Melinda Todd

Jackson

Dr. Todd is currently employed at Jackson State University’s Mississippi Urban Research Center, as the Associate Director for Research and formerly served as the Director and Principal Investigator for several JSU Campus Grants and Health Initiatives including Director and Program Manager for Metro Jackson Community Prevention Coalition, the HIV/Substance Abuse Prevention Campus Project and the Crisis Prevention Resource (CPR) Suicide Prevention Project.  She is responsible for developing basic and applied research initiatives with a public health and community focus to include program development, implementation of trainings for the university’s campus and community population, mental health and substance abuse prevention professionals and educators.  Melinda has extensive experience working with community groups, faith-based groups, public schools, parent groups, and non-profit organizations.  She formerly worked as a Middle School Drug Prevention Coordinator for Jackson Public Schools and as a Program Manager with Metro Jackson Community Prevention Coalition at Jackson State University.  She has over 20 years of prevention and training experience in the areas of substance abuse prevention, underage drinking prevention, youth leadership and community organizing, planning, and program development. Dr. Todd has utilized the Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking and the National Prevention Strategies as planning and action guides for program development.  She is a Master Level Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES) and a Certified Prevention Manager (CPM).  She is known for outstanding program delivery to community and faith-based organizations.  She was awarded the 2012 Dean’s Award for Extraordinary Commitment to Community Service.  Her dissertation research was selected for presentation at numerous annual meetings and was published December 2015.