Six African Americans Who Have Been Appointed to Higher Education Administrative Posts

Gerald Lewis Jr. is the new vice president for public safety at Columbia University in New York City. He has led public safety departments at major university systems, most recently at the University of Connecticut. Lewis previously served as the associate vice president and chief of police at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Lewis earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey.

Kristie L. Kenney has been named senior vice president for institutional advancement, strategic initiatives, and communications at Talladega College in Alabama. Prior to joining Talladega College, she served as director of annual giving for Christian City, Inc. in Union City, Georgia.

Dr. Kenney holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business from Tennessee State University. She earned a master’s degree in higher education administration and leadership from Purdue University Global and a Ph.D. in urban higher education from Jackson State University in Mississippi.

Karen Wright is the new interim vice president for advancement at Fort Valley State University in Georgia. She was the vice president for institutional advancement at St. Thomas Aquinas College in Orangeburg, New York. Earlier, she was the director of development at New York University’s Silver School of Social Work.

Wright is a graduate of Fisk University in Nashville, where she majored in psychology.

Michelle Nichols has been named as senior vice president of clinical affairs at Meharry Medical College in Nashville. She was associate dean for clinical affairs at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta and medical director for Morehouse Healthcare.

Dr. Nichols is a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi. She earned her medical degree at the University of Mississippi.

Ariel Aponte is the new associate vice chancellor for military and federal relations at Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina. He has been serving as assistant secretary for military affairs for the North Carolina Department of Military and Veteran Affairs.

Aponte earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a master’s degree in international relations, both from Troy University in Alabama.

Monique Carroll was named director of intercollegiate athletics at Chicago State University. Most recently, Dr. Carroll served as director of intercollegiate athletics at Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, Texas.

Dr. Carroll is a graduate of the University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff, where she majored in secondary health and physical education. She holds a master’s degree in sports management from the United States Sports Academy and an educational doctorate from Northcentral University.

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