Phillip Culver has been appointed executive director for inclusion and chief diversity officer at Farmingdale State College of the State University of New York System. Culver comes to his new role from Nassau County Community College in Garden City, New York, where he served as senior director of civil rights and belonging. He has also held senior human resources and compliance roles with Delta Air Lines, TIAA, and Dow Chemical Company.
Culver holds a bachelor of business administration degree in management and marketing from Pace University in New York and an executive MBA from Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in organization and management at Liberty University in Virginia.
Vanessa Vales-Lewis has been named assistant dean of the School of Health Professions at the State University of New York Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn. As assistant dean, she will focus on supporting faculty, mentoring students, and expanding pathways for students. Prior to her new role, Dr. Vales-Lewis was assistant director of academic advisement in the university’s Office of Student Academic Services.
Dr. Vales-Lewis is a graduate of Northeastern University in Boston, where she majored in biology. She earned a master’s degree in biology education from Brooklyn College in New York and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in urban education from the City University of New York Graduate Center.
Rodney D. Smith was named interim senior vice president and chief administration officer at Texas Southern University. He brings decades of experience in higher education to his new role, including service as the inaugural president and chief executive officer of the University of The Bahamas. Earlier in his career, he was vice president for administrative services and chief administrative and university planning officer at Hampton University in Virginia. Dr. Smith also served as president of Ramapo College of New Jersey.
Dr. Smith received his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Saint John’s University in Minnesota and his master’s degree in clinical and educational psychology from a joint program at Fisk University and Meharry Medical College in Tennessee. He holds a second master’s degree in administration and planning with a concentration in international education and a doctorate in administration, planning, and social policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Christian Murphy has been named acting vice president for institutional advancement at historically Black Spelman College in Atlanta. She has over 15 years of experience in institutional advancement, campaign strategy, and organizational growth, including service in executive leadership roles at nonprofit organizations throughout the Atlanta area.
Murphy is an alumna of Spelman College.
