Tonya Smith-Jackson, provost and executive vice chancellor for Academic Affairs at North Carolina A&T, has been appointed chancellor of Rutgers–Newark.
Smith-Jackson will assume the role Aug. 1, succeeding interim Chancellor Jeffrey Robinson, who has served in the role since last summer.
The announcement of her appointment was made jointly, by outgoing Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway and incoming president William Tate (who will assume office on July 1).
Smith-Jackson, who holds a doctorate in psychology/ergonomics and an interdisciplinary Master of Science degree in psychology and industrial engineering, brings a resume of academic leadership.
She has served at NC A&T since 2013, where she chaired its Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering. At the university, she also directed a cybersecurity center, the Human Factors Analytics Lab and the laboratory for Cyber-Human Analytics Research for the Internet of Things, and served as senior vice provost, leading the establishment of three new Centers of Excellence (Cybersecurity, Product Design and Manufacturing, and Entrepreneurship and Innovation).
In her current role, Smith-Jackson has led the creation of three new doctoral programs, the state’s first bachelor’s degree program in artificial intelligence and dramatic increases in both research staff and graduate assistants at NC A&T, the nation’s largest HBCU. She also led the university’s process and final recognition as an anchor institution by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities.
Before arriving at NC A&T, Smith-Jackson spent 14 years at Virginia Tech, rising from assistant to associate to full professor of industrial and systems engineering. She worked as an engineer at IBM and Ericsson Mobile Communications and taught at several higher education institutions and community colleges. She also served for a year at the National Science Foundation (2018-2019) as program director in the NSF’s Cyber-Human Systems Program.
Smith-Jackson spoke of her belief in helping others – and working with others – upon accepting the role.
“Inspired by my parents’ belief in education as a pathway to liberation, meaning and purpose, I’ve dedicated my life to helping others obtain college degrees and upward mobility,” she said.
“My success is not possible without chancellors, presidents and leaders I’ve learned from, and each institution’s commitment to scholarship, innovation, academic excellence, community engagement and providing opportunities for all – which is exactly what inspired me to seek out this opportunity to lead Rutgers–Newark.”
Tate welcomed Smith-Jackson to Rutgers.
“Dr. Smith-Jackson’s academic, research, corporate and government service appointments provide meaningful experiences to draw upon in her role as chancellor at Rutgers–Newark,” he said. “As an engineer with contributions to human factors research, she brings a systems-oriented, people-centered approach well suited to leading an urban university.
“I look forward to partnering with her to expand opportunity pathways, advance impactful research and promote economic development for the region and the state.”
Smith-Jackson she is eager to begin.
“It’s an incredible honor to join this esteemed institution, and I look forward to working together in shaping a future that honors institutional legacy and embraces bold new opportunities on the horizon,” she said.
