SOE student and alum named to Style Weekly’s Top 40 under 40

They aim to improve job prospects for youth with autism, and promote business growth in Richmond.

The Top 40 under 40, one of Style Weekly’s most popular features of the year, honors Richmonders who care about other people and believe in their work. The VCU School of Education is represented by two outstanding choices in the Class of 2022! Meet Kelsey Dunn, an SOE doctoral candidate, and Faith Wilkerson, a VCU triple-alum and active member of the School of Education Alumni Council, both named to Style Weekly’s Top 40 under 40 Class of 2022.

Kelsey Dunn, doctoral student in the VCU School of Education.
Kelsey Dunn (Courtesy Photo)

Kelsey Dunn, doctoral candidate, Ph.D. in Special Education

Kelsey Dunn is a doctoral candidate pursuing a Ph.D. in Special Education and Disability Leadership at the school, with a dissertation that focuses on improving interview skills for youth with autism. Dunn also serves as director of education at Tablespoons Bakery, a culinary training program that provides internship experience and employment opportunities for young adults with developmental disabilities.

The Tablespoons baking program serves about 50 young adults annually and strives to combat the 70% unemployment rate for this group in Virginia. Each day, participants in the program spend half of their day in the classroom, learning resume and interview skills; and the other half in the kitchen or bakery making and selling cookies.

Dunn said that she wants the community to see that the young adults in this program have much to offer, whether they look to continue their education or gain competitive employment in the community.

Dunn hopes to graduate from VCU in December and possibly publish her research with some of the data coming from Tablespoons.

Read the Style Weekly article on Kelsey Dunn.

Faith Wilkerson, triple-alum of VCU and School of Education employee.
Faith Wilkerson, Ed.D. (Courtesy Photo)

Faith Wilkerson, program director, Minority Education Center

Faith Wilkerson, Ed.D., is program director at the Minority Education Center, a center affiliated with the School of Education. Wilkerson is also the owner and founder of UnlockingRVA, an event planning and promotional company that she started in 2016.

As a veteran of event planning, Wilkerson has executed all types of specialty events, from large-scale concerts to food festivals, and everything in between. She said that UnlockingRVA helps Richmond businesses promote themselves. For example, Wilkerson created Brunch on the Plaza to help Richmond revitalize Kanawha Plaza, where people are invited to picnic in the middle of the city on Sunday afternoons. Since she began promoting this event, attendance has grown from roughly 100 people per event to about 500 today.

Wilkerson holds a bachelor’s degree in mass communications with a minor in media studies from the Richard T. Robertson School of Media and Culture. She also holds a master’s degree in adult education and a doctoral degree in educational leadership, both from the VCU School of Education. She sits on the Board of Directors for the VCU Alumni Association and is an active member of the School of Education Alumni Council.

Read the Style Weekly article on Faith Wilkerson.

Since 1982, Style Weekly has been the region’s alternative voice in news, culture, arts, and creative thought. VPM Media Corporation, the parent company of VPM, Virginia’s home for public media, acquired Style Weekly in November 2021.