Heidi Anderson Appointed the 16th President of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Since September 2017, Dr. Anderson has been special advisor to the president of Texas A&M University-Kingsville. She served as provost and vice president for academic affairs there from 2015 to 2017.
Marion Fedrick Appointed President of Albany State University in Georgia
Marion Fedrick has served as interim president since January. Before being named interim president, Fedrick had been serving as interim executive vice president at Albany State. Earlier, she was vice chancellor for human resources at the University System of Georgia.
Peggy Valentine Appointed to Lead Fayetteville State University in North Carolina
Dr. Valentine has been serving as dean of the School of Health Sciences at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina. Her research focuses on homeless and minority health issues. Dr. Valentine is the founding editor-in-chief for the Journal of Best Practices in Health Professions Diversity.
A Trio of African American Scholars Who Have Been Appointed to Dean Positions
Anthony A. Pittman was named dean of the School of Education at Claflin University in Orangeburg, South Carolina. Dominique Ayesha Robinson has been named dean of the Chapel at Wiley College in Marshall, Texas, and Damien Clement has been named acting dean of the Honors College at West Virginia University.
Two African American Women Appointed to Dean Positions
Taja-Nia Henderson has been named dean of the Graduate School at Rutgers University in New Jersey and Jeannine Dingus-Eason was named dean of education at Rhode Island College.
The First African American Woman Dean at Franklin University in Columbus, Ohio
Alyncia Bowen was appointed dean of doctoral studies and the School of Nursing at Franklin University in Columbus, Ohio. Dr. Bowen joined Franklin University 14 years ago. She has served as department chair, director of doctoral studies and director of the Global Center for Healthcare Education.
Historically Black Central State University in Ohio Selects its Ninth President
Jack Thomas was named the eleventh president of Western Illinois University in 2011. He served in that role until 2019. Dr. Thomas will succeed Cynthia Jackson-Hammond, who will step down as president of Central State University in July.
Erika James to Lead the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania
When she takes office on July 1, Erika James will be the first woman and the first African American to lead the prestigious business school since its founding in 1881. Since 2014, Dr. James has been serving as dean of the Goizueta Business School at Emory University in Atlanta.
Benjamin Ola. Akande Will Be the Ninth President of Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont
Dr. Akande currently serves as the assistant vice chancellor for international affairs–Africa, and as associate director of the Global Health Center at Washington University in St. Louis. From 2015 to 2017, he was president of Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri.
General Ronnie D. Hawkins Chosen to Lead Angelo State University in Texas
When General Hawkins takes office on August 14, Hawkins will be the first African American to serve as president of Angelo State University in its 92-year history. A retired three-star Air Force general, he is the former director of the Defense Information Systems Agency at Fort Meade, Maryland.
West Liberty University in West Virginia Names Its First Black President in Its 183-Year...
For the past four years, W. Franklin Evans has been president of Voorhees College in Denmark, South Carolina. He is the former provost and chief academic officer at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, where he also served as interim president.
Vernell Bennett-Fairs Named the Thirteenth President of LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis
Since 2016, Dr. Bennett-Fairs has been serving as vice president for student affairs at Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi. Earlier, she was vice president for student affairs at Kentucky State University.
Leonard Adams Is the New Leader of Historically Black Knoxville College
At its peak in the 1960s, Knoxville College enrollments reached 1,200 students. The college lost its accreditation in 1997. By 2015, there were only 11 students enrolled for the spring semester and it suspended all classes for the next academic year. In 2018, the college once again began to offer classes, but only online.
Vincent Rougeau Will Be the First African American President of the College of the...
Vincent Rougeau has been dean of the Boston College Law School since 2011. Prior to his role at Boston College, Rougeau was a tenured professor of law at Notre Dame Law School and served as their associate dean for academic affairs from 1999-2002.
Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, Appoints its First Black President
In 2016, Dr. Hemphill became the seventh president of Radford University in Virginia. Earlier, he served from 2012 to 2016 as the 10th president of West Virginia State University, a historically Black educational institution near Charleston.
Towuanna Porter Brannon is the New President of Thomas Nelson Community College in Virginia
Since 2016, Dr. Brannon has served as vice president for student services at Mitchell Community College in Statesville, North Carolina. Earlier she held administrative positions at several colleges in the New York metropolitan area.
Alabama A&M University Names Three Finalists for President
The three finalists are Colette Pierce Burnette, president of Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, Texas, Roderick Smothers, president of Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Daniel K. Wims, provost and vice president for academic affairs and research and a professor of agricultural sciences at Alabama A&M University.
The First African American President of Howard Community College in Columbia, Maryland
Dr. Daria Willis currently serves as president of Everett Community College in Washington. Earlier, Dr. Willis was the provost and senior vice president of academic affairs at Onondaga Community College of the State University of New York and dean of academic studies at Lee College in Baytown, Texas.
Reginald DesRoches Will Be the Eighth President of Rice University in Houston
The will of oil tycoon William Marsh Rice stipulated that only White students would be allowed to enroll at the university bearing his name. From its founding in 1912 to 1965, no Black student was permitted to enroll at Rice University. Next summer, the university will install its first Black president.
Valerie Sheares Ashby Will Be the Next President of the University of Maryland Baltimore...
Since 2015, Dr. Ashby has been dean of the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. From 2003 to 2105, Dr. Ashby served on the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. There, she chaired the chemistry department from 2012 to 2015.
Olivier Charles Selected to Become President of Bishop State Community College in Alabama
Charles has been serving as vice chancellor for student success for the Alabama Community College System. Earlier in his career, he was director of admissions and enrollment management at the University of West Alabama and director of admissions and recruitment for the Montgomery, Alabama, campus of Auburn University.
The Academy for Diverse Emerging Nurse Leaders to be Held in Nashville in November
Vanderbilt University School of Nursing is creating a new leadership development program for nurses new in health care leadership and academic positions who are from groups historically underrepresented in nursing and/or those who support them.
Rosana Reyes Will Be the Next President of Lamar Community College in Colorado
Dr. Reyes currently serves as vice president for enrollment management and student affairs at Luzerne County Community College in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania. Earlier, Dr. Reyes served as associate vice president of the Newburgh campus of the State University of New York. She will take on her new duties at Lamar Community College in March.
Claudine Gay Appointed the Thirtieth President of Harvard University
When she takes office on July 1, Claudine Gay will be the first African American to lead the university since its founding nearly 400 years ago. Since 2018, Dr. Gay has served as the Edgerley Family Dean of Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences. She first joined the Harvard faculty in 2006.
Calvin McFadden Is the New President of Arkansas Baptist College in Little Rock
Since 2020, Dr. McFadden has been a church pastor in Houston. Earlier he served in dean positions at Bristol Community College in Fall River, Massachusetts, Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, and Norwalk Community College in Connecticut.
Bonita Brown Is the New Leader of Northern Kentucky University
Since 2019, Brown had been serving as vice president and chief strategy officer at the university. Prior to her role at NKU, Brown served as the vice president for network engagement at Achieving the Dream, a national nonprofit leader that champions evidence-based institutional improvement in community colleges across the country.
Gregory L King Appointed the Fourteenth President of the University of Mount Union in...
Since 2008, King has served the institution as the vice president for advancement. During his tenure as the institution’s chief fundraising officer, Mount Union has successfully completed and exceeded three fundraising campaigns. Since 2021, King has also served as interim vice president for enrollment services.
Patrick Wade Named President of the Tennessee College of Applied Technology Murfreesboro
Patrick Wade has been serving as vice president of the Tennessee College of Applied Technology Knoxville, where he has worked since 2012. He holds a bachelor's degree in business administration and finance from Tennessee Technological University and a master's degree in management and leadership from Western Governors University.
Aondover Tarhule is the New Leader of Illinois State University
Dr. Tarhule joined Illinois State University as vice president for academic affairs and provost in 2020. His immediate prior administrative appointment was vice provost and dean of the Graduate School at Binghamton University of the State University of New York System. Earlier, he served on the faculty at the University of Oklahoma.
Garry W. Jenkins Will Be the First Black President of Bates College in Lewiston,...
Since 2016, Jenkins has been dean and the William S. Pattee Professor of Law at the University of Minnesota Law School. Prior to joining the Minnesota Law School Jenkins was a professor of law at the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law for 12 years, including eight years as associate dean for academic affairs.
A Change in Leadership at Jackson State University in Mississippi
The board of trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning in Mississippi has placed Thomas Hudson, president of Jackson State University, on administrative leave with pay, effective immediately. No reason was given for the decision to relieve Hudson of his duties. Elayne Hayes-Anthony, a professor of journalism and media studies was named acting president.
Cynthia Gyamfi-Bannerman to Lead the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine
Dr. Gyamfi-Bannerman specializes in obstetric complications with a primary focus on preterm birth prevention. She became chair of the department of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences at the medical school in 2021. She holds the Samuel SC Yen Endowed Chair. Earlier, she was a professor at Columbia University in New York City.
Dennis Rome Chosen to Lead Indiana University East in Richmond
Dr. Rome currently serves as assistant to the president for community engagement and strategic partnerships at Northeastern Illinois University. Earlier, served as dean of the College of Letters and Sciences at Columbus State University in Georgia and as associate provost and associate vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.
Kara Freeman to Lead the National Association of College and University Business Officers
When she takes office on June 1, Freeman will be the first African American woman to lead the organization. Freeman has been serving as the senior vice president and chief operating officer at the American Council of Education. She has worked there since 2006.
Anita Thomas Will Be the First African American President of North Central College in...
Dr. Thomas is currently the executive vice president and provost at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota. Prior to arriving at St. Catherine University in 2019, she was the founding dean of the College of Applied Behavioral Sciences at the University of Indianapolis. Earlier in her career, Dr. Thomas taught counseling psychology and school counseling at Loyola University Chicago.
Marshall Fulbright III Named President of the Monterey Peninsula Community College
Dr. Fulbright is currently the vice president of academic affairs at Grossmont College in El Cajon, California. Previously he was an instructional dean at Norco College and the College of the Sequoias.
