Chris Omni, PH.D., MPH, MLS is a nature-inspired, Black Joy scholar, artist and activist. In her current position as a Provost Postdoctoral Scholar at Florida State University, she is scaling her doctoral research by exploring nature’s influence on the emotional, social and physical well-being of Black people with an emphasis on Black women. By blending her 25-year background in public health with her foreground in art education, Omni’s presentations provide a counter narrative to the typical deficit lens generally applied to research regarding the Black experience.
Omni’s international and national honors include semi-finalist, 2022 3-Minute Thesis winner presented by the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools; first place, 2021 3- Minute Thesis winner presented by Florida State University, the 2019 International Community Ambassador presented by iChange Nations, the 2018 American Small Business Champion presented by SCORE, the 2018 Black People who Rock presented by New Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church, the 2015 Minority-owned business of the Year presented by the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, and the 2015 Woman of Achievement and Outstanding Entrepreneur presented by Topeka Chamber of Commerce.
Outside of teaching, mentoring and winning awards, Omni can be found tending to her 80+ potted plants, walking her two dogs or passing out hugs to people who need and/or want an emotional release. A single encounter with Omni will leave you feeling seen and valued.
The Kansas-born, Florida-based scholar/artist is currently working on a research study and ethnographic performance, #CapeBreak: The Reverse Engineering of the Strong Black Woman Phenomena, that was recently approved for an artist-in-residency at the Ringling Museum in Sarasota, FL.
Omni received her Master of Public Health degree from K-State in 2019.