CMSI Announces the Fifth Cohort of MSI Aspiring Leaders!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Jacinda Nembhard | jacinda.nembhard@gse.rutgers.edu | 848-932-0774
New Brunswick, N.J., January 23, 2025— The Rutgers Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) is proud to announce its fifth cohort of MSI Aspiring Leaders. The program consists of a two-day forum – that will be held from Thursday, April 10, 2025, to Friday, April 11, 2025 – and a one-and-a-half-year mentoring program that connects prominent Minority Serving Institution (MSI) presidential leaders with mid-career aspiring leaders in an effort to prepare the next generation of MSI presidents.
We are pleased to announce the next cohort of MSI Aspiring Leaders:
- Cedric L. Stone, University of Charleston
- Charlotte Teague, Alabama A&M University
- Christa Gilliam, Morgan State University
- Cyndia Muñiz, University of Central Florida
- Edwanna Andrews, University of Central Florida
- Hector Molina, Fayetteville State University
- John Anderson, Ball State University
- Lakisha Sanders, Valencia College
- Lee Jackson, City Colleges of Chicago - Olive Harvey Campus
- Lori Spears, LD Spears Ministries, LLC
- Nina Lyon-Bennett, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
- Pablo Reguerin, University of California, Davis
- Richard Moss, University of Arkansas - Pulaski Technical Collge
- Sonia Brown, Philander Smith University
- Tamara Massay-Trotz, Bloomfield College of Montclair State University
Read more about the selected Aspiring Leaders here.
“Our program is uniquely designed to tackle the current issues that presidents are facing by providing them with the tools and insights necessary to navigate their leadership role and its challenges effectively,” shared Marybeth Gasman, CMSI Executive Director, Samuel DeWitt Proctor Endowed Chair in Education, and Distinguished Professor at Rutgers University. " We look forward to working with our new cohort and helping them become the new leaders of tomorrow.”
Funded by the Kresge Foundation and the ECMC Foundation, the forum will include a variety of sessions on topics such as fundraising, mentoring strategies, trustee relationship management, crisis management and communication.
Following the forum, Aspiring Leaders and their presidential mentors will participate in a one-on-one relationship over the next year and a half managed by CMSI. CMSI will provide benchmarks to be completed at various points throughout the mentoring relationship. They will also benefit from monthly webinars on salient topics, and career support as they pursue presidencies.
Learn more about the program here!
