Six African Americans Taking on New Roles in Higher Education

NicoleRoachNicole Roach was appointed associate vice president for diversity and inclusion at Webster University in St. Louis. She has been serving as director of the university’s downtown campus. She has been on the staff at the university since 2002.

Roach holds a bachelor’s degree and two master’s degrees from Webster University.

RonyelleRicard4Ronyelle Ricard was appointed special assistant to the chancellor at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She was coordinator for the Presidential Commission on Academic Renewal at Howard University in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Ricard is a graduate of Xavier University in New Orleans. She holds a master’s degree from the University of Illinois and a doctorate from Pennsylvania State University.

Laurie GilesLaurie Giles is the new executive director of the Center for Responsibility and Justice at Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, Massachusetts. She is an assistant professor in the psychology and criminal justice department at the college. She has been on the college’s faculty since 2010 and previously taught at Springfield College in Massachusetts and the University of Bridgeport School of Law in Connecticut.

Giles is a graduate of Springfield College and the Rutgers University School of Law in Newark.

mkershawMarilyn Kershaw is the inaugural director of the Office of Diversity and Access in the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Cincinnati. She was serving as director of graduate enrollment initiatives at the university. She has been on the staff at the university since 2009.

“With A&S being the largest and most diverse college, it is only natural that we take the lead on making the University Diversity Plan a living document at the college level,” Kershaw said. “This position can be a model for other colleges for what can be done. We have diversity in terms of our curriculum, so it’s time to expand that further to our students, staff and faculty.”

Dr Lason HinesLason Hines was appointed director of the Texas Institute for the Preservation of History and Culture in the School of Architecture at Prairie View A&M University in Texas. She has been on the staff at the university since 2007.

Dr. Hines is a graduate of Hampton University in Virginia. She holds a master’s degree in liberal studies and business from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and a doctorate in organizational leadership from the University of Phoenix.

strayhornTerrell L. Strayhorn, associate professor of higher education and chief diversity officer for the College of Education and Human Ecology at Ohio State University in Columbus, has been given additional duties as director of the Center for Inclusion, Diversity, and Academic Success (IDEAS) at the university.

Dr. Strayhorn holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Virginia and a doctorate in higher education from Virginia Tech. He is currently studying for a law degree at Ohio State’s Moritz College of Law.

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