Appointments & Awards

The new deans are Judette Louis at Old Dominion University in Virginia, Kimberly Poole at Clemson University in South Carolina, Matthew Johnson-Roberson at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, MarQuita Barker at Davidson College in North Carolina, Shawn(ta) Smith-Cruz at Barnard College in New York City, and Yarneccia Dyson at the University of Houston.

A Carolina Distinguished Professor at the University of South Carolina, Dr. Boutte is a scholar of promoting anti-racism and pro-Blackness within education.

The administrators are LaShannon Spencer at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, A. L. Fleming at Tuskegee University in Alabama, Virginia Teachey at North Carolina A&T State University, and Elvin Parker at Alcorn State University in Mississippi.

The appointments are Beatrice Adams at Princeton University in New Jersey, Patricia Poitevien at Brown University in Rhode Island, Tony Brown at Rice University in Houston, and Najja Baptist at the University of Arkansas.

Dr. Simpson is an associate professor and chair of the department of mathematics at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina. She studies the design of clinical trials, the metrics of aging, and initiatives to increase diversity in the field of statistics.

Here is this week’s roundup of Black leaders who have been appointed to new administrative positions at colleges and universities throughout the United States. If you have news for our appointments section, please email the information to [email protected].

Trina Fletcher and Maurice Mangum are taking on associate dean positions at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and Bloomfield College, respectively. Courtney Patterson-Faye has received a promotion at Wesleyan University.

Claflin University President Dwaun Warmack has had an extensive career in student affairs and higher education, including service with several historically Black universities. Before assuming the Claflin presidency in 2019, he spent five years as president of Harris-Stowe State University.

The appointments are Atia Garrett-Washington at Dillard University, Damon Evans at Southern Methodist University, and Taelore Marsh at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

"Investing in HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs yields exponential returns, as these institutions serve as engines of economic growth, social mobility, and ladders of opportunity for millions of students and their communities," write the authors. "Their work goes beyond addressing historical inequities; it is essential to building a stronger, more inclusive, and more competitive future for the nation."

Eric Deggans is taking on a new role at Washington and Lee University. Royette Dubar of Wesleyan University and Heidi Cruz-Austin of Muhlenberg College have received promotions.

A distinguished professor at Texas Southern University, Dr. Bullard is a leading scholar in the field of environmental justice. He currently serves as founding director of the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice.

The Black women appointed to new administrative positions are Tershuna Bass at Jackson State University, Rebecca Vazquez-Skillings at Howard University, Rosalynne Whitaker-Heck at Bowie State University, and LaTonya Branham at Central State University.

Tanya Walker at the University of Arkansa at Pine Bluff, Nicole Hall at the University of Virginia, Kimberly Moffitt at Howard University in Washington, D.C., and Charles Smith at Gordon State College in Barnesville, Georgia, have been appointed to dean positions.

K. Paige Carmichael has been promoted to University Professor at the University of Georgia and Boise State University Instructor Michael Strickland has been selected to represent higher education on the Serve Idaho Commission.

Ronald Jackson at Farmingdale State College in New York, Carmen Cummings-Martin at Florida A&M University, and Angela King Taylor at the University of Missouri, have been appointed to new administrative posts in higher education.

The faculty appointments are Natalie Sowell at Spelman College in Atlanta, Cheryl Jenkins at Talladega College in Alabama, and Isaiah Wooden at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania.

The Debate Team at historically Black Texas Southern University has won the Speech and Debate Tournament held by the International Forensic Association, marking the team's fifth IFA championship.

Michelle Petty Grue, assistant teaching professor of writing at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Anna Charity Hudley, professor of eduaction at Stanford University, were recently recognized for their co-authored paper, "Black Linguistic Justice from Theory to Practice."

The administrative appointments are Timothy Summers at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Donnell Walton at Howard University in Washington, D.C., Mone't Basnight Earle at Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina, Jerome Oglesby at Tennessee State University, Jeffrey Pierce II at Florida A&M University, and Paula McCraney at Simmons College of Kentucky.