Appointments & Awards

New Appointments for Three Black Scholars in Academia

Fenaba R. Addo has been promoted to full professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Darrell A. H. Miller has been selected for an endowed professorship at the University of Chicago Law School. Jaqueline Allen Trimble, professor at Alabama State University, was named poet laureate for the state of Alabama.

Livingstone College in North Carolina Hires a Trio of New Senior Administrators

The new administrators at Livingstone College in Salisbury, North Carolina are Adreanna Johnson, associate vice president for strategic engagement, David Camps, Sr., associate vice president for foundation relations and sponsored programs, and LaVon Gray, assistant to the president for information technology and operations.

M. Ray McKinnie Honored With the George Washington Carver Award

“This is an honor that goes far beyond recognition,” said Dr. McKinnie, administrator for cooperative extension at North Carolina A&T State University. “This award validates much of what I’ve strived for over the years and tells me I’ve gone about my work in the right way.”

New Leadership Appointments for Four Black Americans in Higher Education

The appointments are Jazz M. Lewis at the University of Maryland, Jeremy Patterson at Lane College in Tennessee, April Robinson at Tennessee State University, and Reginald Miller at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

New Faculty Appointments for Three Black Scholars

Musa Manga and Guy Nave have been selected for endowed professorships at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Luther College in Iowa, respectively. Alicia Moore was promoted to professor of education at Southwestern University, making her university's first African American woman to earn the rank of full professor.

Two Black Administrators at UNC Charlotte Recognized for Advancing Fraternity and Sorority Life

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte's Kevin Bailey, vice chancellor for student affairs, and Michelle Guobadia, senior director of student engagement and director of fraternity and sorority life, were both recently honored by the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors for their outstanding commitment to supporting fraternity and sorority students.

Morgan State University’s Stacyann Nelson Receives National Award in Experimental Physics

Dr. Nelson has received the 2025 Joseph A. Johnson Award of Excellence, presented jointly by the American Institute of Physics and the National Society of Black Physicists. The award recognizes early-career experimental physicists for their scientific innovation, mentorship, and service.

New Appointments for Three Black Administrators in Higher Education

Brandi Tatum-Fedrick was promoted to vice president for university advancement at Florida A&M University, Danielle Lynch was selected to lead the joint athletics program at Pomona College and Pitzer College in California, and Warren L. Williams is the new band director at Tuskegee University.

Bernard Appiah Recognized for Outstanding Contributions to Public Health Communication

Dr. Appiah studies how communication strategies can influence public health decision-making. He is known for developing an innovative radio broadcasting approach that uses entertainment-education to disseminate public health information to underserved communities.

New Faculty Positions for Four Black Scholars

Stacy Ryan-Pettes and Keidrick Roy have joined the faculties of Case Western Reserve University and Dartmouth College, respectively. Kalenda Eaton is taking on a new leadership role with the University of Oklahoma Honors College and Richard Mtisi was selected for an endowed professorship at Luther College in Iowa.

Justene Hill Edwards Wins the 2025 Frederick Douglass Book Prize

The Frederick Douglass Book Prize is presented annually by Yale University in honor of the preceding year's best book on topics of slavery, resistance, or abolition. Dr. Edwards, associate professor at the University of Virginia, was honored for her latest book, Savings and Trust: The Rise and Betrayal of the Freedman's Bank (W.W. Norton and Company, 2024).

Four Black Leaders Appointed to Administrative Roles in Higher Education

The appointments are Jamesia Harrison at North Carolina A&T State University, Michael A. Davis at the University of Minnesota, Douglass Morency at Howard Community College in Maryland, and Anthony Stone at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.

James L. Moore III Named a Living Legend by the National Alliance of Black School Educators

Dr. Moore, distinguished professor at Ohio State University, is widely known for his research on the educational experiences of African American men. At Ohio State, he serves as vice provost for diversity and inclusion and executive director of the Todd Anthony Bell National Resource Center on the African American Male.

A Trio of Black Leaders Appointed to Administrative Roles in Higher Education

The African Americans assuming new administrative roles in higher education are Christopher Blakely at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Alana Dais Manga at the Paris College of Art in France, and LaDaniel Gatling II at Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina.

Mississippi State’s Jesse Goliath Wins National Award in Forensic Sciences

Dr. Goliath, an assistant professor of anthropology and Middle Eastern culture at Mississippi State University, is an expert in skeletal biology. He focuses his research and community outreach efforts on supporting marginalized populations and improving outcomes for missing and unidentified persons, particularly in underserved regions in the rural American South.

A Pair of New Administrators Join the Forthcoming Xavier University of Louisiana Medical School

DeQuan M. Smith is the inaugural assistant dean for student success and Danita Beck Wickwire is the inaugural executive director of development for the Xavier Oscher College of Medicine, which is slated to become the fifth medical school at a historically Black educational institution.

Yale’s Marlene Daut Wins the 2025 Haiti Book Prize

Dr. Daut, professor of French and of Black studies at Yale University, was honored for her newest book, The First and Last King of Haiti: The Rise and Fall of Henry Christophe, which examines the complex political and intellectual life of early nineteenth-century Haiti.

Three Black Leaders Appointed to New Roles at HBCUs

Joi Grabielle Artis is the new campus minister and chaplain at Benedict College in South Carolina. Shannon Trapp was appointed associate vice chancellor for administration and strategic operations at North Carolina A&T State University and April Thomas was named director of the Undergraduate Research Office at South Carolina State University.

The Association of Black Women Physicians Presents Its 2025 Humanitarian Award to Gail Wyatt

Among many other accomplishments, Dr. Wyatt is known for being the first person of color to become a licensed psychologist in the state of California, the first Black woman to be named full professor at UCLA's medical school, and the first person of color to receive training as a sexologist.

Four African Americans Appointed to Leadership Roles at Universities

The appointments are Christine Lovely at the University of California, Los Angeles, Reginald Ruffin at Tuskegee University in Alabama, Keith Hayes at Virginia Tech, and Laquetta Jones Bigelow at North Carolina A&T State University.
Load more

Get the FREE JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

Featured Jobs

Breaking News

Kevin James Reinstated as President of Morris Brown College

Breaking News
One week after their abrupt removal of Morris Brown College President Kevin James, the HBCU's board of trustees has reversed their decision, reinstating Dr. James as the college's nineteenth president.

Jeffrey O. Smith Appointed Secretary of Education for Virginia

Breaking News
Dr. Smith has over three decades of experience in education, particularly as an administrator at several public school districts throughout Virginia. A graduate of historically Black Virginia Union University, Dr. Smith has taught at Old Dominion University and the College of William and Mary.

JBHE Jobs

About Us

JBHE is dedicated to the conscientious investigation of the status and prospects for African Americans in higher education.

Phone: (570) 392-6797

Get the FREE JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

BRUCON Publishing Company © 2026