Donna Nicol is dean of the College of Liberal Arts at California State University, Long Beach. For the past two years, Dr. Nicol has served as the college’s associate dean for personnel and curriculum. She has more than 20 years of experience within the California State University System, including prior faculty appointments with the Dominguez Hills and Fullerton campuses. Dr. Nicol’s research and teaching centers on the history and politics of African American educational access with a focus on philanthropic foundations, university trustee boards, and African American women as faculty, university administrators, and educational activists.
Dr. Nicol received her bachelor’s degree in history and African American studies from California State University, Fullerton, and her master’s degree in history from California State University, Long Beach. She holds a second master’s degree in educational policy and leadership and a Ph.D. in educational studies with a specialization in African American educational history from Ohio State University.
Following nearly two years of interim service, Angela Gilmore has been officially named dean of the David A. Clarke School of Law at the University of the District of Columbia. Prior to joining the university, Gilmore was senior counsel for accreditation at the American Bar Association. She has extensive experience as a legal educator, including prior teaching roles at Nova Southeastern University in Florida, Elon University in North Carolina, the University of Iowa, and North Carolina Central University, where she served as associate dean for academic affairs.
Gilmore is a graduate of Houghton College in New York. She received her juris doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
Christopher Lance Coleman was appointed dean of the College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Dr. Coleman comes to his new role from Oakland University in Michigan, where he was dean of the School of Nursing. Before assuming that role in 2023, he was the Mark & Maureen Miller Head & Professor of the School of Nursing at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Dr. Coleman has also served in leadership roles at Indiana University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. His research centers on understanding factors that influence health-promoting behaviors of HIV infected middle-aged and older African American men and HIV risk factors among vulnerable populations.
Dr. Coleman is a graduate of Walla Walla University in Washington, where he majored in nursing. He holds a master’s degree in family and child psychiatry from Oregon Health Sciences University, a Ph.D. in nursing with a minor in education from the University of California, San Francisco, and a master of public health degree from Johns Hopkins University.
Hamilton Elijah Smith is dean of allied health at Southern Crescent Technical College in Georgia. Dr. Smith has extensive experience in academic and clinical settings. He has served as chief executive officer and psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioner for Sapelo Psychiatry and Swift & Smith, P.C. He has also taught at Purdue University Global for several years, serving as a subject matter expert in psychopharmacology and the psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioner program.
Dr. Smith is a graduate of Clayton State University in Georgia, where he majored in integrative studies. He holds a master’s degree in physical education from Canisius College in New York, a master’s degree in nursing from Brenau University in Georgia, and a doctorate in education from Liberty University in Virginia.
Lawrence Flowers is dean of the School of Science, Technology, Health & Human Services at Voorhees University in Denmark, South Carolina. Since 2021, Dr. Flowers has served as an associate professor of biology at Saint Augustine’s University in Raleigh, North Carolina. Earlier, he was department chair and associate professor of biology at Livingstone College in Salisbury, North Carolina. Dr. Flowers has also taught at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina and Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania. His most recent research endeavors have focused on STEM career readiness, microbiome data science, and STEM ecosystem development.
Dr. Flowers is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in biology. He holds master’s degrees in biology and science education from the University of Iowa and a Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Florida.
Windy Ann Mack Stephenson has been selected to serve as interim dean of the Dr. Emily England Clyburn Honors College at South Carolina State University. In addition to her new responsibilities, she will continue to serve in her current role as executive director of academic and scholarship services at the college. Dr. Stephenson has more than two decades of experience spanning early childhood, K-12, and higher education as a teacher, literacy coach, administrator, and faculty member. She has conducted prior research on gifted education and educational leadership in rural South Carolina.
Stephenson is an alumna of South Carolina State University, where she majored in early childhood education. She holds a master’s degree in communication studies from Northern Illinois University and a Ph.D. in education from Capella University.
