Dr. M. Christopher Brown II has been named director of social justice and professional development at the American Educational Research Association. Brown is currently executive director and chief research scientist at the Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute. He earned a bachelor's from South Carolina State University; a master's from the University of Kentucky; and a doctorate from Penn State University.

Dr. Troy Franklin has been named director of Black Programs at New Mexico State University. Prior to his appointment he was director of the Black Community Service Center at Stanford University. Franklin earned a bachelor's from Central State University; a master's from the University of Akron; and a doctorate from Iowa State University.

Wesaline Gadson has been named director of academic advancement at Clark University in Worcester, Mass. Previously Gadson was TRIO coordinator at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams, Mass. She received a bachelor's from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a master's from Cambridge College. 

Cheryl D. Harrelson was named associate vice president for advancement information services at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va. Previously she was director of the office of advancement services at North Carolina A&T State University. Harrelson earned a bachelor's from the UCLA and a master's from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro.

Kenneth Westary is the new vice president of institutional advancement at Johnson C. Smith University. Westary comes to JCSU from Tuskegee University where he served as associate vice president for university advancement and director of corporate relations. Westary earned a bachelor's and an MBA from the University of Baltimore.

DeWayne Wickham has been named Distinguished Professor of Journalism and Mass Communications at North Carolina A&T State University effective January 2005. He is a columnist for USA TODAY and the Gannett News Service. Wickham holds a bachelor's from the University of Maryland and a master's from the University of Baltimore.