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. Over her 30-year career in higher education, she has served in both leadership and instructional roles as director of member education and strategic research for the EAB (formerly known as the Education Advisory Board) in Washington, D.C., and as chair and associate professor of social sciences and human ecology for the Department of Human Ecology at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Earlier in her career, she worked as an assistant professor for the Department of Sociology at Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia. She earned a bachelor’s in sociology from Clark College, a master’s in sociology from Atlanta University, a doctorate in child and family development from the University of Georgia, and she has earned several graduate certificates. She is a co-PI for the center.