The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning in Mississippi announced that Felecia Nave, who served as the 20th president of Alcorn State University since 2019, was no longer leading the educational institution. No reason was given for the change. The board’s statement simply said: “The board wishes Dr. Nave well as she pursues new opportunities.”
Before being named president in 2019, Dr. Nave was provost and vice president for academic affairs at North Carolina Central University in Durham. Earlier, she was a professor in the College of Engineering and director of faculty development and engagement at Prairie View A&M University in Texas. From 2014 to 2017, Dr. Nave was provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Prairie View.
Dr. Nave is a graduate of Alcorn State University, where she majored in chemistry. She holds a master’s degree in chemical and environmental engineering and a Ph.D. in engineering from the University of Toledo in Ohio.
The board appointed Ontario S. Wooden as interim president to replace Dr. Nave. Since 2020, he has been serving as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. Earlier, he was associate vice chancellor for innovative, engaged, and global education at North Carolina Central University in Durham and previously was dean of the University College at NCCU. Dr. Wooden joined the staff at North Carolina Central University in 2008.
Dr. Wooden is a graduate of Albany State University in Georgia. He earned a master’s degree and a doctorate in higher education from Indiana University in Bloomington.
