Derrick Brooms was appointed executive director of the Black Men’s Research Institute at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Sherrilyn Ifill was named to an endowed chair at the Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C., and Aisha Ali-Gombe was named the director of the new Cybersecurity Clinic at Louisiana State University.
Here is this week’s roundup of African Americans who have been appointed to new administrative positions at colleges and universities throughout the United States. If you have news for this section, please send an email to info@jbhe.com.
Yolanda Pierce, who is the new dean of the Divinity School at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, has won the 2023 Martin E. Marty Award for the Public Understanding of Religion. From 2017 to 2023, she wad dean of the Howard University Divinity School.
The three African Americans in new diversity roles at universities are Adrienne Morgan at the University of Rochester in New York, Algerian Hart at Missouri State University in Springfield, and Monica Smith for the University of Wisconsin System.
Professor Margie Lee will be the new associate dean for research and graduate studies at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. Robert Trowers has been appointed director of the jazz studies program at North Carolina Central University and Lela Pierce is a new assistant professor in the department of art and art history at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Kofi Lomotey, the Chancellor John Bardo and Deborah Bardo Distinguished Professor of Educational Leadership at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina, recently received the 2023 Distinguished Contributions to Social Contexts in Education Research Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Educational Research Association.
Those appointed to new administrative roles are Nick Bates at Boston University, Reinell Thomas-Myers at South Carolina State University, Joel Munza at Xavier University in New Orleans, Alisia Kirkwood at Long Beach Community College in California, Rashad Cockrell at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee, and Robert Raines at Alcorn State University in Mississippi.
Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, has announced the appointments of four accomplished scholars to new endowed faculty professorships. The four endowed professorships all honor distinguished Black graduates of Bowdoin College. Jamella Gow, Allison Guess, Michele Reid-Vazquez, and Bianca Williams have been named as the first holders of the new endowed professorships.
Dwight A. McBride was appointed the inaugural Gerald Early Distinguished Professor at Washington University in St. Louis. Fanta Waterman has been appointed a clinical assistant professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois Chicago and Ahkinyala Abdullah, an associate professor of environmental science and ecology, was named director of the Union National Research Institute at Virginia Union University.
Alondra Nelson, the Harold F. Linder Chair and Professor of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, has been selected to receive the 2023 Sage-CASBS Award from the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University and Sage, the global academic publisher of books, journals, and library resources.
Eugene Diggs II is the new director of bands at Lincoln University in Missouri and Wendy Wallace was appointed director of civic engagement at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Wendy Wallace was appointed director of civic engagement at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, and Margaret Dismond Martin is the new chief of staff for the president of Virginia Union University.
Sandy Jacobs, director of community and civic engagement at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, was recently recognized as the 2023 Spirit of Democracy Award recipient for his commitment to improving the community through community service and service learning. The award was presented by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.
Darrell Hudson, an associate professor of social work at Washington University in St. Louis, will become director of the university's Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity. Brenda Jacobs was appointed interim chair of the nursing department at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and Julia Steed will become the academic director of the family nurse practitioner program at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.
The American Philosophical Society was founded in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin. This year the society granted membership to 33 individuals. Of these eight are African Americans with ties to the academic world in the United States.
Taking on new administrative roles are Evan Williams at Pennsylvania State University, Jacari Henderson at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carlane Pittman-Hampton at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, Jeanine A. Irons at Syracuse University in New York, and Alexis J. McLean at LaGuardia Community College of the City University of New York.
The five scholars appointed to endowed chairs at North Carolina Central University are Gladys Mitchell-Walthour in political science, Jonathan Livingston in psychology, Zelda Lockhart in language and literature, Lydia Lindsey is history, and Charles Williams in art and design.
Dyonne Bergeron has been named chief diversity officer at the University of California, Irvine. Dakesa Piña was named the inaugural vice president in charge of diversity, equity, and inclusion at Illinois Wesleyan University and Minnette Ellis has been named the interim chief diversity officer at the University of North Alabama.
Dr. Dixon has worked as a faculty member and administrator at six HBCUs over the past half-century as a provost, vice president, dean, department chair, and professor. He is a physicist and may have trained more African American physics undergraduates than anyone else in the country.
Byron Lars has been named the next Jane B. Nord Professor of Fashion Design at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, and Michael Burton was named to a McDermott Professorship at the University of Texas at Dallas.
Taking on new administrative duties are Omar O. Bell at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina, Dana McPherson at Howard University in Washington, D.C., Michael Newby at North Carolina Central University, Carol Ash at Southwest Tennessee Community College in Memphis, and Shareese Williams at Saint Augustine's University in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The Council on Undergraduate Research’s Silvia Ronco Innovative Mentor Award recognizes original and insightful research work by a young investigator working with undergraduates that has had a significant impact on chemistry and the STEM careers of the students involved.
Taking on new roles in higher education relating to diversity are Shawn Washington at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, Sheree M. Ohen at Amherst College in Massachusetts, and Carol A. Sumner at Northern Illinois University.
The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award recognizes Dr. Laurencin of the University of Connecticut for promoting anti-racism and creating a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment for historically excluded groups in the STEM disciplines, especially in the field of biomaterials. He is the inaugural winner of the award.
Take on new administrative duties are Darrius Douglas at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, Shelly Perdomo-Ahmed at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Sharon Stroye at Emory University in Atlanta, and Lloyd Nivens IV at Livingstone College in Salisbury, North Carolina.
Michael Ward recently retired from the Goldfarb School of Nursing on the campus of Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, which is affiliated with Washington University. He served as vice dean for student affairs and diversity and professor at the nursing school.
Carl Phillips, a professor of English and African American studies at Washington University in St. Louis, won the Pulitzer Prize in poetry. Professor Phillips was honored for his poetry collection Then the War: And Selected Poems, 2007-2020
Sheria D. Rowe is the assistant dean and professor in the School of Business. Patrick Webb is an associate professor of criminal justice and Shirlkeymu L. Winston is an assistant professor of African American history.
Taking on new administrative roles are Marvin Lewis at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, Yvonne Harris at Northern Illinois University, Earl Warren at Talladega College in Alabama, Marcia Pecot at Xavier University in New Orleans, and Stephen Latson at Saint Augustine's University in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Natalie King, an associate professor of science education at Georgia State University, and Asegun Henry is an associate professor of mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will each receive a grant of $1,000,000 over a five-year period for scientific research or advanced study in science and engineering disciplines.
Anthony Brown is the new vice president for Equal Opportunity and Title IX at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. Romona West was appointed assistant dean of inclusive excellence and strategic initiatives at the University of Arkansas, and Kellie McCants-Price is the new chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer at Anne Arundel Community College in Maryland.
Asegun Henry, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is the recipient of the Alan T. Waterman Award from...
Bryana French has been appointed associate chair in the Graduate School of Professional Psychology at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota. Creston Herron was named director of orchestral activities at the University of Kansas and Jamie Waters is a new associate professor of Old Testament studies at Boston College.
Taking on new administrative roles are James Curbeam at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Vanessa Love at the University of Pittsburgh, Ian Bouie at Stockton University in New Jersey, Taylor Whitehead at Virginia State University, and Tourea B. Robinson at Edward Waters University in Jacksonville, Florida.
Corliss Outley, professor in the department of parks, recreation, and tourism management and director of the Race, Ethnicity, Youth and Social Equity Collaboratory at Clemson University in South Carolina, is the first African American woman to be named a Fellow of the Academy of Leisure Sciences in its 43-year history.
André L. Churchwell will be the senior advisor to the chancellor of Vanderbilt University on inclusion and community outreach. Chloe Poston has been promoted to vice president for culture, belonging, and strategic engagement at Dartmouth College and Ann Gakumo was named associate dean for inclusion and community impact at the University of Cincinnati College of Nursing.
Jeanette Davidson was appointed director of the Center for Societal Impact and a professor of instruction at the University of Texas at Austin. Tony Morris has been named the associate dean of the College of Arts and Letters at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee, and Nicholas Bratcher was appointed director of the School of Visual and Performing Arts at the University of Louisiana Monroe.