After 12 years at North Carolina A&T State University, serving as provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs, Dr. Tonya Smith-Jackson was appointed chancellor of Rutgers University-Newark, effective August 1, 2025. During her time at N.C. A&T, three new doctoral programs were created as well as launching North Carolina’s first bachelor’s degree in artificial intelligence. There was also a significant increase in research staff and graduate assistants. In addition to academia, Smith-Jackson has worked with the National Science Foundation, IBM and Ericsson Mobile Communications.
