclusive, transformative, and human-centered learning environments. Her pedagogy emphasizes the power of vulnerability, encouraging students to find strength in uncertainty and resilience in adversity.

Deeply committed to bridging scholarship and community engagement, Dr. Nobles works to ensure that her research has a tangible impact beyond the classroom. Her nontraditional path to academia has infused her work with purpose and depth, allowing her to lead with both lived and learned experience. Through this dual lens, she cultivates spaces where vulnerability becomes a source of advocacy and empowerment, inspiring students to realize their potential—just as they are.

Dr. Quiteya Walker is a Professor in the Rehabilitation Counseling Department at Winston-Salem State University. She has over a decade of experience educating counselor education students and providing clinical counseling services to persons with disabilities and mental illness. Dr. Walker is a South Carolina State University graduate with a Bachelor's and Master's Degree in Criminal Justice and Rehabilitation Counseling, respectively. She received a Master's Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Walden University and a Ph.D. in Counseling, Rehabilitation, and Student Development from the University of Iowa. She is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Associate in the State of NC, a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, and a National Certified Counselor.

Dr. Walker is dedicated to improving the lives of individuals with disabilities and individuals diagnosed with mental illness. She is the founder and faculty advisor of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) on Campus at Winston-Salem State University. Additionally, she serves as a board member for NAMI Northwest Piedmont in North Carolina, where she teaches NAMI Family-to-Family classes and co-facilitates NAMI Family Support Groups.

Dr. Walker worked on a team to secure the 2023 Unleash the Genius Grant, where she served as Co-Principal Investigator. The work conducted under this grant served as the foundation for her most recent grant, where she secured a three-year Campus Suicide Prevention grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). This project, titled "Behavioral Health Enhancement and Lifesaving Tactics for Higher Education Young Adults" (B-HEALTHY), is designed to enhance the existing mental health and substance use disorder prevention and treatment services offered to students at Winston-Salem State University. Dr. Walker's research interests focus on cultural and ethical considerations in counseling and counselor education, and disability support and mental health services within postsecondary educational contexts.

Dr. Dan Rose (he/him) is an Associate Professor of Sociology in the Department of Behavioral Sciences at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU). Dr. Rose is the Principal Investigator of the HUD HBCU Research Center of Excellence at WSSU, where he and his team are studying evictions and housing instability across North Carolina, as well as in Navajo Nation and Guam. He is also an external affiliate of the Duke University Population Research Institute (DUPRI).

Dr. Rose’s primary research interests revolve around housing and health in urban communities. He is a mixed-methods sociologist, using ethnography, statistics, mapping, and archival research to better understand social issues. He does work on inequalities pertaining to aging, social class, race, and gender, as well as studying sociological pedagogy. Recent publications include “The ‘People’s Tour’ as Conflict Pedagogy: Using Site Visits to Engage Students with the Struggle for Civil Rights” in Sociology of Race and Ethnicity and a forthcoming chapter titled, “Evictions and the Carceral State” in an upcoming edited volume. He is a native of Detroit, Michigan and earned his bachelor’s in sociology from the University of Florida before earning his doctorate in sociology from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.

Dr. James Blackwell, Jr. serves as an Assistant Professor of African History in the Department of History, Politics, and Social Justice at Winston-Salem State University. He has a strong academic foundation, having earned both his Master of Arts (M.A.) and Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degrees in History from North Carolina Central University. He further advanced his studies by obtaining a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in African History from Michigan State University.

Dr. Blackwell's research is multifaceted, exploring various dimensions of African history and culture. His interests include examining the intricacies of the African Diaspora, which focuses on the movement and influence of African peoples around the globe. He is particularly invested in topics related to labor and migration, analyzing how these factors shape social dynamics and contribute to historical narratives. Additionally, Dr. Blackwell delves into gender and family history, investigating the roles and experiences of different genders within historical contexts. Through his teaching and research, he aims to provide a deeper understanding of the complexities and contributions of African histories and communities.

Dominique Johnson is a Writing Instructor in the Department of English and serves as the Coordinator of the Writing and Communication Center in University College. A proud 2014 graduate of WSSU, Dominique is passionate about student success and advocacy. Currently, she is pursuing her PhD in English at University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a concentration in Rhetoric and Composition. Her research centers on the experiences of plus-sized Black women and the intersections of identity and representation. Beyond academia, Dominique is a contemporary romance author, a sneakerhead, and eyewear connoisseur.