Artistic-Director

Dr. Mark G. Henderson is a native of Canton, Mississippi. After graduating from Canton High School, Mark attended Jackson State University and received a Bachelors of Art degree in Speech Communication Studies and Dramatic Art. While at JSU, Henderson was actively involved in theater activities, under the direction of his two mentors, stage and screen actresses, Billie Jean Young (Fannie Lou Hamer: This Little Light) and Tonea Stewart . Mark went on to receive a Masters of Art in Communications and Urban Studies from Michigan State University. In 1993, Henderson returned to Mississippi and enrolled in the Ph.D. program at The University of Southern Mississippi where he received the doctorate degree in Speech Communication. Currently, Henderson is the Interm Chair for The Department of Speech Communication and Theatre at Jackson State University. At JSU, Mark has served as advisor for the drama club and has directed numerous stage plays. Henderson has written several stage plays, There's No Christmas Without You (1997), What's Going On? (1997), Standing on the Promises (1998), New Beginnings (1999), and Challenges, Choices, and Consequences (2002), Sisters (2004), Unsettling Memories (2004), and The Soul of Black Folk (2007). Poetry and Prose selections are also part of Henderson's literary repertoire.

In 1998, Henderson founded New Beginnings Communications, a communication consulting company that provides effective communication training and workshops for organizations. As a communication scholar, he has and continues to conduct research on interpersonal effectiveness and intercultural communication. As a theater director, motivational speaker, and communication consultant, Mark stays busy utilizing his skills to 'entertain and educate the masses'. Mark holds membership in numerous professional groups, to include the National Communication Association, National Association of Dramatic and Speech Arts, Alpha Psi Omega National Honorary Dramatic Art Fraternity, and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated. Mark is also a member of the Greater Fairview Baptist Church in Jackson, MS, where he enjoys feasting on the word of God, under the spiritual guidance of Pastor Dr. Danny R. Hollins.