Department of Leadership and Educational Studies

Dr. Ricks was formerly the Assistant Vice President for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and an Associate Professor of Race and Ethnicity Studies at Salem Academy and College in Winston-Salem, NC. At Salem she worked with faculty, staff and students around issues of equity, diversity and inclusion at both individual and institution levels. Prior to her appointment at Salem, Dr. Ricks was an associate professor of counseling and human services at Old Dominion University. Dr. Ricks has experience working with diverse student populations, and has worked in the community college system, an HBCU, large public and small private settings. She received her Ph. D. from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Educational Leadership and Cultural Foundations, and a Masters in Counselor Education from the Pennsylvania State University, University Park. Dr. Ricks is also a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, and a Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist. She is the current president of the North Carolina Foundation for Alcohol and Drug Studies, and a past president of the Southern Organization for Human Services. Dr. Ricks serves an editor for the Journal of Human Services, and is a reviewer for The Urban Review and The Journal of Curriculum Theorizing. Her research interests include the psychosocial wellbeing of Black women, epistemic injustice, and holistic approaches to gendered racism and trauma for Black women and girls. Dr. Ricks is the author of Psychological Tight Spaces: One Black Feminist Scholar’s Journey into Academia and Write Your Own Story: A Handbook.