Keshia Jackson Gilliam

Assistant Professor of Education; Director of Master in Management Professional Leadership Program

Dr. Keshia Jackson Gilliam is the Director of the online Master in Management (MiM) Professional Leadership Program and the Doctorate in Professional Leadership Program faculty. Her teaching pedagogy focuses on engaging dialogue that infuses real-world perspectives related to motivation, personal/professional development, employee/human relations, and authentic leadership.

She is the former Human Resources Director. During her tenure (2017-2021), she served in several capacities: Title IX Coordinator, HIPAA Compliance Officer, Benefits Administrator, Employee Relations Manager, Unity in Diversity Coordinator, and Risk Management Representative for Converse University. Dr. Gilliam has over 20 years of professional human resources, leadership, and management experience. She has had the opportunity to serve in various industries, including hospitality, non-profit, for-profit, retail, corporate sales, higher education, and the district office for K-12. She is a member of the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM), CUPA-HR, Spartanburg (SHRA), and Greenville Human Resource Association (GHRA).

Dr. Gilliam is a first-generation college student that began her education at Spartanburg Technical College, where she double majored and earned an Associate Degree in Business – Hospitality, Marketing. She later transferred to Converse University, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts – Human Relations; but did not stop there, despite industry requirements for a bachelor’s degree only; her personal goal allowed her to complete a Master’s in Human Resource Development and 2014, a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership. She advocates higher education and encourages anyone interested in pursuing their educational dreams not to give up as it can come to fruition!

She was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, but considers herself a Spartanburg native and Spartanburg High School alumna. She enjoys spending time with her family. She is married to Steven Gilliam of SLGTruckingLLC and has one daughter (Lindsay) and two bonus sons (Stephan, Steven).

Dr. Keshia Jackson Gilliam’s passion is to lead and serve. She believes that every opportunity is an assignment from God, and she is grateful for them. According to her: similar to the development of a butterfly, growth stages are designed to help us transition to our full potential; we just have to learn to give ourselves the grace to do so!

Degrees

  • Doctorate in Organizational Leadership
  • Master’s in Human Resource Development
  • BA in Human Relations - Converse College
  • AA in Business (Hospitality); AA in Business (Marketing) - Spartanburg Technical College