Bonita J. Brown has been named the fourteenth chancellor of Winston-Salem State University, a historically Black university in North Carolina. She will assume her new role on July 1.
Winston-Salem State University enrolls about 4,500 undergraduate students, 81 percent of whom are Black. The university also enrolls about 500 graduate students.
Chancellor Brown recently served as interim president of Northern Kentucky University. Prior to her interim appointment, she served the university as vice president and chief strategy officer. Earlier in her career, she served as vice chancellor and chief of staff at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, chief of staff at the University of North Texas, general counsel at the University of North Carolina School of Arts, and assistant attorney with Winston-Salem State University.
In addition to her vast experience in university-based roles, Chancellor Brown’s background includes experience with educational nonprofit organizations. She previously served as vice president of network engagement at Achieving the Dream, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting community colleges across the country. She also served as director of higher education practice for the Education Trust in Washington, D.C., which aims to improve educational opportunities for underrepresented students.
Chancellor Brown earned her bachelor’s degree in history and juris doctorate from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
