This Week’s Appointments of African Americans to Key Posts in Higher Education Administration

funchesVenessa Funches was appointed associate dean at the Montgomery, Alabama, campus of Auburn University. She also serves as an associate professor of marketing at the university.

Dr. Funches is a graduate of Tulane University in New Orleans. She earned an MBA at the University of Alabama Birmingham and a Ph.D. in marketing from the University of Alabama.

NancyJonesNancy L. Jones is the inaugural associate dean for development and alumni relations at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine. She was vice president for advancement and alumni relations at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania and has served as director of development at Virginia State University and Dillard University in New Orleans.

A graduate of Howard University in Washington, D.C., Jones earned master’s degrees at the Claremont School of Theology in California and the New Brunswick Theological Seminary in New Jersey.

EllingtonMichael A. Ellington is the new interim vice president for student life at West Virginia University. He had been serving as associate vice president for student affairs. He joined the staff at the university in 1993 after working at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Ellington earned his bachelor’s degree in 1985 and a master’s degree in 1991, both from West Virginia University.

Michael-WilliamsMichael Williams was named interim director of athletics at the University of California, Berkeley. He has been serving as vice chair of the University of California, Berkeley Foundation. In 2009, Williams retired as vice chair for capital markets for Barclays Global Investors.

Williams is a 1982 graduate of the University of California, Berkeley. He majored in economics and was a member of the university’s wrestling team.

Kenyatta FuttermanKenyatta Tatum Futterman was appointed special assistant to the dean of students at the University of Chicago. She will investigate allegations of student sexual misconduct and advise the administration on best practices for prevention and discipline.

A graduate of Spelman College in Atlanta, Futterman holds a law degree from DePaul University in Chicago.

Zella Palmer croppedZella Palmer was appointed director of the Ray Charles Program in African American Material Culture at Dillard University in New Orleans. She has served as the curator for the DuSable Museum of African American History in Chicago and the Southern Food & Beverage Museum in New Orleans.

Palmer is a graduate of Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago, where she majored in bilingual and bicultural education. She holds a master’s degree in museum studies from the University of Toronto.

Loretta-MooreLoretta A. Moore was promoted to vice president for research and federal relations at Jackson State University in Mississippi. She has served in the post on an interim basis and previously was associate vice president for research and scholarly engagement. Dr. Moore joined the faculty at the university 16 years ago as chair of the department of computer science.

Dr. Moore is a graduate of Jackson State University. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in computer science from the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago.

SimmonsAngela Simmons was promoted to assistant vice president for student affairs at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. She was director of student conduct at the university. Before joining the staff at Virginia Tech, Simmons was director of the Center for Student Involvement at Millersville University in Pennsylvania.

Simmons holds a bachelor’s degree in educational psychology and a master’s degree in counselor education from Mississippi State University. She is finishing work on her doctorate in higher education from Florida State University.

marqurta_faulknerMarquetta Faulkner was appointed interim dean of the School of Medicine at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. She has been on the faculty at Meharry for 25 years and served most recently as associate dean of graduate medical education and vice chair of the department of internal medicine.

Dr. Faulkner is a graduate of Meharry Medical College.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Get the JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

Norfolk State University and Old Dominion University Launch Joint School of Public Health

The Joint School of Public Health at Norfolk State University and Old Dominion University will offer six new degree programs to students at both institutions, including a new Ph.D. program in health services research.

Seven Black Scholars Receive Faculty Appointments at Colleges and Universities

Here is this week’s roundup of Black scholars who have been appointed to new faculty positions at colleges and universities throughout the United States. If you have news for our appointments section, please email the information to contact@jbhe.com.

U.S. Department of State Facilitates Collaborative Conference for African Universities and HBCUs

The U.S. Department of State and the Mississippi Consortium for International Development recently organized a conference aimed at connecting leaders from African universities and HBCUs and strengthening global educational partnerships.

Barbara Savage Receives Book Award for Her Recent Biography of Merze Tate

The Before Columbus Foundation has honored Barbara Savage, professor emerita at the University of Pennsylvania, with their 2024 American Book Award for her book, Merze Tate: The Global Odyssey of a Black Woman Scholar.

Featured Jobs