Four African Americans Named to New Posts in Higher Education

Jacqueline Agesa was named an interim associate dean at the College of Business of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. She serves as an associate professor of finance at the university. Dr. Agesa has been on the faculty at Marshall since 2000. Previously, she taught at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro.

Dr. Agesa holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee.

Derrick Williams was appointed assistant director of the Center for Inclusive Excellence at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. He has been serving as wellness coordinator for the university’s Student Health Services. He also is an adjunct instructor of health education and Africana studies.

A graduate of Upper Iowa University in Fayette, Dr. Williams holds a master’s degree from the University of Northern Iowa and a doctorate in intercultural communication from Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Akel Ismail Kahera was named associate dean for research and graduate studies in the College of Architecture, Arts, and Humanities at Clemson University in South Carolina. He has been serving as director of the Texas Institute for the Preservation of History and Culture at Prairie View A&M University in Texas.

Dr. Kahera is a graduate of Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. He holds a master’s degree in architecture from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in Near Eastern studies from Princeton University.

Lee D. Walker, an associate professor of political science at the University of South Carolina, was named the faculty principal of the new Carolina International House, a living-learning community on the university’s campus. The International House will bring together 180 American and international students where they will share ideas and culture in a residential setting.

Dr. Walker holds bachelor’s degrees from Mercer University and Georgia College. He earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in political science at the University of Florida.

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