Alumni on the Move

Monique Bell, Ph.D., ’99, and Angela McCrae, ’03, have launched the “Sip Consciously Directory,” a comprehensive resource of more than 100 Black entrepreneurs in the three-ti-

Bell er wine distribution chain. The two Morgan graduates connected through Dr. Bell’s research for her study of Black businesspeople in the wine industry, titled “Terroir Noir: 2020 Study of Black Wine En-

McCrae trepreneurs.” Dr. Bell is an assistant professor of marketing at California State University, Fresno, who earned her Bachelor of Arts in English from Morgan. She has joined McCrae’s company, Uncorked & Cultured, a media platform centered on wine, wellness, culture and adventure, as Chief of Cultural Insights and Partnerships. McCrae has a Bachelor of Science in telecommunications from MSU. A recent article in ProFellow featured the thoughts and experiences of Ashleigh Brown-Grier, ’19, participant in a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Malaysia in 2016–2017. ProFellow is an online platform for information on professional and academic fellowships. Now a Ph.D. student in higher education leadership and policy studies at Howard University, Brown-Grier is founder of two programs: Fulbright HBCU, a social media platform designed to increase knowledge of and participation in the Fulbright program, and iHBCUx, which aims to make all HBCU students aware of international exchange programs.

Cassandra Miller Campbell, ’84,

has been elected to the City Council of Laurens, South Carolina. Campbell entered the special election for the city’s District 3 seat as a write-in candidate. The mother of two adult children and one grandchild earned her Bachelor of Science in telecommunications at Morgan State University and is a member of MSUAA’s South Atlantic Alumni Chapter. She works in the Laurens County public school system as a Teacher and also serves as an independent insurance agent. Her motto: “Listen, Learn & Lead.”

George F. DeFord, D.Min., ’67, is a published book author for the third time. His latest volume, “Miraculous: Pastor and Wife’s Account of Illness and Recovery from COVID-19,” chronicles his family’s personal battle with the deadly disease, in 2020, and offers his and his wife’s recommendations on being proactive in fighting the virus, especially by getting vaccinated. The Rev. Dr. DeFord is a native of Baltimore, Maryland, and has a B.A. in history from Morgan, where he was a member of the class known as “The Soulful Centennials.”

Jenyne Donaldson, ’10, has joined the 24/7 multiplatform network Black News Channel (BNC) as a Correspondent. A proud graduate of Morgan State University, with a Bachelor of Science in telecommunications-broadcast journalism, Donaldson arrived at BNC after spending the past four years reporting for WJZY-TV, in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she was part of the mostwatched 10 p.m. newscast team in the market. BNC is a fast-growing news network dedicated to covering the unique perspectives, challenges and successes of Black and Brown communities.

Ivy Tech Community College has selected

Lorenzo L. Esters, Ph.D., ’08,

as Chancellor of the college’s Indianapolis campus. Dr. Esters, a first-generation college student, earned his doctorate in urban education leadership from Morgan and has held numerous leadership positions in higher education in his professional career, among them Executive Director for Higher Education Partnerships for Educational Testing Services, Vice President of Philanthropy for Strada Education Network, Vice President of Student Success and Enrollment Management for Kentucky State University and Vice President for Access with the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities.

James Madison University (JMU) has named a campus building in honor of its longtime faculty member Joanne Veal Gabbin, Ph.D., ’67, and Dr. Gabbin’s husband, Alexander Gabbin, Ph.D., who is also a member of the JMU faculty. Gabbin Hall was formerly Maury Hall, named after a Confederate naval officer. A professor in the university’s English Department since 1985, Dr. Joanne V. Gabbin is also the Founder and Executive Director of the Furious Flower Poetry Center. Launched as an annual conference in 1994, Furious Flower was formally established as the nation’s first academic center devoted to African-American poetry in 2005. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in English from Morgan and is a member of the MSUAA Alpha Delta Alumni Chapter.

Pennsylvania State Rep. Ed Gainey, ’94, has won the Democratic primary election for Mayor of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. If victorious in the general election in November, he will become the first Black person chosen for the city’s top post. Gainey serves Pennsylvania’s 24th Legislative District, where his legislative priorities are labor issues, working-class families, transportation, education, and community development and enhancement. He is a board member for the Divine Intervention Ministries and PROMISE organizations and, in 2010, became the first African American to serve as Chairman of the Pittsburgh City Democratic Committee. Gainey received a bachelor’s degree in business management from Morgan.

Mark A. Harrison, ’95, Founder of the organization Saving Our Kings, will be featured in September in Rally Up Magazine, a faith-based mental health guide for people of all ages. Harrison created Saving Our Kings in 2020 to provide information and resources about mental health within the Black and Brown communities, while decreasing the stigma associated with mental health, particular with Men of Color. Harrison, who earned a bachelor’s degree in telecommunications at Morgan, serves as the Chief Executive Administrator for a federal contracting agency. Off the job, he has been a frequent public speaker on mental health advocacy on media outlets such as Morgan State University’s WEAA Radio, Howard University’s WHUR Radio and the nationally syndicated Russ Par Morning Show. Rally Up Magazine is on Instagram: search for “rally up magazine.”

A chapter written by Morgan State University History and Geography Lecturer Derick A. Hendricks, Ph.D., ’09, has been published in a book titled “Some Unsung Black Revolutionary Voices and Visions from Pre-Colony to Post-Independence and Beyond,” edited by Dr. Bill F. Ndi. Dr. Hendricks’ contribution to the volume, his second published book chapter, is titled “Youth Responses to Discriminatory Practices: College of the Virgin Islands Black Cultural Organization, 1968–1974.” Dr. Hendricks earned his doctorate in history from MSU and has more than 23 years of experience as a teacher in secondary school, community college and postsecondary settings.

Adriel A. Hilton, Ph.D., ’08, is the new Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at Southern University at New Orleans. Before leaving his last post, Dean of Students and Diversity Officer at Seton Hill University, he held other positions, including inaugural Assistant Vice President for Inclusion Initiatives at Grand Valley State University and Assistant Professor and Director of the Higher Education Student Affairs program at Western Carolina University. Dr. Hilton has earned four academic degrees, including a Ph.D. in higher education with a concentration in administration from Morgan State University.

Tracey Jackson, ’05, has been featured in the “Leadership” section of Credit Union Magazine, a publication of the Credit Union National Association (CUNA; news.cuna. org). The profile outlines Jackson’s childhood and her career, beginning with her hiring by Morgan graduate Bert Hash, ’70, who was then President and CEO of the Municipal Employees Credit Union of Baltimore (MECU), for an internship during her senior year at Morgan. She continued working for MECU for 11 years after earning her Bachelor of Science in finance at Morgan. She has served as Chief Financial Officer of Resource One Credit Union in Dallas, Texas, since May 2020 — an organization with more than $650 million in assets. The National Association for Public Defense (NAPD) — a national association of more than 25,000 public defense lawyers, social workers, investigators and administrative staff — has selected Lori JamesTownes, ’90, as the organization’s new Executive Director. James-Townes, a Ph.D. candidate in public health at Morgan State University, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a bachelor’s degree in social work from MSU and a Master of Social Work from the University of Maryland. She took her current position at NAPD after three years of working as Assistant Training Director for the association and more than 25 years of working on defense teams representing indigent defendants. From 2010 to 2017, she worked for the Maryland Office of the Public Defender as Director of Social Work, Leadership and Program Development.

Architectural Record has named a studio led by Andre L. Johnson, AIA, NCARB, ’99, as a Design Vanguard for 2021. The award is given annually to the firms chosen by the magazine as the world’s top 10 emerging architectural practices “that are demonstrating inventive approaches to shaping the built environment.” Johnson heads two companies based in Raleigh, North Carolina, as President and Design Principal of his award-winning studio and as President of JMJM Development, a small development firm. A licensed and practicing architect since 2004, he has gained more than 23 years of experience in the architecture profession since graduating from Morgan with his Master of Architecture. A scholarship program he established through his firm, the AJA+ Legacy Program, encourages African Americans to enter the career field of architecture.

Deja Jones, ’20, has joined Facebook Reality Labs as a Capture Technician. In her new position, Jones has an important role in the organization’s Codec Avatars project, which is using groundbreaking technology and artificial intelligence to enable people to create lifelike virtual avatars of themselves to connect with others quickly and easily in virtual reality. A graduate of Morgan State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in screenwriting and animation, Jones also served as a Student Ambassador and as Miss Senior 2019–2020 and participated in campus organizations including the Student Government Association, the National Council of Negro Women and the National Society of Leadership and Success.

Kaija Langley, ’94, has launched her debut picture book, “When Langston Dances,” a tale for young readers about the first day of ballet class for a Black boy who has dreamed of dancing since watching the Alvin Ailey Dance Company perform. Langley was born and raised in northern New Jersey and now resides in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Recipient of a Bachelor of Arts in broadcast journalism from Morgan and a Master of Fine Arts in fiction from St. Mary’s College of California, she now spends her time writing novels and picture books and raising money for causes that make the world a better place.

NaToya Mitchell, ’04 and ’08, a doctoral student in public health at Morgan, has joined the Board of Directors of The Arc Central Chesapeake Region, a nonprofit organization committed to transforming the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She has also been honored by Arc Maryland with its 2021 Outstanding Advocate of the Year Award. Mitchell has more than 20 years of experience serving nonprofit, private and governmental professional organizations. As a former administrator for the Maryland Department of Health, she led the Developmental Disabilities Administration delivery model for people self-directing home and community-based supports. Mitchell holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science and a Master of Arts in international studies with a concentration in international relations, both from Morgan. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has appointed Morgan social work graduate Sekile M. Nzinga, Ph.D., ’93, as his administration’s Chief Diversity Officer. Dr. Nzinga brings a wealth of leadership experience and accomplishments in diversity, inclusion and equity issues to her new post and has received national recognition for her work. Before joining Gov. Pritzker’s office in April, Dr. Nzinga served as Northwestern University’s interim Chief Diversity Officer, Associate Provost for Diversity and Inclusion, and Women’s Center Director. She is the author of the book “Lean Semesters: How Higher Education Reproduces Inequity,” published in 2020, and serves as a Member-at-Large on the Governing Council of the National Women’s Studies Association. Dr. Nzinga earned her Bachelor of Science at MSU.

Bahaati Pitt, ’95, has been appointed to the Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court, one of three justices selected by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to fill vacancies in a jurisdiction that covers Manhattan and The Bronx. Pitt moved to her new bench in May after serving as a Judge for the Criminal Court of the City of New York in Bronx County. Before becoming a judge, she was a Principal Law Clerk in the civil division of the Bronx County Supreme Court, served as a Court Attorney for the Bronx Family Court and the Bronx Civil Court and worked as an Attorney with the criminal defense division of the Legal Aid Society. She earned her B.A. in political science from Morgan and her J.D. at the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School.

The College of Southern Maryland (CSM) has named Rodney Redmond, Ed.D., ’08, as Vice President of the college’s new Division of Learning and as its first Provost. Redmond had served CSM as interim Vice President of Academic Affairs since January 2021. In his new role, Dr. Redmond leads an organization that combined the college’s current Departments of Academic Affairs and Continuing Education and Workforce to centralize all areas of learning in one division. Dr. Edmonds earned his doctorate in higher education administration from Morgan and has more than 25 years of experience as an educator and educational administrator.

Ambassador Brenda B. Schoonover, ’61, has joined the board of directors of Med Aditus International, Inc., a nonprofit organization that seeks to make quality, life-saving medicines available at affordable prices to patients in sub-Saharan Africa. Now a retired career Foreign Service officer, Schoonover was U.S. Ambassador to Togo from 1997 to 2000, then Diplomat-in-Residence at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Her career includes an array of Foreign Service assignments in Washington, D.C.; Belgium; Sri Lanka; the Philippines; Tunisia; and Nigeria, often tandem assignments with her late husband, who was also a Foreign Service officer. Schoonover earned a Bachelor of Arts in English at Morgan and was among the first Peace Corps Volunteers at the inception of the organization. Later, she was Associate Director of the Peace Corps program in Tanzania then Director of the Peace Corps School Partnership Program in Washington, D.C.

Floyd Taliaferro, IV, ’06 and ’08,

reports good news in the areas of community service and business ownership. All Walks of Life LLC (AWL), a Baltimore, Maryland-based outpatient mental health clinic he leads as Founder and Chief Executive Officer, received the 2021 Award for Advancing Minority Mental Health from the American Psychiatric Association Foundation. The award was presented during the July American Psychiatric Association Foundation Board of Directors meeting. AWL was recognized for its continued commitment to addressing critical mental health needs and directing resources where they are needed most. In May, Taliaferro opened The Sinclair, a 17,000-square-foot event space in Baltimore City. Black-owned and -operated, the space is geared to those who love Baltimore. Taliaferro has two degrees from Morgan: a Bachelor of Science in electrical and electronics engineering and a Master of Science in social work.