Faculty

Courtney Marshall is a new assistant professor of neuroscience at Haverford College in suburban Philadelphia. Akachukwu Obi is a new assistant professor of Integrated Sciences at Claremont McKenna College in California.

Trevor A. Dawes was named the 2026–2027 Follett Chair in Library and Information Science at the School of Information Studies at Dominican University in Illinois. Keithen Mathis has been selected to serve as interim director of the Florida State University Civil Rights Institute.

Dr. Brown comes to UAPB from Fayetteville State University, where she has served as associate vice chancellor for academic and faculty affairs and interim provost.

The appointments are Phillip Davis at Augusta University's College of Business, Sherree R.B. Davis at Hampton University's School of Liberal Arts and Education, Ashley S. Dukes at South Georgia Technical College's Americus campus, and Margarita David at Rowan University's School of Nursing & Health Professions.

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.