Leadership Team

Antoine J. Alston is associate dean for academic studies in the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at N.C. A&T and professor of agricultural education. His research interests include instructional technology/distance learning within agricultural settings, employability skills, the development of all-inclusive/diverse learning environments within agricultural settings, and African American agricultural history. He serves on the NC FFA Board of Directors, the National MANRRS Advisory Board and the Urban Agricultural Academy Advisory Board.  He received his baccalaureate and master’s degrees in agricultural education from N.C. A&T and his doctorate in agricultural education from Iowa State University. He is a host co-PI for the center.

Nina Lyon Bennett is assistant dean for academics in the School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences (SAFHS) at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB). She is responsible for fostering a spirit of excellence, assisting in developing and implementing policies and procedures, and providing creative leadership as it relates to student mentoring and recruitment, retention and timely degree completion in the school.

Misty Blue-Terry serves as the 4-H Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) specialist at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Her commitment is to expand the STEM workforce pipeline by providing educational STEM programs in both urban and rural communities that are underserved.

Olga Bolden-Tiller is a professor of animal sciences, head of the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, and assistant dean of the College of Agriculture, Environment and Nutrition Sciences at Tuskegee University. On behalf of Tuskegee, she has established numerous collaborations with a variety of domestic and international organizations to promote sustainable agriculture.

Dr. Robert. N. Corley III serves as Interim Dean and 1890 Extension Administrator for the College of Agriculture, Vice-Provost for Academic and Student Affairs, COVID-19 Response Director, and Project Director for the Wallace Foundation’s national University Principal Preparation Initiative at Virginia State University.

Paula E. Faulkner is a professor of agricultural education at N.C. A&T. In addition to instructing undergraduate and graduate students, she chairs and serves on thesis and dissertation committees and seeks funding to increase the number of underrepresented students in the agricultural sciences. Her research also focuses on addressing the needs of women farmers and socially disadvantaged farmers and programs to support agricultural educators.

Professor Emerita Shirley Hymon-Parker is interim dean of the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at N.C. A&T, managing the college’s $45.8 million research portfolio, four departments and more than 1,100 students. She previously served as the college’s associate dean for research from 2018 -2022. Her research activities include issues surrounding childhood obesity; the value of undergraduate research; and rural entrepreneurship.

Neil James is Associate Dean for Academic programs in the College of Agriculture and Food Sciences at Florida A&M University (FAMU). He is also professor of food science and has over thirty years of higher education experience that includes the introduction and leadership of the food science program at FAMU.