A Trio of African American Scholars Who Have Been Appointed to University Diversity Posts

Steven H. Kenney, Jr. was appointed senior vice president for human resources, equity, and inclusion at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota. He has been serving as assistant vice president for human resources and chief diversity and inclusion officer at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana. Earlier, Dr. Kenney was assistant director for human resources at Framingham State University in Massachusetts.

Dr. Kenney is a graduate of the Montgomery campus of Auburn University in Alabama, where he majored in human resources management. He holds an MBA from the University of Alabama at Huntsville and a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Louisiana Lafayette.

Felicia Benton-Johnson has been named vice president for diversity and inclusive excellence at Clemson University in South Carolina, effective March 1. Most recently, Benton-Johnson served as assistant dean and director of the Center for Engineering Education and Diversity at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Dr. Benton-Johnson received a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Tennessee State University. She holds a doctorate in higher education leadership from Argosy University.

Sonia Toson was appointed vice president and chief diversity officer at Kennesaw State University in Georgia. She is an associate professor of law and has served as the university’s interim chief diversity officer since August 2021. Prior to being named to the interim position, she served as the director of diversity relations for the Michael J. Coles College of Business.

Professor Toson earned a bachelor’s degree in East Asian languages and culture from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She holds an MBA and a juris doctorate from American University in Washington, D.C.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Get the JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

Xavier University of Louisiana to Launch the Country’s Fifth Historically Black Medical School

Once official accreditation approval is granted by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission, the new Xaiver University Ochsner College of Medicine will become the fifth medical school in the United States at a historically Black college or university.

New Faculty Positions for Three Black Scholars

The Black scholars taking on new faculty roles are Jessica Kisunzu at Colorado College, Harrison Prosper at Florida State University, and Ibipo Johnston-Anumonwo at the State University of New York at Cortland.

South Carolina State University to Launch Four New Degrees in Engineering and Computer Science

Once the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education grants official approval, South Carolina State University plans to offer bachelor's degrees in mechanical, electrical, and computer engineering, as well as a master's degree in cybersecurity

Herman Taylor Jr. Honored for Advancing Diversity and Inclusion in Cardiology

Dr. Taylor, endowed professor at Morehouse School of Medicine, serves the founding director and principal investigator of the Jackson Health Study, the largest community-based study of cardiovascular disease in African Americans.

Featured Jobs