Tomikia P. LeGrande, Ed.D., became the ninth president of Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) on June 1, 2023. Her career in higher education is marked by successive leadership roles and professional achievements.

Before joining PVAMU, Dr. LeGrande served as vice president for strategy, enrollment management and student success at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she led the development and implementation of the university’s strategic plan, priorities, and goals to influence national prominence, strategic partnerships, and student access and success. Other senior level leadership roles prior to VCU include vice president for student affairs and enrollment management at the University of Houston-Downtown, and associate vice chancellor for enrollment management at Winston Salem State University.

Throughout her career, Dr. LeGrande’s focus has been on advancing equity, accessibility, and affordability in higher education. She works to create and sustain engaging and supportive cultures for faculty, staff and students resulting in positive institutional outcomes. She has been prolific in securing resources to support innovation and accelerate progress. In all of her career endeavors, Dr. LeGrande has created “cultures of care” utilizing her expertise in strategic planning, new technology implementation, change management, and policy and business process redesign. With a personalized approach, she engages at all levels of an organization– forming, deploying and managing cross-organizational teams that find solutions to impediments that may impact university progress.
The art of leadership is Dr. LeGrande’s passion. She creates challenging yet supportive environments that embolden the pursuit of wide-ranging and future-focused goals. She embraces developing and cultivating leadership at all levels of an organization and has documented success in procuring funds to support programmatic expansion and change.

As a two-time graduate of HBCUs, and having earned a doctorate in higher education leadership, Dr. LeGrande understands the transformative power of education in helping students dismantle class, social, and cultural barriers. She believes that centered and effective leadership in higher education can amplify and accelerate the social mobility of all students, but especially of those from communities that have been underserved and underrepresented.

At the national level, Dr. LeGrande is actively engaged in issues of access, parity, higher education policy and leadership development. She is a sought-after thought leader, and a regular presenter and facilitator on the topics of enrollment management, educational equity and student success. She testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on

Education and Labor in 2019 during a hearing on “Innovation to Improve Equity: Exploring High- Quality Pathways to a College Degree.” She was also the recipient of the Governor’s “Champion for Change Award” for the Commonwealth of Virginia in 2021.

A native of Savannah, GA, Dr. LeGrande earned a B.S. in chemistry from Savannah State University, M.S. in chemistry from North Carolina A&T State University, and an Ed.D. from Texas Tech University.

Dr. Ligia Perez, PhD, serves as Assistant Vice President at the Gardner Institute focusing her work on development, administration, and analysis of the Institutional Transformation Assessment survey; the Readiness, Willingness, and Ability survey; and student success strategic planning within the Institutional Transformation Process.

Perez has spearheaded and supported data collection and analysis of projects through an equity lens in pursuit of the understanding and actions needed for the success of all students. During her tenure at Florida International University, she collaborated with faculty and students in the College of Medicine with research projects centered around the social determinants of health where she taught research methods to medical students.

During her time at Texas A&M in College Station, she was responsible for the services related to data collection, analysis, assessment, insight generation, and reporting to student affairs stakeholders. She supervised and trained graduate students on data analyses and educational assessment. As a member of the university’s student success initiative, she contributed to identifying barriers hindering the progress of Latinx students, proposed recommendations to university leaders, yielding tangible results such as enhanced financial aid packages.

At West Virginia University she assessed various student retention programs that prompted modifications to pedagogical approaches within the first-year courses and establishment of novel services to meet the unique needs of graduate students.

She established the Learning Resource Center computer lab as the Academic Computing Officer and led the Institutional Research Office at Charles R. Drew University where she planned, designed, implemented, and managed educational research projects in collaboration with university colleagues. In addition, she established data governance policies and procedures, maintained the office’s databases, worked with university units to identify and resolve barriers to student continuing enrollment and graduation, and prepared and submitted state and federal mandated reports on behalf of the university.

Dr. Perez holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Arts from Boston University, a Master of Library and Information Sciences from University of California Los Angeles, a Master of Business Administration from University of Phoenix, a PhD in Education Leadership and Policy from West Virginia University, and a Data Science post-graduate certificate from University of Texas Austin.

Relevant Publication:

Perez, Ligia. “To what extent are Title V grants and educational expenditures associated with educational attainment of Latinxs at Hispanic-Serving Institutions? Journal of Hispanic Higher Education 19.4 (2020): 323-334.

Dr. Shonda Gibson is passionate about students and about the life-changing impact of education. With over 25 years of corporate and industry experience in the fields of leadership, operations management, recruiting, training and team development, she brings a continuous improvement philosophy to approaching both student and university success. Dr. Gibson is a champion for the student-ready university – where every level of leadership takes relentless ownership of our graduates’ effectiveness, continuously evaluating our practices to ensure all are fully prepared to thrive!

Dr. Gibson serves as Chief Transformation Officer and Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs with The Texas A&M University System. The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation, with a statewide network of 11 universities and eight state agencies, serving more than 153,000 students and making more than 22 million additional educational contacts through service and outreach programs each year. The A&M System Office of Academic Affairs provides leadership and support over academic programs, educational initiatives, academic policy, student affairs, digital learning and data analysis. The office also supports innovation and transformation through several special initiatives and provides guidance in the areas of collaboration and other outreach activities. Dr. Gibson provides executive leadership and direction in academic-related areas and initiatives, including the academic program development process for A&M System members; ensuring the development of quality measures for success; providing system wide leadership for academic technology initiatives; fostering communication and coordination between system members; and working with system members on identifying common issues and seeking solutions.

Dr. Gibson has served in a variety of higher education roles including: Executive Director of the Texas Institute for Competency Based Education; Accreditation Liaison for the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools; Interim Vice President for Student Access and Success; Executive Director for Institutional Effectiveness and Research; Executive Director for Global Learning and Quality Enhancement; and adjunct faculty in both the College of Business, and College of Education and Human Services.

She holds multiple degrees through The Texas A&M University System including, a bachelor degree, a Master of Business Administration with dual concentrations in management and economics, a Master of Science in Psychology with a cognate focus on management, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Psychology through Texas A&M University-Commerce. She is passionate about travel and exploring unique destinations, sampling diverse cuisines, and cooking for and with family and friends.

Darryl Bellamy Jr is an International Speaker, Author, husband, and father who empowers individuals in personal and leadership development to fear less and live more fully. In 2017, he decided to quit his job and pursue his passion. As an entrepreneur and former student leader, Darryl brings a practical and experienced perspective to his work. After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a degree in Business Management, he has a solid foundation in understanding organizational dynamics and driving success.

Darryl is a passionate learner who believes in the transformative power of continuous education. He immerses himself in books, podcasts, and various learning resources, constantly seeking new knowledge and insights. This dedication to lifelong learning enriches his personal growth and enhances his ability to deliver thought-provoking and impactful messages to his audiences.

Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Darryl is recognized for his ability to captivate audiences with his captivating speeches, including a compelling TEDx talk. His expertise is grounded in his collection of over 60,000 written fears from diverse audiences of all ages, providing him with a profound understanding of individuals’ challenges. Through his empowering messages and practical strategies, he guides individuals to overcome their fears and embrace a life of fearlessness, allowing them to unlock their full potential and live purposefully.

Notably, Darryl has been featured on various news programs, where he shares his practical insights and impactful messages. His appearances have solidified his reputation as a sought-after speaker and thought leader in personal and leadership development.

Ed Willis serves as a leading expert on student-centered learning environments, Ed has held significant roles at major research universities, historically black colleges and universities, and large commuting/community colleges with student populations from 7K to 40K.

Throughout his career, Ed has led strategic planning, policy and procedure development, and climate/culture change initiatives. He has had oversight of budgets from $4.2M to $20M and teams of 100 to 500. As the senior leader of student affairs teams, Ed provides administrative, operational, and programmatic direction that spanned Admissions, Financial Aid, Scholarships, New Student Orientation, Registrar, Student Advocacy Services, Military Services and Veteran Affairs, Career Services, Counseling Services, Disability Services, International Student Services, Living-Learning Communities, Residence Life and Housing, Student Activities, Student Health Services, Student Life, Student Recreation Programs, Student Rights and Responsibilities, Student Support Services, the Marching Band, Cheerleaders, and Campus Choir. He initiated and executed procedures for accreditation, assessment, strategic planning, human resource management, budgeting, development of policy/procedures, and special projects such as university lead on the development of a comprehensive Housing/Residential Life Master Plan to guide the replacement and refurbishment of student housing.

Ed holds a Masters of Education in Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education from Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey Graduate School of Education, and a Bachelor of Arts in American History from Montclair State University. His accreditation experience includes serving as an Evaluator of On-site Reaffirmation Committees for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), and he has served as an Evaluation Team Member for six institutions, (2011-2017) and was appointed to serve on the SACSCOC June 2016 Fifth Year Review Committee (Reviewing 44 institutions on 17 Principles of Accreditation). Ed belongs to the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), the American College Personnel Association (ACPA), and the Association of Governing Boards (AGB).

A trusted advisor to university presidents and governing boards, Ed has served on the following university committees: President’s Executive Council; Fiscal Advisory Committee; various Search Committees; Policy Development/Strategic Planning Committees; Service-Learning Steering Committee; High-risk Behavior Campaign; Institutional-level Assessment Committee; Student Retention Council; Undergraduate Council Diversity Task Force; Provost’s Task Force on Transgender, Bisexual, Lesbian, and Gay Affairs; Co-chair of Fan Behavior committee; Executive Enrollment Management Council; and as a member of a Collective Bargaining Management Team.

Dr. Tondra L. Moore serves as the Executive Director for Health Services in the Division for Student Affairs at Prairie View A&M University. In this role, she oversees operations of health-related services provided by the university for students. Additionally, she serves as the Health Administrator for the Owens Franklin Health Center which provides ambulatory care for the campus as well as the local community of Prairie View, Texas. Dr. Moore also holds a Clinical Associate Professor appointment at the university and teaches in the School of Public and Allied Health. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she served as the lead public health official and incident commander for the university.

Dr. Moore’s research is focused on health policies that impact underserved populations and the healthcare workforce. Dr. Moore is a published author and funded researcher with over twenty years of experience as a health services researcher. Prior to joining Prairie View, she served in numerous faculty and academic leadership positions. Her funded research and publications have focused on health disparities in underserved populations and the lack of diversity in the pipeline to leadership in healthcare organizations.

Dr. Moore earned a Juris Doctorate from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University, Doctorate in Administration — Health Services and Master of Public Health from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Alabama State University.

Dr. Moore currently serves as the chair of the 2024 TAMUS Student Affairs Symposium planning committee, immediate past chair of the American College Health Association HBCU Coalition and Guest Editor of the Journal of American College Health special edition focusing on college health at historically black colleges and universities. She is also serving a three-year term as the Vice President of Administration for the Texas Association of College and University Student Personnel Administrators (TACUSPA).

Beyond her professional service, Dr. Moore serves as the Assistant Captain of Silent Auction for the Black Heritage Committee which is one of 111 committees that form the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo volunteer corps which helps to maintain the charitable goals of one of the largest indoor rodeos. She serves as a member of the social justice ministry at The Church Without Walls. Last but not least, Dr. Moore has been member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. for over 25 years and currently active in the Prairie View Alumnae Chapter.

Jacob A. Becker is a member of the Student Affairs & Special Projects section in the Office of General Counsel. His practice involves advising universities and agencies on issues such as campus safety, the Clery Act, Title IX, Title VI, the Americans with Disabilities Act/Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the First Amendment, policy development, student conduct, behavioral intervention teams, animals on campus, student organizations, the Texas Public Information Act, and the Texas Anti-DEI Law.

Jacob joined the Office of General Counsel in December 2020. Prior to joining the Office of General Counsel, Jacob maintained a civil and commercial defense practice with a national law firm in Dallas, Texas. He served as Higher Education Law Fellow and Assistant Counsel at Southern Methodist University from 2016-2018.

Education
J.D., Southern Methodist University, Dedman School of Law, Cum Laude
B.A., University of Texas at Arlington, Summa Cum Laude
The Archer Center, Fellow

Professional Affiliations
State Bar of Texas
Brazos County Bar Association
Texas Bar College
National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA)
National Association of Clery Compliance Officers and Professionals (NACCOP)

David Halpern practices in the areas of Student Affairs and Litigation.  David served as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Texas for twenty years with a focus on personal injury and employment law. He is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law.  David is an adjunct professor at the Texas A&M School of Law, on the faculty at the University of Texas School of Law, the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, serves as teaching faculty for the State Bar of Texas, the Texas Supreme Court’s Permanent Commission for Children, Youth, and Families, and the National Association of Attorneys General.  His writings have been published in the Texas Bar Journal, Voir Dire quarterly, the Juror Connection, and he is a contributing author to the book, Practicing Medicine in the 21st Century.

Education
J.D., University of Texas School of Law
Bachelor of Journalism, High Honors, University of Texas at Austin

Professional Affiliations
American Board of Trial Advocates, National Board, co-chair of Editorial Board and founder of the Teachers’ Law School Program
Texas Supreme Court’s Permanent Commission for Children, Youth, and Families Collaborative Council

Civic Involvement
Education Reach for Texans, Board of Director
Seedling Foundation, Mentor in Children of Incarcerated Parents Program

Alexandra Naismith is a member of the Student Affairs & Special Projects section in the Office of General Counsel. Her student affairs practice involves advising universities and agencies on issues concerning Title IX, the Clery Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act/Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the First Amendment, the Texas Public Information Act, tort claims liability, premise liability, student conduct, student organizations, behavioral intervention teams, campus safety, and policy development.

Alexandra joined the Office of General Counsel in October 2023. Prior to joining the Office of General Counsel, she was an assistant criminal district attorney and practiced civil law as a litigation attorney. Alexandra was an educator prior to attending law school.

Education
J.D., South Texas College of Law Houston, Summa Cum Laude
B.A., Texas A&M University

Professional Affiliations
State Bar of Texas
National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA)