New Assignments in Higher Education for Four Black Faculty Members

Dan Smith, associate professor of public policy and administration at the University of Delaware, has been named associate dean for the social sciences for the College of Arts and Sciences at the university. Dr. Smith is a faculty member in the School of Public Policy and Administration, where he has served as director of the Master of Public Administration program since 2016.

Dr. Smith holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master of public administration degree from the University of Delaware He holds a doctorate in public administration from the University of Georgia.

KMarie King was recently appointed to serve as the chair of the department of surgery at Albany Medical College, making her the first Black woman to sit at the helm of a surgery division at an academic health sciences center in the United States. Dr. King — who currently serves as chief of surgery and medical director for surgical quality at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta and a professor at the Morehouse School of Medicine — has dedicated her career to advancing medical research surrounding pancreatic and liver cancers.

Dr. King is a graduate of St. Joseph’s College, where she majored in biology. She earned her medical degree at Washington University in St Louis and holds an MBA from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, and a  master’s degree in biomedical sciences from the Mayo Clinic.

Derris Devost-Burnett, an assistant professor of muscle biology and meat science in the department of animal and dairy sciences at Mississippi State University, will serve as national secretary for Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences. The society focuses on promoting academic and professional advancement by empowering minorities in the field.

Dr. Devost-Burnett holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Tuskegee University in Alabama. He earned a Ph.D. at Auburn University in Alabama.

Bebonchu Atems has been promoted from associate professor to full professor of economics and financial studies in the David D. Reh School of Business at Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York. He also serves as associate dean of faculty advancement and achievement at the business school. Dr. Atems joined the David D. Reh School of Business in 2011.

Dr. Atems holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Maryland at College Park. He earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in economics from Kansas State University.

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