Her Story
About Cindy
Cindy Kistenberg is an experienced higher education professor and academic leader with more than 30 years of full-time experience in speech communication and performance studies. She earned her Ph.D. in performance studies in 1992. Her first 10 years were spent at a minority-serving institution in Texas, after which she joined Johnson C. Smith University, where she has now been for 21 years. At JCSU she served as Faculty Senate President for two terms and spent 15 years in academic advising, which she describes as her passion, before a recent move back to teaching multiple sections of public speaking along with an online class in oral history and storytelling. Her notable professional achievements include publishing a book in 1995 on performances related to the AIDS crisis and creating a student performance troupe focused on HIV and AIDS education. She volunteered with the AIDS Quilt and has shifted much of her focus to work on Black-Jewish relations through the Charlotte Black Jewish Alliance and Spill the Honey.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Cindy
01What do you attribute your success to?
I grew up during busing, during horrible racial issues in the South. And my parents never believed any of that. So I think that really made me want to be at places where there were a lot of minority students, to work hard with minority students. To learn more about systemic racism and try to make a difference.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Make sure you choose what you choose for the love of it, not the love of money, because if you do it just for money, I'm never gonna be happy. If you love it and you paid a lot, that's great, but don't choose a job for the money.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Find a woman to be your mentor. And watch your back. Watch your back, but definitely find an older woman who you trust to be your mentor. And when you're ready to change jobs, if you're not happy, and you're young, change jobs. Because when you get to be my age, and you want to change jobs, it ain't easy.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Making a difference. Social justice, making a difference in the lives of young people. Making a difference in the world. Trying to make the world a better place. It, being a good mother, being a good daughter, but absolutely making the world a better place.
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