Biography
Passionate and Purpose-Driven are a few words to describe Viniece Jennings, Ph.D. She serves as the Deputy Director of an Environmental Center led by Florida A&M University. AT&T selected her as the grand honoree of its Dream in Black ‘Black Future Makers’ Program. The AT&T Dream in Black program recognizes influencers who “are brave and committed individuals we support and celebrate because they power their possibilities for themselves and more importantly, their communities.” This program has an amazing vision to publicize and provide support for leaders to empower others. Dr. Jennings previously served as an Assistant Professor of Public Health at Agnes Scott College. During her tenure at Agnes Scott, she was nominated for the Vulcan Teaching Award, led cocurricular activities to support the campus leadership conference and was selected by the senior class to give its esteemed senior investiture speech which is available on YouTube.
In 2023, Dr. Jennings graduated from the Executive Education for Sustainability Leadership program at Harvard University's School of Public Health. In 2019, she served as the lead author of the first publication to synthesize literature on urban green spaces, social cohesion, and health promotion. She was also the visionary and lead author of articles on urban green space as they relate to health disparities and social determinants of health across the United States. These articles were recognized as top research for practice in a document published by the National Recreation and Parks Association. In 2018, she was nominated and selected as a JPB Environmental Health Fellow by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University.
She has over a decade of experience with the federal government where she previously served as a research scientist with the USDA. She often explores urban green space and health in the context of ecosystem services, environmental justice, and social determinants of health. Her research is published in journals such as Nature Communications, the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, PLOS One, Environmental Justice, Healthcare, and the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. She was selected as a 'Hidden Treasure' for Women of Excellence in Science by a foundation in Atlanta and featured as a 'Smart in Beautiful' leader in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Technology, Arts, and Mathematics) careers by REIMAGE Beauty. Dr. Jennings is an expert featured in outlets such as Shondaland Media, Next City, Atlanta Magazine, Live Happy Magazine, the Conversation, and PBS. Prior to her role at the USDA, she interned at the White House Council on Environmental Quality for the Obama Administration.
In 2010, she was the only student selected to represent in the United States at the Youth Encounter to Sustainability (YES) course in Switzerland. During this program, she learned about international sustainability issues, group dynamics, environmental policy, and the arts. As an undergraduate student, she initiated and served as the campus recycling coordinator at Delaware State University. She also served as a local and regional officer for the Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences (MANRRS) organization, and member of the USDA 1890 National Scholars Program. She earned her bachelor’s in environmental science/natural resources from Delaware State University and doctorate in environmental science from Florida A&M University.