Public Institution

Howard Community College has appointed Dr. Daria Willis as the fifth president of the college. Dr. Willis currently serves as president of Everett Community College in Washington. She will become the first African American to lead Howard Community College. Dr. Willis's presidency begins on January 10, 2022, succeeding Dr. Kate Hetherington, who retired after 14 years as president. Prior to her presidency, Dr. Willis was the provost and senior vice president of academic affairs at Onondaga Community College of the State University of New York. Other leadership positions include dean of academic studies at Lee College in Baytown, Texas; executive dean of centers/dean of instruction at Lone Star College-North Harris Greenspoint Center and Victory Center, Texas; and department chair of social and behavioral sciences and kinesiology at Lone Star College-University Park Campus and the Faculty Senate president. Dr. Willis earned her Ph.D. in history from Florida State University; her master’s degree in history and bachelor’s degree in history education from Florida A&M University, a historically Black college in Florida. Read more here.

The University of Alaska Anchorage has appointed Mr. Justin Atteberry as Executive Director of Shared Services. Mr. Atteberry comes to UAA from the Southcentral Foundation in Anchorage where his tenure spans nearly 20 years and currently serves as Senior Director of Operations. At UAA, Mr. Atteberry will oversee the University’s financial, travel, procurement, human resources, and research administration activities. Reporting directly to the Vice Chancellor for Administrative Services, Mr. Atteberry will be responsible for overall leadership of a complex and mission-critical organization, including planning and goal setting, operational planning, personnel and financial management, establishment of the unit’s norms and culture, and inter-departmental relationships. Mr. Atteberry holds an M.B.A. in Operational and Personal Management and a B.A. in Economics from Pacific Lutheran University. 

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte has appointed Dr. Brandon L. Wolfe as Associate Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Inclusion/Chief Diversity Officer. Dr. Wolfe joins UNC Charlotte’s staff with a breadth of experience in diversity in higher education, most recently serving as the Assistant Vice President of Campus and Community Engagement in the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s (UAB) Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion since 2016. At Charlotte, Dr. Wolfe will coordinate with staff, faculty and students to build on the University’s diversity and inclusion efforts to create an accessible, inclusive and equitable climate, as well as identify and address potential barriers and institutional systems that may foster systemic inequalities. Dr. Wolfe holds a Ph.D. in Administration of Higher Education, M.Ed in Adult Education and BA in Psychology from Auburn University. Read more here.

North Dakota State College of Science has announced the appointment of Dr. Lisa Karch as the new Vice President for Instruction. Dr. Karch currently serves as Interim Dean of Graduate and Extended Learning at Minnesota State University Moorhead. She earned her B.A. in Secondary Health Education from Concordia College and her M.Ed. in Counseling and Ph.D. in Human Development and Education from North Dakota State University. She will assume the VPI position at NDSCS on October 4, 2021. Read more here. 

Kennesaw State University has appointed Dr. Roslyn Satchel as the inaugural Lead Researcher of the newly formed Radow Institute for Social Equity (RISE) effective January 1, 2022. Dr. Satchel is currently the Blanche E. Seaver Professor of Communication at Pepperdine University. Dr. Satchel holds a J.D. from Emory Law School as well as a Ph.D. from LSU. A nationally renowned scholar and a Berkman Klein Center Fellow at Harvard Law School, Dr. Satchel's research focuses on social movements, gendered violence and racialized gender issues in media, religion and law. Dr. Satchel earned her Juris Doctor and Master of Divinity degrees from Emory University, a Ph.D. in Media and Public Affairs from Louisiana State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Howard University. Read more here.

The University of Alaska Anchorage has named Dr. Kenrick Mock as Dean of the College of Engineering. Dr. Mock served as the college's interim dean starting in fall 2018 and as a computer science faculty member since 2000.  Read more here.

Norfolk State University has announced that Dr. Denelle Wallace-Alexander has been appointed as Dean of the School of Education. For more than a decade, Dr. Wallace-Alexander has been an engaged scholar and researcher while teaching and advising graduate students in the Professional School Counseling and Principal Preparation Programs. These experiences have served her well as a faculty member in the Department of Secondary Education and School Leadership at NSU. Since July 2018, Dr. Wallace-Alexander has been serving as Associate Dean and CAEP Coordinator in the School of Education. Dr. Wallace-Alexander received a Ph.D. in Urban Services with a concentration in Academic Leadership from Old Dominion University, an M.Ed. in School Counseling from Georgia State University, and a B.S. in Elementary Education from Old Dominion University. Read more here.

Norfolk State University has announced the appointment of Mr. Don Essex as Dean of Lyman Beecher Brooks Library.  Before NSU, Mr. Essex was an associate professor and director of the Theofield G. Weis Library at Washington Adventist University in Takoma Park, Maryland. He accomplished much in his seven year stint at WAU including acquiring a new integrated library system that effectively engaged researchers, developing a bibliographic instruction program that measurably increased information literacy on campus, and increasing the quality and quantity of physical and digital information resources at the library. Prior to Washington Adventist University, Mr. Essex served as the Legislative Information Specialist for the Washington Office of the American Library Association for thirteen years. He earned a B.A. in Liberal Studies with an emphasis in American History and Culture from Pacific Union College in Angwin, California, an M.L.S. in Library Science from the University of Maryland at College Park, and studied legislative affairs at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.  Read more here.

The Texas Southern University has appointed Dr. Lesia L. Crumpton-Young as TSU’s 13th president. Dr. Crumpton-Young assumed her role on July 1, 2021. Dr. Crumpton-Young has a distinguished career in higher education, including her most recent post as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs and chief academic officer at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Crumpton-Young earned a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and a doctorate degree in industrial engineering from Texas A&M University, and a Master of Business Administration from Tennessee State University. She holds the distinction of being the first African-American woman to receive a Ph.D. in engineering. Read more here.

The University of the District of Columbia has appointed Dr. Ricardo A. Brown as the new Associate Dean of the College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES) and Founding Director of the School of Health and Clinical Sciences. Dr. Brown is a Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics in the School of Public Health at Jackson State University. He previously served as Dean of the College of Public Service at Jackson State from 2013 to 2018. He received his Ph.D. in Physiology and Biophysics from Howard University.