Dr. Janée Burkhalter

Janée N. Burkhalter, Ph.D. is a Professor of Marketing and Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs in the Haub School of Business at Saint Joseph’s University, USA. Dr. Burkhalter teaches and researches at the intersection of entertainment, marketing strategy, and social media. She is a marketing scholar, educator, and strategist with practical experience in marketing communications, career services, entrepreneurship, diversity & inclusion. Her work has appeared in journals such as Journal of Advertising, Journal of Marketing Communications, and Business Horizons. Dr. Burkhalter is a multi-talented & highly-creative servant leader who volunteers as a member of the advisory boards of both Dare to Imagine Church and the Sickle Cell Disease Association of American Philadelphia/Delaware Valley Chapter.

Dr. Xavier Brown

Xavier Brown is a native of Philadelphia, particularly West Philadelphia. He is a product of the Philadelphia School system, first-generation college student, Gates Millennium Scholar, and a former collegiate basketball player. Dr. Brown holds a Bachelors' degree from Immaculata University in Psychology and Sports Communication, a Masters degree from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education (GSE) in School and Mental Health Counseling and a Doctoral degree from the IDEPEL program at Saint Joseph's University. Dr. Brown has served in many roles within alternative, public, and higher education as a Counselor, Coordinator, Advisor, Director, and Principal. Dr. Brown currently serves as the Director of Postsecondary Readiness at the School District of Philadelphia.

Dr. Brown's heart work focuses on bridging the gap between secondary and postsecondary education by providing access, exposure, opportunities, and support to first-generation students of color in urban areas and developing Early College High School models. Dr. Brown's dissertation was titled: Lift Every Voice and Sing: A case study examining the Early College High School experiences of first-generation and second-generation African American alumni. His dissertation was tailored to his passion of building bridges between secondary and postsecondary education, as it examined the role of various student support factors and how those factors influenced students' academic achievement, graduation, and matriculation into continued post secondary education.

Outside of academia, Dr. Brown is currently developing a Private Counseling Practice, where he will specialize in working with and supporting underserved youth of color and their families, African American males, and student-athletes. His mission is to provide safe spaces for compassion, respect, and mentorship while aiding his clients in attaining what they are most certainly able to accomplish with guidance and mentorship. Dr. Brown also enjoys sports, traveling, entrepreneurship, trying new foods, and learning about diverse cultures.