Preselfannie E. Whitfield McDaniels was promoted from interim provost to permanent provost and vice president for academic affairs at Jackson State University in Mississippi. A faculty member with the HBCU since 1999, Dr. McDaniels currently teaches as a professor of English. Before she was interim provost, she served as dean of the division of graduate studies for seven years. She has also served as chair of the department of English, foreign languages, and speech communication. Her research interests include portfolio and capstone pedagogy, service-learning integration, twentieth-century American literature, and African American women’s literature.
“Jackson State University has shaped my life as a student, scholar, teacher, and administrator,” said Dr. McDaniels. “I am grateful to continue serving our students and faculty as provost. My focus is to help strengthen the academic pathways, programs, and supports that allow students to complete their degrees and leave JSU prepared for meaningful work, graduate study, and service.”
Dr. McDaniels is an alumna of Jackson State University, where she majored in English. She holds a master’s degree in English from Mississippi College and a Ph.D. in English from Louisiana State University.
Tywana Chenault Hemby is provost and executive vice president for academic services at Paine College in Augusta, Georgia. Dr. Hemby comes to the HBCU with more than two decades of experience in higher education leadership, faculty development, and institutional transformation. Most recently, she served as the first African American dean of social sciences at Columbia College in South Carolina. Earlier in her career, she was dean of the School of Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences at Voorhees University in Denmark, South Carolina. She has a wide-range of scholarly interests, including effective teaching strategies, utilizing technology in education, addressing racial trauma in educational spaces, fostering student achievement, and promoting critical literacy.
“Paine College is not simply an institution — it is a mission. I am deeply honored to join this community and to serve its students, faculty, and the greater Augusta community,” said Dr. Hemby. “Rooted in Paine’s legacy of ‘Enter to Learn; Depart to Serve,’ I am committed to cultivating academic excellence, collaborating across our community, transforming our institutional culture, and serving with everything I have.”
Dr. Hemby received a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Voorhees University, a master’s degree in psychology and counseling from Troy University in Alabama, and a Ph.D. in psychology from Capella University.
LaToya Mason was promoted from interim provost to permanent provost at Lake Michigan College, where she has taught for the past 13 years. Prior to her interim appointment, Dr. Mason served as dean of health sciences education at the college. In that role, she helped secured funding to expand health science program offerings, which led to the development of a physical therapist assistant program and a new lab at the college’s South Haven campus. She has also partnered with local health care organizations to establish apprenticeship pathways for students.
“I am honored to serve Lake Michigan College in this role,” said Dr. Mason. “Our students, faculty, and the communities we serve deserve the very best, and I am committed to leading with purpose, integrity, and a deep dedication to excellence and belonging.”
Dr. Mason holds a master’s degree in health administration and an MBA from the University of Phoenix. She received her Ph.D. in education from Capella University.
