Nicole Hodges Persley, PhD

Nicole Hodges Persley, Ph.D., is an accomplished higher education leader, nationally recognized scholar-artist, and strategic innovator currently serving as Vice Provost for Community Impact at the University of Kansas. With a career spanning academic leadership, interdisciplinary scholarship, and creative practice, she is widely regarded for advancing institutional missions through community-engaged research, public scholarship, and cross-sector partnerships.

As Vice Provost, Dr. Hodges Persley provides executive leadership for initiatives that strengthen the university’s role as a public-facing, community-engaged institution. She has led efforts to align institutional priorities with the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification framework, expand equitable partnerships, and elevate the visibility and impact of faculty, staff, and student engagement. Her leadership bridges academic affairs, the arts, and community stakeholders, positioning the university as a model for integrating scholarship with civic responsibility.

An award-winning professor of American Studies and African and African American Studies, with affiliated appointments in Theatre & Dance and Film & Media Studies, Dr. Hodges Persley brings a deeply interdisciplinary approach to teaching and research. Her scholarship centers on Black performance, Hip-Hop theater, and global majority expressive cultures, contributing significantly to contemporary conversations in performance studies and cultural analysis.

She is the author and editor of multiple influential books, including Sampling and Remixing Blackness in Hip-Hop Theater and Performance (University of Michigan Press), Black Matters: The Lewis Morrow Plays (Bloomsbury/Methuen Drama), Hip-Hop in Musical Theater (Bloomsbury), and Diva: Feminism and Fierceness from Pop to Hip-Hop (Bloomsbury). Her work demonstrates a sustained commitment to amplifying underrepresented voices and reshaping the canon of performance scholarship.

Beyond the academy, Dr. Hodges Persley is an experienced arts leader and creative producer. She previously served as Artistic Director of KC Melting Pot Theatre, where she directed critically acclaimed productions and developed new works centering African American experiences. She is also the co-founder of CreateEnsemble.com, a digital platform supporting artists and collaborators of the global majority, and the founder of The Black Performance Project, a digital humanities initiative preserving and curating Black performance histories.

Dr. Hodges Persley holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in American Studies & Ethnicity from the University of Southern California, an M.A. in African American Studies from UCLA, and a B.A. in French from Spelman College, where she graduated summa cum laude. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi and maintains professional affiliations with SAG-AFTRA and the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.

A visionary leader at the intersection of scholarship, creativity, and public engagement, Dr. Hodges Persley is committed to fostering institutional transformation and cultivating the next generation of scholars, artists, and leaders.

Social Media: @nikstagedoc (Instagram)