Nadia Bodie-Smith, from Nassau, Bahamas, holds an interdisciplinary PhD in Fine Arts in Acting/Directing & Arts Administration from Texas Tech University, a B.A. in Music/Vocal Performance from Florida Memorial University, and an M.A. in Theatre Arts from Bowling Green State University. She is currently an Assistant Professor at North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina. Dr. Bodie-Smith recently directed the NCCU production of "Dreamgirls" and was recently awarded Humanities Teacher of the Year for the NCCU College or Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities. She also serves as prop designer for all NCCU productions. Prior to NCCU, Dr. Bodie-Smith spent thirteen years in the Department of Speech and Theatre (now the Department of Art and Theatre) at Jackson State University in Jackson, MS, where she served as Associate Professor and Director of the Camp STARS Theatre Summer Camp. While at JSU, Dr. Bodie-Smith has directed the mainstage productions "Harlem Renaissance", "Karma", "Damn Yankees", "Ruined", and "The Wiz". She also served as the primary costume and prop designer, box office manager, and promotions and marketing director for all JSU theatre productions from 2008 through Spring of 2019. Dr. Bodie-Smith's research interests involve diversity on and off stage and using the media to teach acting techniques. She hopes that her role as a teacher will provide an environment to motivate and inspire great leaders, open-minded, creative thinkers and free spirits who laugh a little too loud.