Dr. Katrina E. Bell-Jordan is Northeastern Illinois University’s eighth president.
Dr. Bell-Jordan’s journey at Northeastern Illinois University began in 1997 when she joined as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication, Media and Theatre (CMT). She has since held various leadership roles, including serving as CMT Department Chair, Associate Dean in NEIU’s College of Arts and Sciences, and Interim Dean. She was appointed Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in March 2020 and took on the role of Interim President on July 1, 2023. She was selected to serve as President beginning Aug. 1, 2024 and was inaugurated as the eighth president of Northeastern Illinois University on Oct. 4, 2024.
Dr. Bell-Jordan earned a Ph.D. in Rhetorical Studies and Media Studies and a M.A. in Rhetorical Studies at the Ohio University School of Interpersonal Communication. She earned a B.S.J. in News Editorial Journalism from the Ohio University E.W. Scripps School of Journalism.
Her teaching background includes media literacy and media theory, rhetorical theory and criticism, and news writing/journalism. Her research has focused on critical media studies, including the politics of gender, race, and representation in the media, the rhetoric of popular culture, and news culture.
Dr. Bell-Jordan has served in leadership roles on various advisory, curriculum, and hiring committees at NEIU, including serving on the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) Team for NEIU’s 2017 accreditation visit, the NEIU Baccalaureate Goals Working Group, and NEIU’s first Writing Intensive Faculty Advisory Committee (WI-FAC) as Co-Chair. She also co-led the two-year (2015-2017) NEIU Economic Inequality Initiative, a partnership between the College of Arts and Sciences and the NEIU Division of Student Affairs.
She is an elected member of the Board of Education for Skokie, Illinois District 68, where she has served four terms since 2011 and is currently Board Vice President. She is also a member of the Alumni Advisory Council of the School of Communication Studies at Ohio University.
A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Dr. Bell-Jordan appreciates the support of her husband and son and enjoys travel and culinary experiences, vintage bookstores, trivia, and movies.
In the News
On Oct. 16, 2024, Northeastern Illinois University President Katrina E. Bell-Jordan, Ph.D., was interviewed by WTTW News, touching on topics such as her educational philosophy in leadership, and managing NEIU's current and future fiscal matters.
