Ben Quillian III has been named associate vice president and deputy chief information officer for the Division of Information Technology and Institutional Planning at California Polytechnic State University in Pomona. He was associate vice president for information technology at California State University, Northridge.
Quillian holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, and a master of public administration degree from California State University, Northridge.
Jennifer Robinson has been named assistant vice president for advancement initiatives and engagement at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. She was the university’s director of advancement programs.
Robinson holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and Spanish from the University of Delaware and a law degree from George Mason University.
Jamarco Clark has been named director of student life at Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Iowa. He was director of volunteerism and service-learning at Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Clark holds a bachelor’s degree in educational foundations from Iowa Wesleyan University and a master’s degree in strategic leadership from Mount Mercy University.
Jerry Bettis Sr. has been named a forestry extension specialist at Virginia State University. He was a forestry-natural resources specialist at Tuskegee University in Alabama.
Dr. Bettis holds a Ph.D. in forestry from North Carolina Central University.
Beverly Barrington has been promoted to vice president for Strategic Planning, Analysis, and Institutional Effectiveness at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee. She had been serving as associate vice president for that division.
Congratulations! I am elated to learn that these five talented individuals were recognized and appointed to administrative posts within Higher Education. As a Black academician, I know first-hand the need for not only highly qualified leaders of African descent in these executive spaces, but ones who represent, value, and are invested in supporting the diverse faculty, staff, and student body within the academia.
I know Mr. Benjamin Quillian III personally and can confidently say that he embodies the qualities of an exemplary leader and he is well-deserving of this appointment!
I leave you with Toni Morrison’s famous quote:
“I tell my students, ‘When you get these jobs that you have been so brilliantly trained for, just remember that your real job is that if you are free, you need to free somebody else. If you have some power, then your job is to empower somebody else. This is not just a grab-bag candy game.”