f a c u lt y a n d s t a f f
appointments
David H. Jackson Jr., Ph.D., Joins as Provost Following a Long Tenure at FAMU
David H. Jackson Jr., Ph.D., was appointed as provost and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs effective July 1, 2021, following a competitive national search. Jackson was previously associate provost for graduate education and dean of the School of Graduate Studies, Research, and Continuing Education at Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (FAMU) in Tallahassee, Fla. He began his academic career as assistant professor of history at his alma mater, FAMU, in 1997. He was later elected chairman of the Department of History, Political Science, Public Administration, Geography, and African American Studies. Jackson has earned many awards and distinctions, including Teacher of the Year twice and the FAMU Research Excellence Award. In 2014, Jackson received the Equity Award from the American Historical Association, the largest historical association in the country. In 2017, he was a Fulbright-Hays Fellow and studied in Botswana and Namibia. He has visited seven countries on the continent of Africa over the course of his professorial career. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from FAMU and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in history from the University of Memphis. In addition, Jackson completed the Management Development Program at Harvard University and was selected as an American Council on Education Fellow, as part of the 2017-2018 class. He completed his fellowship at the University of Houston. Jackson plans to support development of new doctoral programs to help achieve NCCU’s strategic goal of rising in Carnegie classifications, among other initiatives.
Akua Johnson Matherson, M.Ed. Chief Financial Officer and Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance Akua Johnson Matherson, M. Ed., was appointed as chief financial officer and vice chancellor for Administration and Finance. Her duties entail a broad level of oversight, including auxiliary enterprises, university budgets, capital planning, accounting, and much more. She previously served as finance director for NCCU.
Fenita Morris-Shepard, J.D. Chief Legal Counsel Fenita Morris-Shepard, J.D., was named chief legal advisor and also heads the Office of Legal Affairs in providing legal advice and counsel on all matters affecting the university. Morris-Shepard served as interim chief legal counsel at NCCU from March 2020 to January 2021. Prior to joining NCCU, she served as counsel at Phelps Dunbar LLC.
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