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EDUCATION Parsons The New School for Design Master of Arts in Fashion Studies Thesis Title: Black, The Color We Wear – Representing Blackness in American Fashion University of Missouri – Columbia, Missouri Bachelor of Journalism Minor in Black Studies PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE ASSISTANTSHIPS Research Assistant, Nadia Williams; February 2016-Present

§ Worked with Director of Parsons Scholars Program on event planning for events targeted toward high school students interested in careers in the arts

Teacher’s Assistant, Dr. Christina Moon; January 2016-Present § Led classroom of graduate students in discussions on the intersections of fashion and culture covering

topics such as sustainability, consumerism and design practices Teacher’s Assistant, Anya Kurrenaya; August 2015-Present

§ Led classroom of undergraduate students in fall and spring semester; Graded and assigned course work; Developed additional opportunities in order to help students better understand how to research fashion in a social context

Research Assistant, Dr. Christina Moon; April 2015-December 2015 § Organized and copy-edited documents for Dr. Moon’s forthcoming book on fast fashion; Researched articles

on the globalization of the fashion industry in China for Dr. Moon’s presentation at Lund University’s “Focus Asia” Conference; Pulled, scanned and copied readings for Dr. Moon’s New York Fashion course

SOCIAL MEDIA Social Media Coordinator, Parsons The New School for Design; August 2014-Present

§ Worked with graduate department director to redesign blog and create social media accounts § Planned weekly social media content through Hootsuite for Twitter, Facebook and Instagram § Worked with students and alumni to create content related to students’ work and activities

WRITING Contributing Writer, Man Repeller, New York, New York; February 2016-Present

§ Contributed articles on fashion and diversity § Assisted editor with brainstorming topics and requesting interviews

Contributing Writer, Mic.com, New York, New York; August 2015-Present § Worked with Lifestyle Editor to brainstorm angles for New York Fashion Week § Attended Pyer Moss’ New York Fashion Week show // Interviewed founder and creative director // To date,

story has been read more than 100,000 times on website and shared more than 7,000 times § Pitched varying stories that related to fashion and style in a social context

Fashion Writer & Contributing Writer, Bustle, New York, New York; September 2014-Present § Pitched breaking fashion news stories to online weekend editor § Covered local fashion previews, clothing and beauty launches § Hired as the primary street style photographer for New York Fashion Week February 2015

Editorial Assistant, ALIVE Magazine, St. Louis, Missouri; July 2014-August 2014

RIKKI BYRD  

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§ Met crucial deadlines, such as copyediting and fact-checking the book before it went to print and managing weekly event requests for photographers

§ Managed a team of four editorial interns by overseeing web and events uploads and fact-checking; also oversaw recruitment of fall editorial interns

§ Wrote online stories on fashion, music and the local scene, as well as researched local events MARKETING Communications and Marketing Intern, Creative Time Inc., New York, New York; June 2015-August 2015

§ Researched best practices for organization to incorporate social media influencers into its projects/ presented findings to communications and development departments

§ Led communications and development department in drafting the organization's 2014 annual report // Pulled pictures and press quotes // Managed master draft document that included content to be included in report

§ Assisted the educational program director and executive assistant in researching and analyzing best practices for writing organization's diversity report

§ Created press packet for organization's 2015 spring arts project, Drifting in Daylight, which was sent to sponsors, partners and more

Direct Client Services Intern, MBS Textbooks, Columbia, Missouri; June 2012-June 2013 § Contacted major publishing houses, such as McGraw-Hill and Random House, to obtain due dates for

textbooks § Worked alongside the Marketing Director to produce relevant and entertaining posts for the office’s online

newsletter § Researched more than 100 colleges and universities’ online programs to assist supervisor with obtaining

new accounts Arts Marketing Intern, Regional Arts Commission, St. Louis, Missouri; May 2011-August 2011

§ Worked closely with Marketing Director to develop and design fliers for events hosted and sponsored by Commission

§ Created advertising manual guide for incoming interns including best practices for creating advertisements, copy for marketing materials and color schemes

§ Managed the commission’s social media accounts during an event with the County Executive of St. Louis County

PUBLIC RELATIONS Community Relations Coordinator, Mission: St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri; November 2013-June 2014

§ Led communications and development team during “Give STL Day” by developing copy for marketing materials and social media // My leadership led the organization to raising $20,750

§ Researched and wrote grants helping the organization gain more than $90,000 in funding toward programs § Wrote and edited organization’s marketing materials for print and online including brochures, fliers, website

banners and Constant Contact emails ADMINISTRATIVE Office Assistant, University of Missouri Black Studies Program, Columbia, Missouri; January 2010-May 2012

§ Assisted chair of Black Studies Program, Dr. Wilma King, with editing footnotes for second edition book § Sat on Black History Month Committee and acted as liaison between student groups and committee § Designed fliers for programming and edited Black Studies website

LEADERSHIP Founder and Co-Coordinator, Fashion and Diversity Event Series at The New School; August 2015-Present

§ Worked closely with Dean of Fashion at Parsons to organize a semester-long series that cultivated collaborations with Parsons and other schools within The New School

§ Located funding opportunities within the university § Oversaw scheduling of events, inviting guests and confirming budgets

External Communications Coordinator, The New School AfroFuturism Conference; January 2015-May 2015 § Developed partnership with MoCADA to host conference’s kickoff party § Managed outreach team and oversaw emails to potential businesses for partnerships and sponsorships

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§ Organized fashion panel featuring African and African American designers // Curated exhibit of designers’ collections

Founder and Executive Editor, SCULPT Magazine, August 2010-Present § Founded and launched arts magazine to promote young emerging artists of all genres from across the

nation § Created and managed publication’s social media accounts § Recruited and managed contributing writers and photographers in California, St. Louis, Columbia, Mo., New

York and Chicago RESEARCH AND TEACHING INTERESTS Fashion history, African American/Africana/Black Studies, representations of African Americans in the media, key concepts and theories of fashion studies, race in popular culture, history of fashion during the Transatlantic Slave Trade, fashion and the body, fashion in film, fashion and hip-hop RELEVANT COURSES

§ New York Fashion (Graduate) § Hip Hop and Fashion (Graduate) § Advanced Thesis Prep (Graduate) § Fashion, History and Mediation (Graduate) § Fashion and the Body (Graduate) § Key Concepts in Fashion Studies (Graduate) § Cities, Innovation and Design (Graduate) § Fashion Cultures (Graduate) § Interpreting Fashion (Graduate) § Fashion and Film (Graduate) § Racial Economic Disparities (Graduate) § Introduction to Fashion Studies (Teacher’s Assistant) § Fashion Cultures (Teacher’s Assistant)

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS Panel Presentation Byrd, R. (2016, March). Black the Color We Wear: Representing Blackness in American Fashion, Parsons Festival Graduate Symposium, New York, New York. Panel Presentation Byrd, R., Stephanie Herold, Myles Ethan Lascity. (2015, April). Black: The Color We Wear, The Temporality of Blackness in the Fashion Industry, Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association National Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana. PUBLICATIONS Byrd, R., Rachel Lifter, Agnes Rocamora, et.al. (Forthcoming).Black Fashion Studies. International Journal of Fashion Studies: Open Space Byrd, R. (2016). Harlem Style. Man Repeller. Byrd, R. (2016). Looking the Part: The Liberation and Criminalization of Black Masculinity Through Style and Adornment. BIAS: Journal of Dress Practice. Byrd, R. (2015). This Designer Stopped Everyone in Their Tracks With a Fashion Show About Police Brutality. Mic. Byrd, R. (2015). The ‘Teen Vogue’ August 2015 Cover Should Definitely Be Celebrated But Here’s What We’re Not Saying. Bustle. Byrd, R. (2015). Black: The Color We Wear, The Temporality of Blackness in the Fashion Industry. Insights.

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HONORS & AWARDS Student The New School’s Outstanding Student Program of the Year Award (Nominee); 2016 Student Parsons The New School for Design Travel Grant; 2015 Student Parsons’ Dean Award; 2014-2015, 2015-2016 Student University Scholarship; 2014-2015, 2015-2016 Recipient Halucinated 2014 Graduate Student Scholarship; 2014 Recipient Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Start-Up Magazine Award; 2013 Recipient Delta Sigma Theta Humanitarian Award; 2013 Recipient Black Women Rock! Rising Star Award; 2013 Student University of Missouri School of Journalism Dean’s List; 2011, 2012, 2013 Recipient University of Missouri Multicultural Scholarship; 2012 Student University of Missouri Arts and Science Dean’s List; 2009, 2010, 2011 Recipient University of Missouri TRiO Scholarship; 2010 Recipient, University of Missouri Diversity Award; 2009-2013 SKILLS Effective Writing Skills | Basic Knowledge in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign, | Enthusiasm for Research | Confident in AP Style | Successful in Teaching Undergraduate Students | Basic Knowledge in Blackboard and Canvas | Basic Knowledge in Content Management Systems | Fervent Social Media Connoisseur | Works Well Under Pressure | Ability to Meet Deadlines | Exemplary Leader | Knack for Organization | Willingness to Learn | Excellent in Relationship Building | Motivated Self-Starter