Roosevelt Wright

Roosevelt "Rick" Wright Jr. has been active in professional broadcasting, serving as general manager, program director, account executive, DJ announcer, chief engineer and local sales manager for a number of radio stations, including WGAI-AM in Elizabeth City, N.C.; WRAP-AM in Norfolk, Va.; WLLE-AM in Raleigh, N.C.; WSRC-AM, WDNC-AM/FM and WAFR-FM in Durham, N.C.;  KELP-AM in El Paso, Texas; WNDR-AM and WOLF-AM in Syracuse; WTNJ-AM, Trenton, N.J.; and WRC-AM/WKYS-FM in Washington, D.C.

He has served as faculty manager for WAER-FM in Syracuse and faculty adviser/licensee for student-owned and operated WJPZ-FM at Syracuse University. He has also provided radio consultancy work for communication corporations such as NBC, ABC, CBS, Park Broadcasting, Buckley Broadcasting, Rollins Broadcasting, The New York Times, Broadcast Enterprises Network and Westwood One.

His research and creative interests are in the areas of radio station operations; instructional broadcasting with an emphasis on radio delivery and programming formats; college and university radio broadcasting stations; history of African-Americans in radio broadcasting; and U.S. Naval and military history topics. He has published articles in Audiovisual Instruction, Billboard Magazine, Black Enterprise, Ebony Magazine, Broadcasting Magazine, National Naval Officers Association Newsletter, All Hands, Navy Recruiter, Jet Magazine and Black Collegian.

Wright is also active with the U.S. Navy, serving as media consultant for the assistant secretary of the Navy, campus liaison officer for the U.S. Navy Recruiting Command and public affairs officer for various U.S. Navy activities, such as the Annual Great Lakes Cruise. He has been named Campus Liaison Officer of the Year for the U.S. Navy, and has received three Navy Commendation Medals and the Navy Achievement Medal. His present rank is Captain (0-6), and he serves on the national RDA advisory board for the commander of the U.S. Navy Recruiting Command in Washington, D.C.

He serves on the board of directors of the Hiawatha Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and is a member of the NAACP, American Heart Association, National Council of Negro Women, Navy League of Central New York, African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Society of Broadcast Engineers, Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, National Naval Officers Association, Reserve Officers Association of America, U.S. Naval Institute, Association for Educational Communications and Technology, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications, The American Legion, National Association for College Broadcasters and The Omega Psi Phi fraternity.

He was previously an adjunct professor at Howard University, an assistant professor at North Carolina Central University, director of educational media at Delaware State University and instructor of educational media and associate director of the audiovisual center at Elizabeth City State University.