The University of Kansas has announced four finalists for the position of vice provost for diversity and equity. All of the candidates have visited the university campus for interviews and public forums. All four candidates are African Americans.
DeBrenna Agbényiga is th
e associate dean for Graduate Studies in the College of Social Science and an associate professor in the School of Social Work at Michigan State University. She has been on the staff at Michigan State since 1999. Dr. Agbényiga is a graduate of the University of South Carolina. She holds a master of social work degree, an MBA, and a Ph.D. in social work, all from Michigan State University.
O. Gilbert Brown is an associate dean in the College of Education and an associate professor at Missouri State University in Springfield. He is the co-editor of the book Unleashing Diversity on College Campuses: Diversity Issues in Higher Education (Peter Lang Publishers, 2007). Dr. Brown is a graduate of the University of Kansas, where he majored in political science. He holds master’s degrees from Emporia State University in Kansas and Miami University in Ohio. Dr. Brown earned a doctorate in higher education administration at Indiana University.
Calvin White, Jr. is associate professor of history and the director of the African and African American studies program at the University of Arkansas. Before joining the faculty at the University of Arkansas in 2007, Dr. White taught at the University of Mississippi. He is the author of The Rise to Respectability: Race, Religion, and the Church of God in Christ (University of Arkansas Press, 2013). Dr. White holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Central Arkansas and a Ph.D. in history from the University of Mississippi.
Nathan Thomas is the co-founder and consulting partner of Invictus Human Capital Management in Seffner, Florida. He is the former director of multicultural education and engagement at the University of South Florida Polytechnic in Lakeland. Dr. Thomas holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Norfolk State University in Virginia. He earned a Ph.D. in ecological and community psychology from Michigan State University.
