Denise Murchison Payton, director of choral activities at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina, has been selected as the next president of the Intercollegiate Music Association.
The association was founded in 1960 as a vehicle for enriching and enhancing the development of the students of its member institutions. The founders believed that the IMA could present an opportunity for cooperative, non-competitive activities among the students who attended affiliated colleges and universities. The first conference was held in 1962 at Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina.
Dr. Payton joined the faculty at Fayetteville State University in 2008. She also has served as minister of music at the Bethel A.M.E. Zion Church for the past 36 years. Dr. Payton has been nominated for a Grammy Award.
Dr. Payton is a graduate of North Carolina A&T State University, where she majored in vocal performance. She holds a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Fayetteville State University and a doctor of music arts degree from Boston University. She holds a second doctorate in higher education administration from Walden University.
