Meet the Staff
Jazmyne Kellogg, Director
jkello3@illinois.edu
Jazmyne Kellogg is the Director of the Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. A native of Homewood, IL, Jazmyne received her bachelor’s degree in sociology with a minor in psychology from Illinois Wesleyan University. She then went on to work for the University of Illinois as an Admissions Counselor in the Chicago Satellite Office. Her passions lie at the intersections of social justice and educational policy. Her experiences navigating the intricacies of the educational system inspired her to pursue a Master’s degree in education policy from the University of Washington. Jazmyne brings a diverse skill set to the institution from program and policy creation, evaluation, implementation and assessment to her uncanny ability to be innovative and create and facilitate workshops.
While serving at BNAACC, she hopes to continue the fight for the visibility, recognition, and celebration of all Black students with the goal to maximize equity, access, and opportunity for them and all Illinois’ students.
Cherisse Smith, Assistant Director
cherisse@illinois.edu
My name is Resse Johnson and I am so excited to be serving our students as the new Assistant Director of the Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center. I hail from Detroit, Michigan and have spent the last six years living in the Chicago area. I completed by Bachelor of Social Work at Northern Michigan University in 2016. Following that, I attended Southern Illinois University-Carbondale where I obtained by Masters in Higher Education and Student Affairs. I have spent the vast majority of my professional career supporting Black students and helping them to feel welcome. Whether advising Black student organizations or curating events that celebrate Black culture in all its facets, helping Black students find a home away from home has always been at the forefront of my practice. I look forward to being a part of all the amazing work done at BNAACC.
Valeri Nesbitt-Howard, Office Support Specialist
vahoward@illinois.edu
Valeri Nesbitt-Howard, joined the Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center (BNAACC) staff in January of 2015 as the Office Support Associate. She assists with the day-to-day operations of the BNAACC including greeting callers and visitors, purchasing programming supplies, managing the facilities, scheduling space requests, processing paperwork, and maintaining financial records. Valeri attended Central State University and majored in Communications. Currently in her free time she enjoys spending time with her lovely family as well as her church family, Jericho Missionary Baptist Church, loves traveling, networking, reading, mentoring and cooking. Val will continue to help build, encourage, and inspire others as they pursue their life journeys. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13