Keisha Reynolds
Big dreams and desires were part of Keisha Reynolds’ makeup as a young girl in the Detroit area.
“I had considered schools in Michigan and Ohio, but a visit with my mother to the Ferris campus was very significant for both of us,” Reynolds said. “I had learned about the university in a college fair, so we came to Big Rapids. I quickly fell in love with Ferris and its campus and my Mom said, ‘I can see you going here.’ It turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made.”
Keisha has long understood and applied her high-energy approach to all things academic and social, which extended to her learning, working and other efforts on the Ferris campus.
“I did almost everything I could, in terms of organizational involvement, which included helping the Student Government Association establish ‘The Big Event,’ along with promoting a readership campaign and serving as a social media specialist,” Reynolds said. “I helped found the Black Student Union, went for membership in Lambda Pi Eta Communication Honor Society and Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society, and joined Gamma Epsilon Tau Professional Fraternity. These involvements prepared me for real-world activities like team building, strategizing, speaking before an audience and promoting ideas. The roles I had at Ferris were all a huge benefit to the work I have done in my career, very foundational in helping me build experience and grow my success.”
Reynolds finds great pride in her contribution for black students at Ferris, and her place in the university’s seminal efforts to engage audiences online as a student worker in University Advancement and Marketing.
“As a student worker, the first platforms that I learned how to market on were Facebook and Twitter,” Keisha said. “It was pivotal, as I was able to put into practice the theories I was learning in class, by designing communications, writing, and conducting interviews for content. My coursework helped me in all my efforts on campus.”
Reynolds earned her Bachelor of Science in Journalism and Technical Communication in 2012 and followed up on another phase of her intentions, by taking her talents out of state.
“Perhaps it was divine circumstance, since I would tell my parents from a very young age that I wanted to go to Virginia,” Reynolds said. “When I considered my graduate school options there, I found the best match for my intentions was at Norfolk State University, so I applied and was accepted.”
Once again, Keisha dove into the opportunity with eyes open for all possibilities to learn and contribute to her new community.
“As I pursued my master’s degree, I completed an internship with Norfolk State University’s Communications office as a graduate assistant,” Reynolds said. “That was a great experience, where I was allowed to contribute. So many doors opened for me, including becoming a founding board member of the Hampton Roads Black Chamber of Commerce, Black BRAND.”
Reynolds earned her Master of Arts in Media and Communications, Public Relations in 2015 from NSU. Thereafter, Keisha started her career, working for a private school in Norfolk, in addition to establishing K&R Communications LLC just months thereafter, an agency designed to help corporate clients and faith-based organizations navigate online strategies to engage and enrich their audiences.
“I am leading my agency from Detroit now, though the company continues its mission in greater Norfolk,” Reynolds said. “Working with clients is so vastly different from when I began. The landscape is ever-changing, with the incorporation of video elements growing in importance these last few years. You test things on behalf of your clients to try and build their success. It requires being ever present as a student and professional, in terms of knowing what the market is offering to accentuate our results.”
The ability to deliver on a variety of fronts simultaneously remained Reynolds’ mode of operation, as she developed a women’s empowerment network, EmpoweringHER in 2016 and and in the following year, she joined the faculty of Hampton University.
“As the lead professor in Strategic Communications, I taught Principles of Public Relations, Web Design and Development, Brand/Marketing Campaigns, Crisis Communications, Social Media and Analytics and the Capstone course for the curriculum,” Keisha said. “I found I love teaching as much as all my other endeavors. The class included students getting involved with case studies and real-world projects that shared media messages and established success for their work post-college. I also was the advisor for Hampton’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America. Students in Hampton’s Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications were eager to learn, and a joy to engage with.”
Add the roles of keynote speaker and author to Reynolds’ resume in her later years in Virginia, with contributions to the works “SpeakUp! The Ultimate Guide to Dominate in the Speaking Industry” and “Sister Leaders: Reflections and Success Stories of Women Leaders Who Purposely Collaborate With Other Women,” which were Amazon #1 best-sellers in 2019 and 2021, respectively.
“Being a writer is a natural facet of my professional abilities,” Reynolds said. “I believe there are ideas and concepts I can provide that can be of benefit to others. My role in speaking engagements is being set aside for a while, so I can focus on consulting, but I am open to and intend to return to such opportunities in the future.”
In 2022, Keisha returned to Michigan and to teaching, and learning, with service as an adjunct member of the Department of Communication at Wayne State University, and with entry this fall in Liberty University’s School of Communication and the Arts’ doctoral program.
“My instruction in Business Communications helps students explore how to best offer a message, through internal and external presentations, and in corporate settings. It is different than my past instruction in strategic communications, but I have the skill set to succeed, with theory and practice elements that resonate with my students. I am just into the doctoral program, with great excitement about what this learning will provide me. I desire to become a tenured professor and continue teaching at a greater level. I love what I do in my agency and sharing that experience of real-world application in the classroom.”
With the rapid pace of working, teaching and learning continuing, Reynolds paused to consider how her Ferris experience provided the knowledge and confidence to continue her good works after her campus experience, and again in her hometown.
“I always felt that the chance to do great things was before me,” Keisha said. “I feel there will be other new opportunities to pursue excellence. Each experience has allowed me to proceed confidently into anything I do and I seek to give the best message possible, to whatever audience I encounter.”