A publisher at Post Oak Publications, Emma N. Jackson Wisdom has been writing in Chattanooga, Tennessee, for the last eight years. She began her professional career as a program coordinator at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1980, later moving up the ranks from assistant to president between 1980 and 1984, executive assistant between 1984 and 1986, and executive director between 1986 and 1989. Serving as the features editor at Metropolitan Times Newspaper for one year, she then became an instructional aide at Tennessee State University from 1990 to 1993. Later on, Ms. Wisdom instructed at the Nashville Urban League from 1997 to 1999 and wrote for the Nashville Pride Newspaper from 1996 to 2003. In addition to this tenure, she served on the national advisory board of Today’s Secretary in New York from 1981 to 1982 and the advisory board of USPS in Nashville from 1994 to 1996.
Prior to the start of her career, Ms. Wisdom pursued a formal education at the University of Tennessee, earning an Associate of Science in 1979. She then attended Tennessee State University, where she attained a Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, in 1991 and a Master of Arts in adult education in 1995. Additionally, Ms. Wisdom is a licensed cosmetologist in the State of Tennessee, a certified professional secretary and a pre-purchase home ownership trainer. As a writer, she has authored and edited numerous works since 1988.
Active in her local community, Ms. Wisdom served on the board of directors for the Nashville Symphony Guild from 1985 to 1989 and served the American Red Cross of Nashville from 1989 to 1995. She also directed the Senior Center Inc., of the Hadley Park Senior Center from 2004 to 2006. Outside of her primary trade, Ms. Wisdom served the Wordshop Writers Group as co-founder, president and treasurer from 1990 to 1993, and was the founding chairman of the Tennessee Writers Alliance from 1995 to 1998.
In light of her accomplishments, Ms. Wisdom is the recipient of the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. She was also honored with the Philanthropist Award in Education by the Time is Now in 1991 and was selected for inclusion in the 72nd edition of Who’s Who in America. Ms. Wisdom is most proud of her perseverance and determination. She feels that she was a great role model to her two children, who would often see her return home from an eight- or 10-hour workday, cook dinner and help them with their homework.
Ms. Wisdom’s goals moving forward is her two publications that she is working on. She recently wrote a book on friendship for younger readers and is currently working on producing one-act plays at her church in order to engage young people. When she finishes that, she will close up her tent, as she has been a torchbearer for many years. She has turned it over to her two children, Rolanda Michelle and Edward H. III, who are doing great things. In addition, she and her husband, Edward Henry Wisdom Jr., have been married for 49-and-a-half years. Ms. Wisdom has had some hard knocks in life, but she tried to pick herself up and get herself back in the race, to quote the Frank Sinatra song “That’s Life.”