New Year Brings New Appointments to Key Leadership Positions at Morgan State University

Strategic Staff Hires Poised to Lead University Through Unprecedented Period of Growth

BALTIMORE — Following an historic and successful fall semester, Morgan State University President David K. Wilson announces new leadership appointments, as the University aims to fortify integral roles in several operational areas and continue its momentum through the new year. The appointments, among the most for the University in a given quarter, will see key hires managing a variety of units, including Human Resources, Alumni Relations, Procurement and Property Control, the University Counseling Center, the Honors College and the new Center for Innovative Instruction & Scholarship. In addition, several interim leadership roles have been filled until permanent appointees are named.

“Simply put, Morgan is growing, and for us to sustain and propel that growth, we need the top people in their chosen field to lead the charge. With this group of new hires, we’re confident in our ability to make significant strides towards bringing our enhanced 10-year strategic plan to fruition,” said President Wilson. “Whether through internal or national searches, we’ve identified quality candidates who are both well-suited to lead and possess the unique capabilities to be integral partners in Morgan’s ascendency.”

Morgan has more than 1,600 employees identified as non-faculty staff. Retirements and the strategic repositioning of units within the University have created several leadership opportunities. Tapping into a wide network of candidates nationwide, and evaluating select current employees, the University was able to address several immediate needs. Included among the new hires are the following:

Chevonie (Logan) Oyegoke has assumed the role of associate vice president and chief human resources officer. In this post, Oyegoke serves as a strategic partner providing leadership, management, policy direction and oversight for all University human resource management functions. Certified by the Society for Human Resource Management, she has nearly 20 years of human resources experience, including more than a decade in higher education, and holds advanced degrees in negotiation and conflict management and human resources management from the University of Baltimore and Bowie State University, respectively. Oyegoke joins Morgan having most recently served as associate HR director with the University System of Maryland.

Heidi Bruce has been hired as the new assistant vice president for Alumni Relations and Strategic Engagement. A Morgan alumna with more than 20 years of combined development and alumni relations experience, including key appointments at the University of Maryland, College Park, George Mason University and Ohio State University, Bruce serves as the primary strategist for alumni engagement, hosting and launching alumni programs and events, and is responsible for leading a comprehensive engagement strategy for some 30,000 Morgan alumni around the world. She most recently served as director of development for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

OluwaTosin Adegbola, Ph.D., has been promoted to serve as executive director of the Clara I. Adams Honors College while continuing in her role as special advisor to Morgan’s president and student mentor for the President’s Leadership Circle. Dr. Tosin, as she is known to students and colleagues, is an academic leader with an 18-year progressive career having achieved notable success directing initiatives critical to realizing academic excellence. In her new capacity, she is charged with reimagining the Honors College and developing it to operate with national best practices, in addition to producing nationally competitive candidates in the areas of prestigious fellowships, selective career placements and high-powered leadership. Tosin has served in a number of roles at Morgan since 2003, including as chair of the School of Global Journalism and Communication’s Department of Strategic Communication.

Laura Dorsey-Elson, Ph.D., who previously served as director of instruction in the School of Global Journalism and Strategic Communication, has been tapped to serve as director for the newly launched Center for Innovative Instruction & Scholarship (CIIS). After a national search, Dr. Dorsey-Elson was selected to lead the Center’s work, providing faculty, staff and graduate teaching assistants (TAs) to create innovative and active learning environments and produce collaborative scholarship on teaching and learning. Dorsey-Elson brings 25 years of professional experience in higher education as both a faculty member and an administrator with extensive proficiency in organizational training and development.

Erin Oliver-James has assumed the role of the new director for the Office of Procurement and Property Control. As the head of the Office, Oliver-James is responsible for oversight and management of the department and its internal units. A graduate of Hampton University and the Campbell University School of Law in North Carolina, Oliver-James has more than 10 years of leadership and procurement experience. She comes to Morgan from Events DC, where she managed the Office of Contracts and Procurement and its more than $80 million in annual procurements.

Sonya Clyburn, Psy.D., has been hired as the new director for the University Counseling Center. Dr. Clyburn provides leadership, supervision and management for the Counseling Center, which has taken on an increased importance during the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to overseeing policy and program development and implementation and providing crisis management interventions to the campus community. Dr. Clyburn is a licensed clinical psychologist with nearly 20 years of professional experience, including a previous stint at Morgan serving in both a clinical and faculty capacity. Holding advanced degrees from American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University and Bowie State University, she spent the past seven years overseeing a private practice based in Kensington, Maryland, before her return to Morgan. 

While Morgan has been diligent in selecting a number of permanent hires for leadership roles, the University has elevated others in an interim capacity until long-term hires are identified. Among the recent interim hires are Erlease M. Wagner, interim vice president and athletic director; Phyllis Keys, Ph.D., interim associate vice president for Academic Affairs; Natasha Lewis-Williams, interim associate vice president for Student Affairs; Douglas F. Gwynn, Ph.D., interim associate vice president for Student Affairs; and Dale P. Alston, interim director for the Murphy Fine Arts Center.

“This is a unique period within the University’s history. As at many institutions nationwide, the prolongment of the pandemic has prompted some longtime Morgan staffers to pursue retirement and others to reevaluate employment options. However, at Morgan, we’ve embraced this as a great opportunity to bring in new energy and new ideas,” said Sidney Evans Jr., executive vice president for Finance and Administration at Morgan. “We will continue to work diligently and effectively to recruit and fill as many positions as possible from within or outside of the University. If there are candidates available and looking for a great place to excel and make a difference…then Morgan is the place they want to be.”

About Morgan

Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering nearly 140 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland’s Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.

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