Education
Ed.D. University of Southern California
M.S. Communication, Middle Tennessee State University
B.S. Journalism, Tennessee State University
Academic Summary
Aerial Ellis is a visiting assistant professor of writing, rhetoric, and technical communication in the Department of English at the University of Memphis. A scholar-practitioner, her research examines strategic communication, intercultural communication competence, organizational culture, public relations, intergenerational leadership, and artificial intelligence, with an interdisciplinary focus on how communication, culture, power, and identity shape organizations and society.
Selected Scholarship
Books
Publications
"Due Process or Disparate Impact? Disrupting the Long Game of Tenure & Promotion: A Correlational Study of Strategic Tactics Perpetuating Disparities for Faculty of Color." Management Faculty of Color Association, 2025.
"Black Joy Syllabus: A Guide for Resistance, Healing, and Celebration Through Music."Digital Collection, 2025.
"The Double Burden: A Case Study on Black Women’s Civic Loyalty and Economic Disposability in the U.S. Post-Election Labor Market." Manuscript in preparation, 2026.
Presentations
"Guardians of Truth: Black Women Disrupting AI Bias and Misinformation." HBCU EdTech Summit, Atlanta, GA. 2026.
"The First-Generation Millionaire Mindset: Identity, Wealth, and Knowledge Creation in Communities of Color." Paper presented at the International Conference on Knowledge, Culture, and Change in Organizations, University of Nicosia, Nicosia, Cyprus. 2025.
"How Do You Know It’s Working? Conducting Organizational Assessments for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion." International Conference on Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations, University of Curaçao, Willemstad, Curaçao. 2022.
"Lessons in Leadership for the Millennial Generation." South by Southwest EDU (SXSWedu), Austin, TX. 2017.