A deep dive into leadership issues

In post-Civil War Richmond, many Blacks labored in unventilated tobacco plants filled with dense smog. Working without the protection of gloves, they absorbed nicotine through their hands, not to mention in their lungs when smoking or breathing the contaminated air that permeated their redlined neighborhoods downwind from the plants.

Fast forward to 2022 when leadership studies major Craig Caudill started working under Dr. Robert Nelson in the Digital Scholarship Lab. Caudill conducted NIH-funded research on the social determinants of health in Richmond. Using data sourced from the Richmond Cemetery Collaboratory, he assessed Black stroke mortality across time and space. He noticed something striking: Black stroke mortality declined significantly following 1937-1941 labor activism, when Blacks organized to demand better pay and working conditions.

In his co-authored abstract published in the American Heart Association journal Stroke, Caudill concludes, “Labor activism was a critical social determinant of health that played a key role in reducing stroke mortality among Black workers in Richmond’s tobacco industry during the 20th century.”

He presented his findings at the International Stroke Conference held Feb. 5-7 in Los Angeles. Now he is expanding upon his research for his senior honors thesis, with Dr. Lauren Henley serving as his faculty mentor. “This interdisciplinary project draws on history, epidemiology, and geographic methods to make an argument,” he said.

Caudill’s research ignited his interest in epidemiology. Following graduation, he plans to pursue a master’s of public health in epidemiology at the University of Michigan on a full-tuition scholarship.

Two weeks after the stroke conference, three Jepson undergraduates and three 2024 alumnae co-presented their research with Jepson faculty mentor Crystal Hoyt at the 2025 Society for Personality and Social Psychology Convention in Denver.

Senior Amal Ali presented on the psychology behind U.S. foreign policy toward Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. The impact of Florida’s “Don't Say Gay” bill on LGBTQ+ students was the subject of senior Maddie Fellner’s poster session. Junior Emma McCauley spoke about gender biases in leadership hiring. Jepson Class of 2024 alums Alafair Cutler, Shelby Mokricky, and Eve Ridenhour shared their research ranging from public health messaging to women in leadership.

A fourth Jepson student, leadership studies and psychology major Abby Smith, and psychology faculty mentor Adam Stanaland co-presented research on intimate partner conflict.  

“At the convention, I built connections with students similarly invested in the topic I am researching,” Ali said. “This research experience taught me quantitative analysis skills that will carry into my career in public policy. I'm well prepared for more advanced research projects because of the work I've done in Jepson.” 

Closer to home, sophomores Alex Harry and Katherine Stobie attended the civic-engagement IMPACT Conference held Feb. 27-March 1 at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. They presented a proposal that grew out of a project they completed in Dr. Henley’s community-based-learning class, Justice and Civil Society. Students dedicated 45 hours to one of four projects related to the historic African-American Woodland Cemetery in Northeast Richmond.

“Working hand-in-hand with the Woodland Restoration Foundation, our group created a detailed plan for a fourth-grade field trip to the cemetery,” Stobie said. It included visits to four stations dedicated to arts and crafts; STEM; tennis great and civil rights activist Arthur Ashe, who is buried at Woodland; and the discovery of stories of everyday people interred there. 

“Our proposal was well received by the foundation and by Arthur Ashe’s cousin, in particular,” she said. “I want to work in libraries, so this project was right up my alley.”

Funding students’ research and conference travel is a Jepson School priority, said Dean Sandra Peart: “Our students explore their scholarly interests through research. When they present at conferences, they fine-tune their subject matter knowledge, while honing their public-speaking and critical-thinking skills. For many, it is an opportunity to explore future academic and career paths.”