CMSI Announces the Sixth Cohort of Aspiring Leaders

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Jacinda Nembhard | jacinda.nembhard@gse.rutgers.edu | 848-932-0774

New Brunswick, N.J., May 19, 2026— The Rutgers Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) is proud to announce its sixth cohort of MSI Aspiring Leaders. The program consists of a two-day forum, which will be held from Wednesday, October 14, 2026, to Friday, October 16, 2026, 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:

Jermaine Wright, Lehman College-CUNY

L. Hazel Jack, Colgate University

Julio René Flores, Santa Rosa Junior College

Jonathan Wesley, Barber-Scotia College

Amy C. Davis, LeMoyne-Owen College

Kishia Carrington James, Jarvis Christian University

Tashika Carlton, Simmons College of Kentucky

Rhonda Michelle Collier, Alabama State University

Justin Todd Brown, City University of New York

Sarah Ellison, Sonoma State University

Daina Ramey Berry, University of California, Santa Barbara

Andre S. Richardson, Allen University

Will Guzmán, North Carolina Central University

Je'Nai L. Righter, Thomas Jefferson University

Carolyn Eastlin, Oklahoma City Community College

“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 roles 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. They will also benefit from monthly webinars on salient topics and career support as they pursue presidencies.

Read more about our 2026 cohort here.