Greetings:
My name is Duane Meeks and the purpose of this new blog is to share thoughts about my successes and, yes, failures as an educator and media professional. I hope that my posts can help others with similar interests and aspirations to achieve their goals.
I have been a professional educator for most of my adult life, first as a university professor, and now as an academic dean. Additionally, for the last several years, I have served on the board of directors for a private middle/high school for students with unique learning challenges.
As a professor and scholar, my area of interest has been the film and television media. I have also worked in these areas professionally as a producer, director, editor and scriptwriter.
Two particular areas of study for me have occupied a lot of my time. The first is the intersection of the media and politics. I wrote my Ph.D. dissertation on the subject of the Hollywood Blacklist of the 1940s and 50s. Secondly, in the last several years I have focused a great deal on the concept of “redemptive storytelling.”
Finally, a number of years ago my career was significantly transformed as I transitioned into a series of leadership roles. I have learned a number of lessons about what constitutes a good leader, as well as the mistakes that lead to poor leadership. Many of these lessons were learned through trial and error. Others came through the mentorship of others or from my systematic study of the subject.
In any event, I plan to share my thoughts on these topics by posting each Friday. I hope you will find this of value and join the conversation.