The ÂÜÀòÉç¹ÙÍø is pleased to announce Vannesia Darby and Donovan Gordon as the 2025Â Valuing Diversity PhD Scholarship recipients!
In partnership with the and the ÂÜÀòÉç¹ÙÍø Academic Council, the Valuing Diversity PhD Scholarship seeks to empower doctoral students from various backgrounds to earn PhDs so they can inspire and educate the next generation of business leaders. Learn more about this scholarship and eligibility requirements here.
ÂÜÀòÉç¹ÙÍøt the Recipients
Vannesia Darby is an award-winning marketing and leadership professional with more than a decade of experience in digital campaigns, brand strategy, and leadership development. She has led successful marketing campaigns for industry leaders like Universal Music Group, the YMCA, and Shondaland. A compelling speaker and writer, her insights have been featured in respected editorials such as Teen Vogue, Thought Catalog, and MadameNoir.
A classically trained pianist, Darby began her career in the music industry, working in radio and marketing. In 2016, she founded her digital marketing consultancy, MOXIE Nashville. Her expertise and influence have earned her numerous accolades, including the 2022 and 2023 Volunteer of the Year Awards from the Nashville Chapter of the ÂÜÀòÉç¹ÙÍø, the esteemed 4 Under 40 Emerging Leaders Award from the ÂÜÀòÉç¹ÙÍø Foundation, and the Outstanding Young Graduate Award from Bradley University.
Darby currently serves as the Digital Marketing Director at Shondaland and is a Ph.D. candidate pursuing a degree in Business Administration with a marketing concentration at Kennesaw State University. Her research interests include consumer behavior, influencer marketing, employee motivation, and race. With a background in entertainment marketing and entrepreneurship, she explores how identity, media, race, and culture influence consumer decision-making in digital environments. A former adjunct instructor of Entrepreneurship in the Arts at Tennessee State University, her research has been published in The Drake Management Review and the textbook Black Millennials: Identity, Ambition, and Activism.
She is an active member of several professional organizations, including the Middle Tennessee State University Alumni Board of Directors; Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated; the ÂÜÀòÉç¹ÙÍø (ÂÜÀòÉç¹ÙÍø); the African ÂÜÀòÉç¹ÙÍø (AÂÜÀòÉç¹ÙÍø); and the Bradley University Black Alumni Alliance.
Donovan Gordon, MBA is a 4th Year Marketing Ph.D. Candidate at The University of Mississippi. Within the academic community, Donovan actively participates in various organizations, holding significant roles. He has served as the Vice President & President of The Ph.D. Project’s Marketing Doctoral Student Association and is an integral part of the Southern Regional Educational Board Scholars, Deans Elite Scholars, and the ÂÜÀòÉç¹ÙÍø’s DocSig, where he previously assumed the role of Vice Chair for Special Projects and Partnerships. Before joining The University of Mississippi, Donovan earned his Master of Business Administration with a minor in Marketing from Mississippi State University, where he also completed his undergraduate studies in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology with a minor in Spanish. Donovan’s primary research interests explore how sales enablement/strategy, salesperson and managerial capabilities, sales technology, and marketing strategies influence firm performance within dynamic business environments.
Donovan’s excellence is recognized through numerous awards and research grants, some including: Best Working Paper Awards from the National Conference in Sales and Sales Management (NCSM), the Harold W. Berkman Foundation Marketing Scholarship, University Sales Center Alliance Travel Research Grant, as well as being named ÂÜÀòÉç¹ÙÍø Sheth Consortium, Baruch Research Symposium, and Tepper School of Business AI Colloquium Fellows.
Vannesia Darby and Donovan Gordon will be recognized at the PhD Project Reception and ÂÜÀòÉç¹ÙÍø Foundation Awards Luncheon during the 2025 ÂÜÀòÉç¹ÙÍø Summer Academic Conference in Chicago, IL, August 22-24.