A Trio of African American Faculty Members Who Have Been Named to New Posts

Odis Johnson, a leading researcher of social inequality in America and an expert in sociology and education, will join Johns Hopkins University on January 1 as a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of social policy and STEM equity. He has been serving as a professor of education and sociology, director of the Institute in Critical Quantitative Computational and Mixed Methodologies, and associate director of the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity, and Equity at Washington University in St. Louis.

Dr. Johnson is a graduate of the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma, where he majored in music. He earned a Ph.D. in education and social policy at the University of Michigan.

Christopher Freeburg, a professor of English was named a University Scholar at the University of Illinois. Begun in 1985, the scholars program recognizes faculty excellence and provides each scholar with extra money for research. Dr. Freeburg is well-known for his scholarship regarding African American literature, Black culture, the American novel after 1850, and media aesthetics. He is the author of several books, including Black Aesthetics and the Interior Life (University of Virginia Press, 2017).

Professor Freeburg is a graduate of Xavier University in New Orleans. He holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in English language and literature from the University of Chicago.

Ronald Williams was appointed chief of staff to the president of Columbus State University in Georgia. He holds a teaching appointment as a tenured professor in the department of teacher education, leadership and counseling in the College of Education and Health Professions. During his career, Dr. Williams has served in academic and administrative posts at Western Illinois University, Tennessee State University, and Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee, as well as with the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.

Dr. Williams holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Lane College. He earned a master’s degree in educational administration and a doctorate in higher education administration from Tennessee State University.