Dr. Jeremy L. George is the Director of Jazz Studies and Assistant Professor of Music at Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, Texas. 

A native of Florida, Dr. George earned his B.S. in Music Education from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. He went on to complete both his M.M.E. and Ph.D. in Music Education at Florida State University, where his dissertation, “A Firm Foundation: Examining the Influence of Black Gospel Music on Jazz Pedagogy,” reflected his commitment to exploring the cultural foundations of jazz education. 

Before his tenure at Huston-Tillotson, Dr. George served as a public school music educator for 10 years, most notably as Director of Bands at James S. Rickards High School in Tallahassee, Florida. Dr. George is a freelance bassist who has shared the stage with Grammy Award-winning artists including Ledisi, Samara Joy, Wycliffe Gordon, and Andre Hayward. 

Waldo E. Johnson, Jr., Ph.D. is Professor at the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice and serves as Vice Provost for Diversity + Inclusion of the University of Chicago. 

He examines life course social roles of urban Black males focused on masculinity and health status effects on father involvement among urban nonresident Black fathers. His current research examines the relationship between food insecurity among Chicago nonresident Black fathers and their involvement with their children. 

His research affiliations include the Institute for Social Research and the Scholars Network on Masculinity among Black Males, both at the University of Michigan. He is a research consultant to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families’ Framing Responsible Fatherhood group, the Urban Institute and Mathematica Policy Research.