Four Black Scholars Taking on New Faculty Roles

Brian K. Smith is the new holder of the Honorable David S. Nelson Professional Chair and associate dean for research at the Lynch School of Education and Human Development at Boston College. He was senior associate dean of academic affairs at the College of Computing & Informatics at Drexel University in Philadelphia.

A 1991 graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles in computer science and engineering, Dr. Smith earned a Ph.D. in learning sciences from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

Zindell Richardson is the new chair of the department of oral health science at the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry. He was commander of the 59th Dental Training Squadron at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.

Originally from Campbellsville, Kentucky, Dr. Richardson earned his undergraduate degree in chemistry at Campbellsville University in Kentucky. He earned his doctorate in dental medicine from the University of Kentucky in 1983.

Olufunmilayo Ayobami will join the faculty at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in January 2021 as an assistant teaching professor in the department of biomedical engineering. She is currently assistant dean for inclusion and engagement in the Graduate School at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Dr. Ayobami is a graduate of Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where she majored in biomedical engineering. She holds a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Cornell University.

Blessing Masasi has been appointed assistant professor for agricultural engineering at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. He was a postdoctoral fellow in the department of biosystems and agricultural engineering at Oklahoma State University.

Dr. Masasi holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering from the University of Zimbabwe. He earned a master’s degree in water science and engineering from the IHE Delft Institute for Water Education in the Netherlands and a Ph.D. in biosystems engineering from Oklahoma State University.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Get the JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

Higher Education Gifts or Grants of Interest to African Americans

Here is this week’s news of grants or gifts to historically Black colleges and universities or for programs of particular interest to African Americans in higher education.

Three Black Leaders Appointed to Diversity Positions at Colleges and Universities

The three scholars appointed to admininstraive positions relating to diversity are Marsha McGriff at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, JeffriAnne Wilder at Oberlin College in Ohio, and Branden Delk at Illinois state University.

Remembering the Impact of Black Women on College Basketball

As former college basketball players, we are grateful that more eyes are watching, respecting and enjoying women’s college basketball. However, we are equally troubled by the manner in which the history of women’s basketball has been inaccurately represented during the Caitlin Clark craze.

Trinity College President Joanne Berger-Sweeney Announces Retirement

In 2014, Dr. Berger-Sweeney became the first African American and first woman president of Trinity College since its founding in 1823. Over the past decade, the college has experienced growth in enrollment and graduation rates, hired more diverse faculty, and improved campus infrastructure.

Featured Jobs