Everything Nac

Stephen F. Austin State University students in the Rusche College of Business traveled to Boston to participate in the Sport Marketing Association conference.

During the conference, students competed in the Aspire Group Case Study Bowl where they were assigned a real-world client and tasked with solving the client’s marketing problem. This year’s client was a Division I basketball program in Boston, and students needed to address the program’s low attendance, low return of first-time attendees and poor fan experience at games. SFA competed against various universities from across the nation.

Dr. Jason Reese, sports business program director and assistant professor at SFA, led the trip and explained many of the SFA students who attended were members of the Sports Business Society.

“This was the first case-study competition students in the Sports Business Society, or any sports business student for that matter, have competed in,” Reese said. “They learned how to take a problem facing the industry and find realistic, innovative and effective solutions.”

To kick off the competition, students created a “war room” the day before the project was due to brainstorm and strategize. They submitted their project and presented solutions to a panel of judges who are professionals in the field.

Along with competing, students attended workshops and research presentations, as well as visited local attractions, including a social at Fenway Park. Students also received tickets to a Boston Celtics game and to the Harvard University versus Yale University men’s hockey game.

“As the leading association for sport marketers, the Sport Marketing Association is dedicated to developing mutually beneficial relationships between professionals, academicians and students around the world through the creation, distribution and implementation of sport marketing knowledge via networking, scholarly activities and career opportunities,” according to sportmarketingassociation.org.

By Kasi Dickerson, senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.

It’s a simple necklace, nothing too fancy. The triangular shape and blue stone may go unnoticed by most, but for Dr. Nina Ellis-Hervey, director of Stephen F. Austin State University’s School Psychology Assessment Center and associate professor, it’s a reminder of what she stands for: strength, confidence and power.

While she admits she doesn’t wear the necklace every day, Ellis-Hervey always tries to include blue in her wardrobe.

“Blue is a color often associated with males, but for me, it’s a symbol of confidence and power,” Ellis-Hervey said.

As an associate professor and center director, Ellis-Hervey has the power to change student lives every day, and she also doubles as a video blogger who inspires millions of viewers worldwide.

Life as an associate professor

Psychology wasn’t always the plan for Ellis-Hervey. As an undergraduate at Truman State University, she entered college as a biology major with hopes of becoming an OB-GYN.

“My uncle was one of the most prominent people in my family, and he was an OB-GYN. I shadowed him and thought, ‘I don’t like this because you don’t really get to talk to people,’” she said. “I wanted to affect people’s lives. A lot of people in my family hadn’t been successful, so of course I was thinking of a career in terms of money.”

In college, Ellis-Hervey enrolled in a behavior modification course with a well-known psychologist who changed her outlook on life and encouraged her to pursue psychology.

Now, she is a licensed psychologist, nationally certified school psychologist, licensed specialist in school psychology in Texas, certified professional life coach and soon-to-be certified personal trainer.

In 2011, she became a certified online instructor for the Department of Human Services at SFA. Since then, she has advanced to associate professor and director of the School Psychology Assessment Center, which she helped establish in 2014. The center is a clinical and research resource for students and serves the SFA and Nacogdoches communities. She teaches psychological assessment courses and adolescent psychopathology while overseeing students working in the center. The allure of a new program drew her to SFA.

“I wanted to be a part of something that was growing. I didn’t want to be in a carved-out place or just a warm body fulfilling someone else’s purpose,” Ellis-Hervey said. “I wanted the experience of starting a center and something that needed guidance.”

SFA was a perfect fit for Ellis-Hervey, and during her time amid the pines, she has impacted hundreds of students.

“My students feel very comfortable with me because I know how to correspond with them. I really care about their agenda and how they will be as real-world practitioners and psychologists,” Ellis-Hervey said.

Ellis-Hervey has worked with many students to further their careers and become certified licensed psychologists. She has traveled with students to conferences and has had her work published with her student’s work in academic journals.

Life as a video blogger

Known as “Dr. Nina” both in the classroom and online, Ellis-Hervey’s rise to internet fame was an accident.

Years ago, Ellis-Hervey lost more than 100 pounds and began learning how to live a holistic, healthy life.

“I had attempted weight loss many times, and I would always laugh and say I’d go on a diet for six hours,” Ellis-Hervey said. “This time, I decided I wanted to go on a journey.”

With a determined attitude, she created her own weight loss program by purchasing two fitness and weight loss books online. After a year, she reached her goal of living a healthier lifestyle, but her journey didn’t end with the weight loss. Her friend encouraged her to share her experience on YouTube.

“I thought nobody wants to see me talk about weight loss; most want to see people lose weight on camera,” she recalled.

Regardless of her initial skepticism, Ellis-Hervey decided to give it a shot and recorded her story with pictures of her transformation and posted it on YouTube. Months later, she checked her video and realized it had thousands of views and comments.

“It was raw and real, which is why I think it got the views it did. I think people thought, ‘She’s just like me. She’s not scared of talking about this,’” Ellis-Hervey said. “I took power in my own story.”

Soon, Ellis-Hervey began posting regular videos on YouTube. Many of her videos are tutorials for health and beauty tips and others focus on her life. She now has 600,000 YouTube subscribers and more than 36 million video views on her channel BeautifulBrwnBabyDol.

“My blog name represents three Bs and one D — a three-dimensional person who is spiritually, physically, and emotionally sound and well,” she said. “Also, dolls are made to tell a story, and I have a story to tell. Dolls are passed down through generations. They might get messed up, but they can always be fixed, and a transformation can occur.”

Buzzfeed named her YouTube channel a top 10 natural hair blog, and she has been featured in magazines and television shows, including People, Essence, Ebony, HLN News Live, the Jeff Probst Show, Inside Edition, Extra, The Grio, Refinery29 and more. Additionally, she has served as a guest speaker at various universities and participated in a TED Talk.

The next step

Since she was a child, Ellis-Hervey has had the “gift of gab,” and she plans to launch her new Dr. Nina Ellis-Hervey website to share her story and continue inspiring and educating others on holistic health and self-empowerment.

Through her new site, she will offer video courses and weekly newsletters. Her goals are to self-publish mini eBooks and eventually publish a book.

She splits her time between Houston and Nacogdoches to juggle life as a professor and blogger. For her, time management is key, and she says she makes use of every moment.

“I live life like I could die tomorrow. If I had to look back on my life now, I can say I know I’ve done it. I’ve done everything I want to do,” Ellis-Hervey said, as she held back tears. “Some could say I’m not a mother or a wife yet, but that will come with time, and here’s the thing, look at what I’ve done.”

By Kasi Dickerson, senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.

Stephen F. Austin State University has received rankings on the national and state levels for its online education and affordable programs.

Nationally, Best Colleges Online ranked SFA fourth for the most affordable online master’s degree in educational leadership. Best Colleges Online “provides expert insights into the best-accredited online universities across the United States,” according to bestcollegesonline.org.

“Our master’s degree program in educational leadership continues to grow and develop, and it is an honor to receive recognition at the national level,” said Dr. Barbara Qualls, assistant professor of secondary education and educational leadership and program coordinator at SFA.

Website editors considered “the most reputable graduate online master’s in educational administration, educational leadership and closely related programs from accredited colleges and universities with a graduate tuition price under $21,000 per year.”

SFA’s nationally accredited program within the James I. Perkins College of Education offers a 30-hour master’s degree in educational leadership and an 18-hour principal certification. The program is administered entirely online through Desire to Learn, the university’s online course-delivery system. The program utilizes a scholar-practitioner approach incorporating theory and practice-based learning that focuses on research-based practices, curriculum and instructional leadership.

At the state level, Affordable Colleges Online ranked SFA as the 14th best online college. Affordable Colleges Online is a website that offers “in-depth resources that address topics, questions and concerns related to higher education with an eye on affordability and accreditation.”

SFA offers more than 20 online degree programs both at the undergraduate and graduate levels that are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Top Management Degrees, an online guide to the best management degree programs, ranked SFA’s Master of Business Administration program among its most affordable programs in the nation.

“The Rusche College of Business works very hard to deliver the highest quality program to our students,” said Dr. Mitch Crocker, director of the M.B.A. program at SFA. “We are pleased to be recognized as one of the more affordable programs.”

The M.B.A. is offered through SFA’s Rusche College of Business, and coursework can be customized to fit the student’s educational background, interests and goals. The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business accredits the program.

By Kasi Dickerson, senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.