Simmons University President Appointed to N.C. A&T BOT; Three Members Reappointed

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (May 11, 2021) – Lynn Perry Wooten, Ph.D., president of Simmons University and an alumna of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, is the newest member of the N.C. A&T Board of Trustees (BOT).

Wooten’s appointment was approved at the April meeting of the University of North Carolina System (UNC) Board of Governors, along with the reappointment of three BOT members: William A. Dudley, Joseph R. Parker, Jr., and Hilda Pinnix-Ragland. New and returning members will serve four-year terms that begin July 1.

Wooten is a 1988 graduate of the N.C. A&T Willie A. Deese College of Business and Economics. She serves today as the ninth president of Simmons University, the first African American to lead the university. Previously, she was the David J. Nolan Dean and professor of management and organizations at the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, at Cornell University.

She’s held several other outstanding positions at leading institutions across the higher education spectrum, including the University of Florida Warrington College of Business and the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, where she spent nearly 20 years in faculty and administrative positions. Specializing in crisis leadership, diversity and inclusion and positive leadership, Wooten is an innovative leader and prolific author and presenter whose research has informed her work in the classroom and as an administrator.

Her research has ranged from an NIH-funded investigation of how leadership can positively alleviate health disparities to leading in a crisis and managing workforce diversity. She is the author of two books: “Positive Organizing in a Global Society: Understanding and Engaging Differences for Capacity Building and Inclusion” and “Leading Under Pressure: From Surviving to Thriving Before, During, and After a Crisis.”

Wooten has also had a robust clinical practice, providing leadership development, education, and training for a wide variety of companies and institutions, from the Kellogg Foundation to Harvard University’s Kennedy School to Google.

In addition to earning her undergraduate degree at A&T in accounting, graduating as valedictorian, Wooten earned an MBA from the Duke University Fuqua School of Business; a Ph.D. in business administration from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business; and received a certificate in Advanced Educational Leadership from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education.

Wooten replaces trustee George Mainor, who served one term.

Retired since 2007, after 31 years in state government with the North Carolina Department of Crime Control and Public Safety and other agencies, Dudley was reappointed to the board. Among other positions, he became assistant secretary of the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety, and chief deputy secretary in 1996. He earned a bachelor of science from A&T and a law degree from North Carolina Central University. He maintains a limited law practice and is a member of several professional associations.

Also reappointed was Parker Jr. Parker is a retired senior vice president of the former Wachovia Bank. During his 31 years of service, he held several leadership positions, including manager of residential mortgage manager for Virginia and president of Wachovia Community Development Corporation. He served on numerous boards and commissions, including chairman of the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency and founding board member of KeySource Commercial Bank.  Parker also is an A&T graduate.

Pinnix-Ragland is the third current trustee to be reappointed, currently serving as the board vice chairwoman. She’s a retired Duke Energy corporate affairs and business executive acknowledged for building best-in- class organizations that consistently achieve aggressive revenue and profit objectives. She currently serves as chief financial officer at AHK Global Resources.

She is also a dedicated board member/advisor to numerous industries, educational, and community organizations. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from A&T and a Master of Business Administration from Duke University Fuqua School of Business. She also completed graduate studies in taxation at St. John’s University and the Executive Program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

The A&T BOT is comprised of 13 individuals chosen as follows: eight elected by the UNC Board of Governors, four appointed by the North Carolina General Assembly and one ex officio (the president of the A&T Student Government Association). The term of office of all trustees, except the ex officio member, is four years.

The duties of the N.C. A&T Board of Trustees are to promote the sound development of the university. The board serves as advisor to the UNC Board of Governors on matters pertaining to the university and also advises the chancellor concerning the management and development of the university.