EDUCATION

 

Ph.D.   History – Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida

M.A.    History – Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, Florida

B.A.     History Education– Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, Florida

 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

 

 

 

July 2016 – June 2019 Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs

ONONDAGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE, Syracuse, New York

State University of New York (SUNY)

 

Institutional Profile: Onondaga Community College (OCC) is a two-year “open-door” public institution serving the five-county region of Central New York (CNY). OCC is one of sixty-four colleges and universities part of the State University of New York (SUNY) and is one of the largest community colleges in the system with one main campus and a satellite center. The college is home to the Onondaga Nation one of the six nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. OCC partners with thirty-four school districts offering dual credit courses to high school students in the community, along with a robust center for workforce development. Through credit, workforce development and continuing education courses, OCC serves more than 10,000 credit and non-credit students annually with an operating budget of $80.8 million dollars. There are 192 full-time faculty and 200 adjunct faculty with 2,000 employees.

 

Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs: Responsible for 45 degree and certificate programs in collaboration with Workforce Development and College Credit Now. Manage a $24 million dollar budget with 392 full-time and adjunct faculty, staff, and professional administrator employees from three collective bargaining units.

  

July 2015 – June 2016  Dean of Academic Studies

  LEE COLLEGE, Baytown, Texas

 

Institutional Profile: A comprehensive associate degree granting community college, serving more than 7,000 students in rural, suburban, high school, and prison settings. An Achieving the Dream Leader College since 2011, Lee College has received recognition by the Aspen Institute and the American Association of Community Colleges for moving the needle forward on student success. Nominated and recognized as a 2018 Bellwether finalist, Lee College serves in a geographic area with nearly 220,000 residents, fifteen school districts, and thirteen counties. Lee operates a main campus, two satellite centers focused on workforce development, and a prison site.

 

Dean of Academic Studies: Responsible for over fifty degree and certificate programs, P-16 initiatives including dual credit and early college enrollment, oversight of international programs. Managed a $5 million budget with over 150 full-time and adjunct faculty, staff, and professional administrator employees.

 

June 2014 – June 2015            Executive Dean of Centers/Dean of Instruction,

LONE STAR COLLEGE SYSTEM—NORTH HARRIS CAMPUS—GREENSPOINT AND VICTORY CENTERS,

Houston, Texas

 

Institutional Profile: Lone Star College (LSC) is a comprehensive multi-campus system serving more than 95,000 students in rural, suburban, and urban settings. Founded in 1973, LSC is the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area and one of the fastest growing community college systems in the nation, offering Associate Degrees, Workforce Certificates, and Transfer Credits. The college system is home to six distinct campuses and multiple centers and satellite locations.

 

Executive Dean of Centers/Dean of Instruction: Served as the principle academic and budgetary officer for the North Harris Centers with oversight over twenty-two instructional programs.

 

July 2011-June 2014    Department Chair, Social and Behavioral Sciences and Kinesiology

 Faculty Senate President

LONE STAR COLLEGE SYSTEM—UNIVERSITY PARK CAMPUS   Houston, Texas

 

Institutional Profile: Lone Star College (LSC) is a comprehensive multi-campus system serving more than 95,000 students in rural, suburban, and urban settings. Founded in 1973, LSC is the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area and one of the fastest growing community college systems in the nation, offering associate degrees, workforce certificates, and transfer credits. The college system is home to six distinct campuses and multiple centers and satellite locations.

 

Department Chair, Social and Behavioral Sciences and Kinesiology (2011-2014): Responsible for leading the department’s strategic planning process. Served as mentor to colleagues and collaborated with administration on issues affecting the college and students. Led faculty through the process of curriculum development and advocated the needs of the department to senior executives.

 

Faculty Senate President (2012-2014): Encouraged a learning environment of trust and mutual respect between faculty and college administration while promoting excellence in the classroom, college, and community.

 

August 2010-July 2011    Assistant Professor, History, Lone Star College-Tomball,

                                         Tomball, Texas

 

Assistant Professor of History: Responsible for providing learning activities to fulfill student learning outcomes of designated courses. Also participated in institutional service and professional development activities when appropriate.

 

August 2008-July 2010           Adjunct Faculty, History

FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY, Tallahassee, Florida

 

Institutional Profile: Florida A&M University (FAMU) is a Historically Black College and University in Tallahassee, Florida. Founded in 1887, FAMU enrolls over 9,000 students annually. It is the third largest HBCU in the United States, offering undergraduate and graduate degrees to students.

 

Adjunct Faculty, History: Responsible for providing learning activities to fulfill student learning outcomes of designated courses. Also participated in institutional service and professional development activities when appropriate.

 

August 2007-July 2009            Adjunct Faculty, History,                                                      

                                                TALLAHASSEE COMMUNITY COLLEGE, Tallahassee, Florida

 

Institutional Profile: An Achieving the Dream Leader College since 2009, Tallahassee Community College (TCC) is a comprehensive suburban campus serving more than 12,000 students in both suburban and urban settings. Since 1966, Tallahassee Community College has offered high quality post-secondary education for three nearby counties and students throughout the state and nation. TCC offers over 80 associate’s degree and certificate programs in a variety of modalities.

 

Adjunct Faculty, History: Responsible for providing learning activities to fulfill student learning outcomes of designated courses. Also participated in institutional service and professional development activities when appropriate.

 

SELECTED PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

·       Middle States Steering Committee and Executive Council Liaison to the President, 2016-2018

·       Middle States Commission on Higher Education Peer Review Training, 2018

·       Co-Chair College Leadership Council, Onondaga Community College, 2016-present

·       Co-Chair Perkins Advisory Council, 2016-present

·       SUNY Chief Academic Officers Association, 2016-present

·       Quality Enhancement Plan Implementation Team, Lee College, 2015-2016

·       SACSCOC President’s Leadership Team, Lee College, 2015-2016

·       Co-Chair, Dual Credit Advisory Committee, Lee College, 2015-2016

·       Deans’ Council, Lone Star College System, 2014-2015

·       Workforce Council, Lone Star College System, 2014-2015

·       National Model United Nations Co-Advisor, Lone Star College University Park, 2013-2014

·       Total Compensation Advisory Committee, Lone Star College System, 2013-2014

·       Chair, Student Disciplinary Committee, LSC University Park, 2012-2014

·       African American History and Culture Committee, 2012-2014

·       Vice-Chair, Institutional Review Board, Lone Star College System, 2012-2014

·       Early Alert Committee Member, Lone Star College System, 2012-2014

·       Campus Technology Advisory Council, Lone Star College System, 2012-2014

·       Houston Guided Pathways to Success Member, 2012-2014

 

 PUBLICATIONS

·       Horton, J., Brown I and Willis, D. “Process Education and Leadership in Higher Education.” Cases in Educational Leadership (Cullowhee: Western Carolina University Press, 2017).

·       Willis, Daria J.  “Mary E. C. Day: An Intimate Portrait of a Black Missionary Educator in Tallahassee; Tallahassee, Florida, 1866-1880.”  The Varieties of Women’s Experiences: Portraits of Southern Women (Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2009), 64-84.

·       Willis, Daria J.  “Mary E. C. Day Smith: An Intimate Portrait of a Pioneering Black Educator

and AME Minister in Post – Civil War Florida.” AME Church Review121 (2005): 12-20.

 

SELECTED CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS AND SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

·       Know Thyself, You Can’t Fail Conference, Keynote Speaker, November 2017

·       To Dean or Not to Dean: Transitioning to a New Leadership Model, American Association of Community Colleges, April 2017

·       Having the Courage to Say Yes, Tedx, Onondaga Community College, October 2016

·       From Adjunct to Dean, American Association of Adjunct Education, Keynote Speaker, November 2014

·       Building Excellent Interpersonal Competence and Work Relationships, Southwest University for Minorities of China and LSC North Harris Administration, October 22, 2014

·       The Doctoral Support Group, Lone Star College System Teaching and Learning Conference, Keynote Speaker, March 2014

·       Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Women in Higher Education, Lone Star College -University Park, December 2013

·       Black History IS American History, Lone Star College – Kingwood, February 2013

·       Preserving Your Church History, Keynote Speaker, St. Mary’s Primitive Baptist Church, March, 2009

·       Getting on the Record: The Life of Adella Hunt Logan, National Council on Black Studies, March, 2009

·       Adella Hunt Logan 1863-1915, Southern Conference on African American Studies, Inc., January, 2007.

·       Mary E. C. Smith: An Intimate Portrait of a Pioneering Black Educator and AME Minister in Post – Civil War Florida, Graduate Association for African American History Conference, Memphis, Tennessee, September 2006.

 

LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS AND AWARDS

·       American Association of Women in Community Colleges 40 Under 40 Award, 2018

·       The Thomas Lakin Institute for Mentored Leadership, President’s Roundtable, 2017

·       The Executive Leadership Institute, League for Innovation, 2017

·       The Lone Star College System “Academy” for Leadership, 2012

·       The Higher Education Teaching Institute, Lone Star College System, 2010

 

SELECTED MEMBERSHIPS AND COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARDS

·       American Association of Women in Community Colleges, Syracuse, New York

·       National Council on Black American Affairs

·       Syracuse City School District Educational Foundation Board, Syracuse, New York

·       Central New York Arts Board Member, Syracuse, New York

·       Greater Syracuse H.O.P.E. Executive Committee, Syracuse, New York

·       Co-Chair, 2017 United Way Campaign, Syracuse, New York

·       Chair, Texas Southern University Thomas F. Freeman Honor’s College Advisory Board, Houston, Texas

·       Acres Homes Super Neighborhood #6 Education Committee, Houston, Texas