ALUMNI ON THE MOVE Greg Barnett, ’01, a National Football League Agent since 2004, played a key role in negotiating the record-breaking, $101-million, six-year contract recently signed by Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston. Barnett received a football scholarship to attend Morgan, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in elementary education and played for the Bears for four years. He worked as a coach and teacher at Deer Park Middle School in Baltimore County (Md.), before joining the sports marketing and management agency Lagardère Unlimited. Barnett, who once aspired to be a school principal, also earned a master’s degree in school administration from Goucher College in Baltimore. Kimberly Beatty, Ed.D., ’89, has joined Houston Community College, in Houston, Texas, as Vice Chancellor of Instructional Services and Chief Academic Officer. Dr. Beatty previously served as Associate Vice Chancellor for student success at Tarrant County College District, in Fort Worth, Texas. She has a doctorate in higher education community college leadership from Morgan. Louis Bolling, ’02, partnered with Jazmine Smith of Jazmine A. Smith Enterprises and Paulette Adams of the office of Philadelphia City Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, to produce “A Celebration of Life, Youth Sports, Parks and Recreation,” in West Philadelphia this past July 18. The successful event, an all-day sports clinic in three locations, recognized Nelson Mandela International Day. Bolling is Assistant Coach for women’s tennis at Haverford College in Pennsylvania. While a student at Morgan, he earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education, with a concentration in sports administration. Allan J. Boomer, ’99, has been named to the Board of Directors of Raritan Valley Community College Foundation, in Branchburg, N.J. Boomer is Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of Momentum Advisors, a financial planning and investment advisory firm with offices in New York City and Somerset, N.J. Before founding Momentum, he was a Vice President in the Private Wealth Management group at Goldman Sachs. Boomer earned his Bachelor of Science degree in marketing from Morgan and an M.B.A. from New York University Stern School of Business. He chairs the Good Shepherd Real Estate Corporation, a faith-based nonprofit community development organization. Virgin Islander Darren (“Buttah Man”) Brin, ’94, was profiled recently in “Jewels of the Virgin Isles” a series of articles published in the St. Croix Source. The article traced Brin’s career, from student at Charlotte Amalie High School in St. Thomas, to telecommunications undergraduate with a minor in theatre at Morgan, to intern and on-air personality at WERQ FM (92Q) in Baltimore, to show host on MTV2 and then Music Director for 106th and Park on MTV. Brin is now living his dream of being a stand-up comedian. L. Diane Campbell, Ed.D., ’69, received the 2015 Woman of the Year Award from the men of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Trenton Alumni Chapter/K-Foundation. Dr. Campbell is Executive Dean for Student Affairs at Mercer County Community College, in New Jersey, and has worked at the school for more than 30 years. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education from Morgan, an M.Ed. from The College of New Jersey and a doctorate in education from Rutgers University. Morgan alumnus and former MSU faculty member Curtis B. Charles, Ph.D., ’05, has been appointed President of Tiffin University, in Ohio. He is the fifth president of the school, which was founded in 1888. Before joining Tiffin, Dr. Charles was Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Institutional Transformation at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina. He earned his doctorate in higher education administration from Morgan, where he later served as a department head, and has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in architecture
from Howard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, respectively. Tonjia S. Coverdale, Ph.D., ’98 and ’10, is the new President and Chief Executive Officer of Virgin Islands Next Generation Network, a public corporation with a charter to provide broadband Internet service in the U.S. Virgin Islands and increase the economic growth, innovation and global competitiveness of the territory. Dr. Coverdale is also an Assistant Professor of Computer Information Systems at the University of the Virgin Islands. She was an information science and systems undergraduate at Morgan, where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree, and returned to MSU to earn her doctorate in business administration with a concentration in information science and systems: the first African-American woman to graduate from the program. Michael E. Cryor, ’68, received an Icon Award from the Associated Black Charities, during the group’s 2014 Annual Gala in Baltimore, Md. Cryor is Chair of the Board of Visitors of the University of Maryland School of Medicine and President of The Cryor Group, LLC, a strategic communications consulting firm. He earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Morgan and a master’s degree in developmental psychology from Montclair State University. D. Jason DeSousa, Ed.D., ’87, has been named Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. The Morgan graduate (Bachelor of Science in physical education) and former MSU administrator (Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Leadership and Character Development) brings a wealth of experience to his new position, most recently as Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Retention at Fayetteville State University, in North Carolina. William H. Featherstone, Ed.D., ’95, is the new Vice President for Business and Finance at West Virginia State University (WVSU). Dr. Featherstone is a former MSU administrator — Associate Director of Internal Audit, 1990–92 and Assistant Controller, 1992–95 — and earned his master’s degree in economics from Morgan. In his new position at WVSU, he oversees budgeting, purchasing, accounts payable, facilities, human resources, public safety and other areas. William Heiser, Ed.D., ’03, is the new president of Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Baltimore, Md. A former assistant dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Loyola University Maryland, he earned his doctorate in higher education administration from Morgan. He was the principal of Catonsville High School in Catonsville, Md., before taking his current post. Pamela R. Johnson, ’82, principal of Falling Creek Elementary School in Chesterfield, Va., was selected as Virginia’s National Distinguished Principal for 2015. She received the award, from the National Association of Elementary School Principals and the Virginia Association of Elementary School Principals, in a surprise presentation at her school in March. Johnson earned her Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education from Morgan and a master’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. Former Fulbright Scholar Christian Kameni, ’13, was recently featured as a “BE Modern Man” in Black Enterprise magazine. Now a Graduate Assistant Advisor and Coordinator of Information and Communication at the University of Kansas Undergraduate Advising Center, Kameni was born in Cameroon. He grew up in Prince George’s County, Md., and was a history major at Morgan. During his senior year, he was accepted to the Fulbright Scholars Program as a student and teacher in Paris, France. Mayor Dennis P. Williams of the City of Wilmington, Del., and the city’s Department of Recreation and Parks have honored MSU Hall of Fame inductee Bob King, ’64. “Bob King Tribute Night,” this past June, recog-
nized King’s outstanding accomplishments as a high school track athlete in Delaware and at Morgan in the 1960s, as well as his long record of success as a coach and educator at the high school level in Wilmington. King earned his Bachelor of Science degree in physical education at Morgan. MSU tennis legend Ann Koger, ’72 and ’75, is featured in “Untold Stories: Athletes of Maryland’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities,” an exhibit on display through October at the Banneker-Douglass Museum, in Annapolis, Md. Koger earned her Bachelor of Science degree in physical education and her Master of Science degree in recreation administration from Morgan, where she lettered in basketball, field hockey, volleyball and tennis and was the second female member of the men’s tennis team. She is in her 34th year as head tennis coach at Haverford College in Pennsylvania. “Back 2 Love,” the 12th solo album by vocalist Maysa Leak, ’91, was released in May. After earning her bachelor’s degree in music at Morgan, Maysa landed a job as a backup singer for Stevie Wonder. She went on to collaborate with many other musicians, among them Chaka Khan, Incognito and Angela Bofill, and is now celebrating her 20th year as a solo artist. Lt. Col. Eric A. McCoy, U.S. Army, ’98, has been assigned as Commander of the 203rd Brigade Support Battalion at Fort Stewart, Ga. Lt. Col. McCoy was an ROTC cadet at Morgan, where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in mental health and a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the Ordnance Corps. In 2006, he was selected to represent the Army as a Joint Chiefs of Staff Intern at the Pentagon. The next year, he graduated from Georgetown University with a Master of Policy Management degree. He also holds a Master of Science degree in administration from Central Michigan University. Corvelli A. McDaniel, ’85, has been selected as Assistant Commissioner for Revenue Collections Management in the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal Services. Corvelli served as a U.S. Army Military Intelligence Officer and Counterintelligence Special Agent, before beginning his 21year career at the Fiscal Service. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in business administration at Morgan. Singer and songwriter Janelia Adeyinka McNair, ’03, has released a new extended play recording titled “Triumph.” McNair, better known by her stage name, Janelia, performs a multicultural Afro-pop and reggae style of music that stems from her American-Nigerian heritage and upbringing. A socially conscious artist, she organized a benefit concert in May 2014 for the Chibok schoolgirls who were kidnapped by Boko Haram. She earned her bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Morgan. Lawrence D. McRae, ’80, has been elected Vice Chairman and Corporate Development Officer of Corning Incorporated. McRae, who joined Corning in 1985, will continue to lead the company’s corporate development function, focusing on strategic approaches to business development, including mergers and acquisitions. His new position also gives him responsibility for management of the Corning Chief Executive Officer’s office. He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Morgan and an M.B.A. from Harvard. The University of San Francisco (USF) has honored Patricia A. Mitchell, Ph.D., ’68, with the USF Ignatian Service Award. Dr. Mitchell is Chair of the Department of Leadership Studies in USF’s School of Education. The award she received honors a faculty member whose service to students, the university and the community at large constitutes an exceptional contribution. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education at Morgan.
Emily Moore, ’65, was honored by the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Eastern Long Island Region, with a Special Recognition award for her 50 years of bringing tennis to the Roosevelt, N.Y., community. Moore is a Physical Education Teacher and the Varsity Boys and Girls Tennis Coach at Ulysses Byas Elementary School in Roosevelt. She is also Founder and Executive Director of the Alliance Junior Tennis Development Program, which uses tennis to advance the community. Nunu Ntshingila-Njeke, ’96, has been appointed as head of the Africa region for Facebook Inc. She will lead the company’s growth initiative on the continent from a new office outside of Johannesburg, Facebook’s first office in Africa. Ntshingila-Njeke, who had been Chairman of the marketing communications firm Ogilvy South Africa (Proprietary) Limited since 2012, is one of the continent’s most successful advertising executives. She earned her M.B.A. at Morgan. Ron Owens, ’61, has been reappointed as Director of the Better Business Bureau, Mid-Atlantic Region. Owens is cofounder of LMO Advertising, based in Arlington, Va. Among his credits are the ads “Be All That You Can Be,” “Great Taste, Less Filling,” and “You Deserve A Break Today” for the U.S. Army, Lite Beer From Miller and McDonald’s, respectively. Keith Russell, ’95, is the new sports anchor on KTVT/ Channel 11, a CBS television station in Fort Worth, Texas. He previously worked as a sportscaster for WPVI in Philadelphia, Pa., CNN, ESPN and other media outlets. He attended Morgan on a full academic scholarship and received his degree in telecommunications. Delvin D. Seawright, Ph.D., ’15, has been hired as an Assistant Professor of Accounting, a tenure-track position, at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. He received his doctorate in accounting from Morgan this past May. Dr. Seawright was an accountant for the State of Alabama when he attended the PhD Project November Conference in 2010. The PhD Project recruits minority professionals from business into business doctoral programs, with the aim of increasing the number of minority business professors. Derrick Sherman, ’12, a former MSU telecommunications major and former wide receiver for the Bears, has been hired as an Assistant Coach for wide receivers for the Pittsburgh State University football program. Sherman was previously an Assistant Coach for Georgia Southern University, where he is now pursuing a master’s degree in higher education/administration. Sherman captained the Bears during his senior year at Morgan. Reginald Springfield, ’76, has been honored with a Delaware County (Pa.) Excellence in Teaching Award by the Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union Foundation. Springfield earned his B.A. in English from Morgan and has taught the subject to students at his high school alma mater, Chester High School, in Chester, Pa., for the past 12 years. Christopher D. Wilds, ’11, has been awarded the Columbia Law School’s inaugural Herbert and Nell Singer Social Justice Fellowship. Wilds graduated from Columbia Law this year. The fellowship award recognizes his “substantial commitment, ability and preparation for making a difference as a public interest lawyer” and will provide a stipend for his work at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund as a Staff Attorney. Wilds earned his B.A. in English at Morgan and gained his interest in public interest law while working at the MSU Office of Community Service.
5