New Faculty Appointments for Seven Black Professors

Elisa A. Mitchell has joined the Swarthmore College faculty as an assistant professor of history. Prior to her new appointment she served as a visiting scholar at the University of Pennsylvania and as a Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow at Princeton University. Her academic work centers around the early modern Black Atlantic, examining the social and political histories of embodiment, healing, disease, race, and gender in the Caribbean region.

Dr. Mitchell is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where she majored in history. She holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. in history from New York University.

Keisha Green has been named director of civic engaged research at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. An associate professor in the college of education, she currently serves as co-founder and co-director of the university’s Center for Racial Justice and Youth-Engaged Research, as well as coordinator for the teacher education and school improvement program.

Dr. Green holds a bachelor’s degree from Columbia College, a master’s degree from New York University, and a Ph.D. from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

Hayden Dawes has joined the Bryn Mawr College faculty as an assistant professor of social work in the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research. His research focuses on developing inclusive practices and policies that leverage individual and community power to enhance mental health for oppressed people. In addition to his academic background, he has a decade of experience as a clinical social worker.

Dr. Dawes is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where he majored in vocal performance. He holds a master of social work degree from North Carolina State University and a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Sherritta Michelle Williams has been appointed director of the Center for Racial & Social Justice at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina. She has over two decades of experience in ministry and education. Her current research focuses on developing a mentorship program and curriculum for young adult Black women in the Baptist context through a womanist lens.

Reverend Williams is a graduate of Saint Augustine’s University, where she majored in political science with minors in religious studies, African American studies, and business administration. She holds a master’s degree in theological studies with a focus on social justice from Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester, New York,and a second master’s degree in theological studies with a concentration on Christian education and Black church studies from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. She is currently pursuing a doctor of ministry degree from Campbell University Divinity School in Buies Creek, North Carolina.

Walter Lee has been selected to serve as interim associate dean of inclusive excellence in the College of Engineering at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He holds several academic roles with Virginia Tech, including associate professor in the department of engineering education, assistant department head for graduate programs, and director for research in the Center for Enhancement of Engineering Diversity.

Dr. Lee is a graduate of Clemson University in South Carolina, where he majored in industrial engineering. He holds a master’s degree in industrial and systems engineering and a Ph.D. in engineering education from Virginia Tech.

Breonte Guy has been named acting chair of the department of psychological sciences at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina. He has been with the university for the past decade, currently serving as an associate professor of psychological sciences and faculty senator for psychological sciences.

Dr. Guy holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Alabama, a master’s degree in experimental psychology from the University of Richmond, and a Ph.D. in community psychology from North Carolina State University.

Quin’Nita Cobbins-Modica has joined the faculty at the University of California, Santa Cruz as an assistant professor of history. Prior to her new role, she was an assistant professor of African American history at the University of Oregon and an assistant professor of history at Seattle Pacific University.

Dr. Cobbins-Modica holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Fisk University in Nashville, a master’s degree in history from the University of Georgia, and a Ph.D. from the University of Washington.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Get the JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

Gerald McWorter Donates Archival Materials to the University of Illinois

Dr. McWorter - also known as Abdul Alkalimat - has donated a collection of his papers to the archives at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he is a professor emeritus of African American studies. The donation includes materials on the history of the Black studies field and the civil rights movement, as well as personal family records.

Grinnell College Dedicates Building in Honor of First Black Alumna Edith Renfrow Smith

Renfrow Smith, who recently celebrated her 110th birthday, is Grinnell College's first Black alumna and oldest living alum. The newly established Renfrow Hall will serve as a space for the college and local community to collaborate on civic engagement projects.

In Memoriam: Edward Cox, 1943-2024

Dr. Cox was a professor of history at Rice University for nearly three decades. He was a member of Rice's Task Force on Slavery, Segregation, and Racial Injustice, an advisor for the Black Student Association, and founding director of the Mellon Undergraduate Fellowship program

Black Junior Professors Receive Unfair Decisions When Seeking Promotions and Tenure

A new study led by the University of Houston has found Black and Hispanic junior faculty members are more likely to receive negative votes and less likely to receive unanimous approvals from their promotion committees. They are also judged more harshly for their academic output compared to peers with similar productivity.

Featured Jobs