La Barbara James Wigfall joined the K-State faculty in 1987 after ten years of private practice in Texas and faculty appointments/fellowships at Howard University, The University of Texas, The University of California/Berkeley, and The University of Arkansas/ Fayetteville. She holds numerous awards for distinguished service to minority education and outstanding undergraduate teaching, including NOMA Midwest Member of the year in 2021. She initiated the KSU Hazardous Substance Research Center as a strategic planner. Professor Wigfall's research on African-American communities acknowledges the dynamic role and service cultural landscapes have performed in our nation's history. She is a long-standing advisor to the K-State chapter of NOMAS.