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| Cambridge Who's Who Names Susan Madden Lankford Professional of the Year in Photojournalism By StudentFilmmakers.com posted Nov 18, 2011, 21:46 |
(SAN DIEGO, CA) Susan Madden Lankford, Photojournalist, Author, and President of Humane Exposures, has been named a Cambridge Who's Who Professional of the Year in Photojournalism. Inclusion in the Cambridge Who's Who Registry is an honor; only a small selection of members in each discipline are chosen for this distinction. These special honorees are selected based on their professional accomplishments, academic achievements, leadership abilities, years of service, and the credentials they have provided in association with their Cambridge Who's Who membership.
Ms. Lankford has 35 years of experience in photojournalism, including 25 years as president of Humane Exposures, which publishes books and produces films with the intention of raising awareness about social issues. In her work she examines marginalized segments of society and strives to encourage "humane response" to injustices. Early in her career, she studied under photographic masters Ansel Adams, Richard Misrach, and Ruth Bernhard, and she spent many years as a successful wildlife photographer and portraitist. She earned a Bachelor of Science in medical technology and research from the University of Nebraska in 1970.
Ms. Lankford is the author of a trilogy of books on socially sensitive subjects. The first volume—Maggots in My Sweet Potatoes: Women Doing Time (2008)—explores the kaleidoscope of alienation, personal despair, and fragile hopes of women caught up in the state's zeal for incarceration. Her second book, downTown U.S.A.: A Personal Journey with the Homeless (2009), takes readers onto the streets of downtown San Diego, introducing a diverse cast of characters and a challenging set of questions about the difficult issue of homelessness. Lankford's third work of photojournalism takes up another complex issue. Scheduled for publication on March 15, 2012, Born, Not Raised: Voices from Juvenile Hall combines contributions from incarcerated youths with the perspectives of psychiatrists, neuroscientists, and experts in the field of juvenile justice, underscoring the social and neurobiological impacts of childhood trauma.
In addition to publishing books, Ms. Lankford works in film. She served as the executive producer of It's More Expensive to Do Nothing, a 2010 documentary that explores the dark world of criminal justice, the revolving door of institutionalization, the complexities of remediation, and the programs that have worked to help nonviolent ex-offenders succeed as self-sufficient members of society. She is affiliated with Women in Film, Reel Ladies, and Kappa Gamma Sorority.
Ms. Lankford has won numerous awards for her work, including top honors for a nonfiction narrative from USA Book News and a gold medal for multicultural adult nonfiction from Independent Publisher. In addition, she received the Eric Hoffer Book Awards Grand Prize and a Book of the Year silver award in the Family & Relationships category from ForeWord Magazine. Looking ahead, Ms. Lankford hopes to produce more documentaries. She is currently working on a film related to issues of early parenting; it will address prevention and social injustice. One reason that these issues are important to Ms. Lankford is that she attributes her own success to her upbringing, which instilled in her a strong work ethic and undying love for education. She has been happily married to her husband, Robert, for 44 years, and is proud of their three daughters. She appreciates the assistance she has received from her publicists, Smith Publicity, Inc.
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