Meet the Leadership Team
Dr. Carl Pettis
Provost for Academic Affairs
Dr. Carl S. Pettis is a proud alumnus of d传媒国产剧 (ASU). Dr. Pettis was awarded the Bachelor of Science degree (2001 Major 鈥� mathematics and minor 鈥� computer science) and the Master of Science degree (2003 Mathematics) from ASU. Dr. Pettis received his doctorate degree in mathematics from Auburn University in 2006. He was the first graduate of the Alabama Bridge to the Doctorate Program. He has since published a number of research articles in the area of Design Theory. Dr. Pettis currently serves as the Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. He is also a professor of mathematics in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at ASU.
Additionally, Dr. Pettis is the principal investigator for three National Science Foundation initiatives at ASU, namely the Greater Alabama Black Belt Region Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (GABBR-LSAMP), INCLUDES and a Targeted Infusion Project for Big Data Analytics. He also serves as the director for several federally funded K-12 educational activities such as the National Summer Transportation Institute (NSTI), the UNITE Program, the Research and Engineering Apprenticeship Program, and the Institute for Mathematics, Science, Engineering, and Technology (IMSET).
Whenever he is asked what made him choose to return to ASU, Pettis simply responds, 鈥淲here else but the place that helped to shape and mold me into the man that I am today would I choose as my professional oasis, a place that will allow me to shape and mold the lives of others.鈥�
Dr. Kennedy Wekesa
Associate Provost for Academic Affairs
Dr. Kennedy S. Wekesa serves as The Associate Provost for Academic Affairs and is a tenured full professor of biology at d传媒国产剧. Dr. Wekesa received his B.S. in Biology from Guilford College in 1989, an M.A. in Biology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 1992 and his Ph.D. in Zoology from North Carolina State University in 1996.
In the past 20 years at ASU, he has received more than $15 million in extramural research and training support from National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Defense and the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE). He has successfully conducted research in sensory transduction mechanisms at ASU, where he engages students in teaching, research and mentoring. National and international peer reviewed journals have published his successful research. He has presented his research findings at several institutions and his opinions have been published in The Scientist, Bloomberg News and USA Today.
Dr. Albert E. Russell
Assistant Provost and Dean of the Harold Lloyd Murphy Graduate School
Dr. Russell is currently the Assistant Provost for Academic Affairs at Alabama State University. In previous roles, he has served as both professor (Organic Chemistry) and administrator (Department Chair of Chemistry, and Assistant Provost for Student Matters and Academic Programs) spanning past 20 years before coming to Alabama State University in the fall of 2025. He was raised in Mobile, AL, and is a graduate of Williamson High School. An alumnus of ASU, earned a B.S. in Chemistry in 1998, and a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2003. He also completed a postdoctoral research appointment at the University of Maryland, College Park. He has authored five books, one lab manual, and multiple scholarly publications. As a chemist, his research interests include small molecule chemotherapeutics, novel organic compounds from natural, plant-based sources, and natural pesticides. In addition to scholarly pursuits, Dr. Russell also has a passion for helping students to develop and become the best version of themselves. He has served as a mentor to many of his former students, and still actively mentors and develops students. He has dedicated his career to being accessible and available to students. In addition to offering guidance, advice, and life skills that encourage them to be lifelong learners, he also encourages students to engage with and understand the curvature of the academic landscape.
Dr. Patrice W. Glenn Jones
Assistant Vice President for Online Education and Global Campus Operations
As Assistant Vice President for Online Education and Global Campus Operations, Dr. Patrice W. Glenn Jones provides leadership for d传媒国产剧鈥檚 online learning and digital innovation initiatives. Her work focuses on expanding educational access, enhancing student engagement, and advancing innovative learning opportunities that support academic excellence and institutional growth.
As ASU鈥檚 representative to the eHBCU Consortium, she collaborates with institutional leaders to advance online education across historically Black colleges and universities. Dr. Glenn Jones is a recognized leader in digital learning, educational innovation, and faculty development, with a career spanning K鈥�12 and higher education leadership.
Dr. Rhonda M. Collier
Assistant Vice President of Academic Enrichment and Leadership Development
Dr. Rhonda M. Collier currently serves as Assistant Vice President of Academic Enrichment and Leadership Development at d传媒国产剧. Formerly, she served as a Full Professor and Department Chair of Modern Languages, Communication and Philosophy at Tuskegee University, where she also served as the Director of the TU Global Office (2010-2025). She is a Fulbright Scholar, who studied at the Universidad de S茫o Paulo in Brazil and in Taiwan. She received her Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. She holds a B.S. and a master's degree in industrial and systems engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and Georgia Tech respectively. She has published in the areas of Afro-Brazilian, Afro-Cuban, African American, and global hip hop studies. At Tuskegee, she focused on American literature and composition courses with an emphasis on service-learning. She also coordinated global and local internships for English and Communication majors. Her work 鈥淢othering Cuba: The Poetics of Afro-Cuban Women鈥� appears in Another Black Like Me: The Construction of Identities and Solidarity in the African Diaspora (Cambridge Scholar Press, 2015). She has also published on Afro-German hip hop with the College Language Association. In her published works, Dr. Collier discusses art as a space of forgiveness and reconciliation. She is passionate about education abroad and cross-cultural student engagement. Her edited book Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning in Higher Education was published in 2020. Her most recent 2025 publication with Clark Atlanta University focuses on global humanities and its importance to HBCUs. She has also researched extensively on Ralph Ellison, Zora Neale Hurston, and Albert Murray as literary legacies rooted in Alabama. Dr. Collier has visited over 40 countries and six continents. She also speaks Spanish and Portuguese fluently. In 2023, Dr. Collier received the Governor of Alabama Award for International Trade Excellence in the area of International Education.
Take the Next Steps
Greatness starts with a single step. Explore d传媒国产剧, schedule a visit, apply for admission, support our mission, or find new ways to engage with the Hive.