Dexter B. Wakefield has been appointed director of land grant programs and dean of the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences at Alcorn State University, a historically Black institution in Mississippi. He has served in the role on an interim basis for the past two years.
Dr. Wakefield joined the Alcorn State University faculty in 2021 as a professor and associate dean of academic programs for the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences. Over the past three years, he has helped the college enhance its agricultural facilities, including new greenhouses, mushroom centers, and poultry centers.
Throughout his career, Dr. Wakefield has served several institutions across the country, including more than a decade on the faculty at Southern Illinois University. While there, he served as founding coordinator of the Black Resource Center and coordinator of the agricultural education and communications program. Prior to his role with Alcorn, he held academic roles with Virginia State University, Sul Ross State Universityin Alpine, Texas, North Carolina A&T State University, Texas State University, and Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
Dr. Wakefield earned his bachelor’s degree in agricultural education from Fort Valley State University, an HBCU in Georgia. He received his master’s degree and a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction with a concentration in agricultural education and extension from Purdue University in Indiana.
