Six African Americans Who Have Been Selected to Serve in Higher Education Adminitrative Roles

Antwan Lofton has been named vice president for human resources at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. He has served as the interim vice president for human resources since April 2022, while also serving as the assistant vice president for staff and labor relations and staff and family programs since 2017.

Lofton is a graduate of Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina. He earned a master’s degree at Morgan State University in Baltimore.

Mya Jolly is the new director of public relations at Miles College in Fairfield, Alabama. Before joining Miles College, Jolly worked for the community engagement firm CBG Strategies and at a public relations firm in Detroit.

Jolly is a graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she majored in communication with a public relations concentration and minored in political science.

Timothy A. Minor has been named interim vice chancellor for strategic partnerships at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. He was vice president for development for the University of North Carolina System. Minor served as associate vice chancellor for university advancement at North Carolina A&T from 2008 to 2013.

Minor holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He earned a master of public affairs degree with a concentration in nonprofit management from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Lisa McClinton has been named the vice chancellor for finance and administration at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina, effective April 1. She has been serving as vice chancellor for business and finance at Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina. Earlier, she was associate vice chancellor for finance at the University North Carolina School of the Arts.

McClinton received a bachelor’s degree in accounting and management information systems from Winston-Salem State University and a master’s degree in accounting and financial management from the Keller Graduate School of Management.

Jessica Madison is the new executive director of strategic communications and marketing at Alabama State University in Montgomery. She was the assistant athletic director for development and marketing at the university. Earlier, she held positions with NASCAR, Arena Football, and the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream.

Madison earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in sport management from Troy University in Alabama. She is completing work on a doctorate through Walden University.

Marcus Byrd was appointed director of financial aid at Alabama A&M University. He was the director of financial aid at Coppin State University in Baltimore.

Byrd earned a bachelor’s degree in finance and an MBA with a concentration in management information systems from Alabama A&M University.

John L. Jackson Jr. to Be the 31st Provost at the University of Pennsylvania

John L. Jackson Jr. has been chosen to be the next provost at the University of Pennsylvania, effective June 1. He will be the 31st individual to serve as provost at the university.

“I could not be more honored and genuinely humbled to be asked to serve in this important post,” Dr. Jackson said. “I look forward to working closely with President Magill and the entire Penn community as we navigate the challenges and opportunities of today and prepare, together, for the ones that will emerge tomorrow.”

Dr. Jackson is currently the Walter H. Annenberg Dean of the Annenberg School for Communication and the Richard Perry University Professor at the University of Pennsylvania. He was previously dean of the School of Social Policy & Practice and senior advisor to the provost on diversity at the university. Professor Jackson joined the faculty at the university in 2006 after erving as an assistant professor of cultural anthropology at Duke University.

An urban researcher, media ethnographer, anthropologist of religion, and theorist of race/ethnicity, Dr. Jackson’s work explores how film and other nontraditional formats can be effectively used in scholarly research projects. He is the author or co-author of several books including Thin Description: Ethnography and the African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem (Harvard University Press, 2013), Racial Paranoia: The Unintended Consequences of Political Correctness (Basic Civitas, 2008), and Real Black: Adventures in Racial Sincerity (University of Chicago Press, 2005).

Dr. Jackson is a summa cum laude graduate of Howard University in Washington, D.C., where he majored in communication He holds two master’s degrees and a Ph.D. in anthropology from Columbia University in New York City.

A Quartet of Black Faculty Members Who Are Taking on New Assignments

Stacy Gee Hollins was appointed interim associate provost of academic affairs at Harris-Stowe State University in St. Louis. Dr. Hollins will continue to serve as dean of the Anheuser-Busch School of Business at the university, a post she has held since 2020. Earlier, she was an associate professor of management information systems at Maryville University in St. Louis.

Dr. Hollins is a graduate of Saint Louis University, where she majored in organizational studies and communications. She holds an MBA from Fontbonne University in St. Louis and a Ph.D. in education from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Getiria Onsongo was promoted and granted tenure in the department of mathematics, statistics, and computer science at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is an expert in the field of bioinformatics with a primary focus on clinical genomics and agricultural informatics. Prior to joining the faculty, Dr. Onsongo was an analyst at the Minnesota Supercomputing Institute.

A native of Kenya, Dr. Onsongo is a graduate of Macalester College. He holds a master’s degree and a doctorate in computer science from the University of Minnesota.

Candis Watts Smith, an associate professor of political science at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, has been given additional duties as interim vice provost for undergraduate education. She joined the faculty in 2021 after teaching at Pennsylvania State University. Her research examines the influence of race and ethnicity in shaping citizens’ identities, political attitudes, and policy preferences. Dr. Smith is the author or editor of several books including Black Mosaic: The Politics of Black Pan-Ethnic Diversity (New York University Press, 2014).

Dr. Smith earned bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. degrees at Duke University.

Terrell Brown was appointed director of the master of social work degree program at Jackson State University in Mississippi. Dr. Brown is a tenured associate professor in the College of Health Sciences. He previously served as a tenured faculty member in the department of social work at Florida A&M University. Dr. Brown also taught at Barry University’s Ellen Whiteside McDonnell School of Social Work in Miami Shores, Florida.

Dr. Brown completed his bachelor’s degree in psychology at Florida Memorial University. He earned a master’s degree in higher, adult, and lifelong education and a master of social work degree from Michigan State University. Dr. Brown received his Ph.D. in social work/social gerontology from Howard University in Washington, D.C.