Faculty

Paula Marie Seniors was selected for an endowed professorship in Africana studies at Virginia Tech. The other appointments are four new assistant professors: Kamia Smith at the University of Cincinnati, Efemena Diejomaoh at Meharry Medical College, Danielle Lynch at Pomona College, and Camille Lois at Cornell University.

In 2020, Dr. James became the first woman and first African American to lead the Wharton School since its founding in 1881. Her contract has been extended and she will continue to lead the Ivy League business school through June 30, 2032.

The appointments are Carole Boyce-Davies at Howard University, Whitney Fields at Vassar College, Anthony Robinson at Wayne State University, Angel Jones at the University of Washington Tacoma, Sandra Thomas-Lalmansingh at McDaniel College, and Kira Reed at Syracuse University.

Camille Borders and Sophia Mongero are new assistant professors at Bates College in Maine and Smith College in Massachusetts, respectively. Jametta A. Davis is assistant director of the Hampton University Honors College and Kiana Dibo-Armstrong is chair of the department of social work at Savannah State University.

Camille A. Brown was named to an endowed professorship in dance at the University of Southern California. Robert R. Lindsey of Johnson C. Smith University and Ashley Leak Bryant of the University of North Carolina are taking on new leadership roles. Amaryah Shaye Armstrong and Tré Watkins are new assistant professors at Columbia university and Point Loma Nazarene University, respectively.

Marlene Daut was named the Chester D. Tripp Professor of Black Studies and of French and Vincent Brown was named the David Brion Davis Professor of History.

Ezemenari M. Obasi of Wayne State University has been appointed to the National Advisory Council on Minority Health and Health Disparities. Miriam Johnson, Judith Crocker-Billingsley, and Lewis Johnson are taking on new academic leadership roles at universities. Scott Poulson-Bryant joined the faculty of the New York University Tisch School of the Arts.

Here is this week’s roundup of Black faculty members who have been appointed to new positions in the academic world. If you have news for our appointments section, please email the information to contact@jbhe.com.

The faculty appointments are Heather Tookes at Yale University, Yaa Oparebea Ampofo at Columbia University, Curtis R. Govan, Jr., II at Jarvis Christian University, Shaun Ossei-Owusu at the University of California College of Law, San Francisco, Arnold Holland at California State University, Fullerton, and Lyrric Jackson at Spelman College.

The appointments are David W. Brown at Temple University, Christina Baker at the University of California, Merced, Dennis C. Sweet IV at Washington and Lee University, Trena Warren at Belhaven University, Tiffani Chidume at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Avery Bargassé at the University of Cincinnati, Jean Beaman at the City University of New York, and Aimee J. Carlisle at the College of Law at the University of California, San Francisco.

Professor Williams has been selected to serve as interim dean of Penn State Dickinson Law. An expert on financial and securities regulations, she has been a faculty member with the university for the past seven years.

The deans are Gregory D. Goins at North Carolina A&T State University's College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Michael L. Jones at Hampton University's School of Nursing, Chance M. Glenn Sr. at Wilberforce University's College of Engineering, Britaney S. Lott at Voorhees University's School of Business & Entrepreneurship, and Cheryl A. Thaxton at Winston-Salem State University's School of Health Sciences.

At North Carolina Central University, Tryan L. McMickens is a new associate dean in the School of Education. Katrina Smith and Nakia Davis are taking on associate dean roles in the School of Law.

On August 3, Dr. Baskin became the first woman to lead the Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center. She is now the first Black woman to serve as director of a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center.

Albert Bimper has been selected to serve as interim provost at the University of North Texas, where he has been leading the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences — the institution's largest and most comprehensive college.

Tomiko Brown-Nagin is dean of the Stanford Graduate School of Education, Gerrelyn Patterson is dean of the College of Education at Virginia State University, and Julie A. Washington is dean of the School of Education at the University of California, Irvine.

Emery Brown was granted MIT's highest faculty title and Denise Davis-Maye is the inaugural associate provost for faculty affairs at Albany State University. Jeffrey Allen Murdock, Shaundra Daily, and Maxie Hollingsworth have joined the faculties of Yale University, the University of Tennessee, and Sam Houston State University, respectively.

Dr. Walcott has been a faculty member at the University of Georgia since 1999. For the past six years, he has served as vice provost for graduate education and dean of the Graduate School.

Henry R. Young of the University of Georgia and Tricia Penniecook of the University of South Florida were promoted to leadership roles. Derrick C. Lewis Sr. and Jennifer Hunter joined the faculties of Rust College and Virginia Commonwealth University, respectively. Yale University's Marlene Daut was selected for a fellowship at New York Public Library, and Kenni Zellner is an endowed visiting assistant professor at Boston College Law School.

The new deans are Donna Nicol at California State University, Long Beach, Angela Gilmore at the University of the District of Columbia, Christopher Lance Coleman at Howard University, Hamilton Elijah Smith at Southern Crescent Technical College, Lawrence Flowers at Voorhees University, and Windy Ann Mack Stephenson at South Carolina State University.