Martin Luther King Center Staff
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Ja'Mahl McDaniel, M.A. | Director In his role as Director, Ja'Mahl collaborates with the King Center team in creating programs and campus-wide initiatives for the UK community. Ja’Mahl brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to King Center having facilitated dialogues, diversity trainings and possesses a plethora of other skills. As a proud of alum of UK, Ja’Mahl is determined to be an advocate and change agent for students as they pursue their education.
Jasmine Prince, M.Ed. | Associate Director Jasmine is a native of Birmingham, Alabama and is a proud alum of the University of Alabama at Birmingham where she earned her bachelors in Psychology. Jasmine also holds a Masters in College Student Affairs from the University of South Florida. Throughout her career in higher education Jasmine has led programs and initiatives centered on student success, diversity education, social justice, student organization development, and leadership development. In her role as Associate Director, she supports the Director with strategic planning, supervises the King Center interns, and leads programs with a variety of campus partners. She is dedicated to helping students find space to thrive as they navigate their collegiate journey. |
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Ruth González Jiménez | Latino Community Specialist Ruth is from Jalisco, México, but grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. She earned her Bachelor’s degree at UK in History in the College of Arts & Sciences, with a focus in Latin American and African American histories in May, 2017. During her time as a student, she was a founding member the Latino Student Union and a founding sister of UK’s Colony of Sigma Lambda Gamma National Sorority, Incorporated. Ruth was also actively involved in serving the greater Lexington Latino/immigrant community, and held a position at Lexington’s only bilingual library (Village Branch). Upon graduating, Ruth was hired as the first Latino Student Community Specialist at the University of Kentucky. Through this role, she continues to serve as a resource to students, while advising the Latino Student Union, Collegiate Curls, & Leading Latinas: A Mentorship Program, and initiates programmatic efforts aimed at improving the sense of belonging and retention of Latino students through the seeAzul: Latino Student Programming Series. |
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Melody Hall | Administrative Support Associate Melody is an integral part of the MLK Center. She supports the Director and both professional staff team members as an office manager. Melody has worked for UK for 15 years and earned her bachelor’s degree from the College of Environmental Sciences now the College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment. Also, She completed the three UK business certifications in 2016. She is located in the Gatton Student Center. Furthermore, one of her greatest achievements was being commissioned to be a Kentucky Colonel in 2016. This is very important to her because making a difference in the community is one of her top priorities. Lastly, she loves working with students and making a difference in their lives. |
2021-2022 MLK Interns
Payton Anderson | Graphic Design Intern
Classification: Senior
Major: Digital Media & Design
"I’m passionate sports, fashion, culture, shoes, and integrating all of those passions into design and cretaivity."
Jordan Brown | My Brother's Keeper Intern
Classification: Junior
Major: Media Arts & Studies
Outside Involvement: Membership chair for National Society of Black Engineers, Photographer/Historian for Underground Perspective, Activity Coordinator for Black Student Union, Male representative for Collegiate Curls, K-Week leader, Social Media Intern for Diversity Career Series.
"I am passionate about bringing my people together in a positive setting and making everyone feel included because at one point in my life, I felt like I didn't really have a place or belong. So I try to create an environment where people don't have to go through what I wet through growing up."
Tomari Epps | Signature Progams Intern
Classification: Junior
Major: Psychology with a minor in Criminology
Outside Involvement: Eternal Relations Director for Underground Perspective (UGP) and Community Service Chairwomen for Blak is Gold.
" I am passionate about helping people in the African-American community, specifically creating spaces for them where they can feel comfortable."
Claudia Fernandez Home | Graphic Design Intern
Classification: Sophomore
Major: Art Education
Outside Involvement: Diversity Career Series Student Board
"I'm passionate about art."
Alexis Holmes | Multimedia Intern
Classification: Senior
Major: Public Health
Outside Involvement: Track and Field All-American, 2019 SEC 400m Champion, Member of the Black Student-Athlete Advisory Group, Member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee
"I am passionate about social justice, mitigating racial disparities in health, and being a role model for young girls to encourage them to patriciate in sports and embrace their abilities despite historical gender stereotypes in athletics. "
Chloe Kellom | Sister Cirlce Intern
Classification: Junior
Major: Nursing
Outside Involvement: Black is Gold Vice President, UKCON Dean's BARN Committee, Iota Sigma Chapter of Alpha Kappa alpha Sorority, Inc.
"I am passionate about eliminating the stigma around mental health in minority communities especially amongst adolescents and young adults. I am also passionate about helping anyone who is in need whether they are high school students, my peers, or the patients that I help treat in the hospital. In my free time I love watching true crime and makeup stories."
Noah Waters | Signature Programs Intern
Classification: Senior
Major: Secondary Education in Social Studies with a minor in Political Science
Outside Involvement: Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc., Social media chair for African Student Association, and Ambassador for Underground Perspective
"I'm passionate about giving kids like me an opportunity to do better. I grew up in Los Angeles and this has led me to want more for my community and for kids like me."