NCCU Appoints Four Seasoned Higher-Education Executives To Senior Leadership Positions 

DURHAM, NC – North Carolina Central University (NCCU) has appointed four seasoned higher-education executives to senior leadership positions, effective July 2024. Each executive will report to NCCU Chancellor-elect Karrie G. Dixon and serve as a key member of the chancellor’s cabinet.

North Carolina Central University (NCCU) has appointed Alyn Goodson as executive vice chancellor, effective July 15, 2024. Goodson, an alumnus of NCCU, will provide strategic oversight, leadership, and guidance on a wide array of campus administrative and operational functions.

Goodson joins NCCU from Elizabeth City State University (ECSU), where he served as vice chancellor, chief of staff, and general counsel. In this role, he is the chancellor’s liaison for university stakeholders, state and local officials, legislators, and the University of North Carolina System Office. He partners with the chancellor to secure funding for academic programs, capital projects, and campus operations, serves on the chancellor’s Executive Cabinet, and manages the implementation of the university’s strategic and campus master plans.

NCCU has appointed Ontario S. Wooden, Ph.D., interim provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, effective July 1, 2024. A national search for a permanent provost will be announced soon. Wooden will lead the university’s Division of Academic Affairs and will serve as the chief academic officer for NCCU. He joins NCCU from NC State University, where he has served as the senior associate dean in University College in the Division of Academic and Student Affairs since July 2023.

A seasoned administrator with 20 years of higher education leadership experience across three public university systems, Wooden previously served as interim president of Alcorn State University, where he also served as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs from 2020 – 2023.

No stranger to NCCU, Wooden held numerous positions over a 12-year tenure at NCCU, including associate vice chancellor for student success and academic outreach, associate vice chancellor for Innovative, Engaged, and Global Education, dean of University College, associate dean of University College, and tenured associate professor of education. A tenured full professor and expert scholar on college access and choice, and has authored numerous peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, policy reports, and other academic publications.

NCCU has appointed Avery L. Staley as chief of staff, effective July 15, 2024. Staley will provide leadership and direction for change management initiatives, project management, and program development.

Staley, an alumnus of NCCU, currently serves as the inaugural vice president of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, N.C., where he was appointed in July 2021. In this role, he supervises the Office of Human Resources, Title XI and Compliance, Disability Services, and Multi-Cultural Affairs. Staley’s accomplishments include overseeing the implementation of a new payroll system, executing a 16-point plan for equity, and establishing a campus-wide DEI council.   

NCCU has appointed Sandra F. Powers as executive assistant to NCCU Chancellor-elect Karrie G. Dixon, effective July 1, 2024.

Powers joins NCCU from ECSU, where she has served as the executive assistant to ECSU Chancellor Dixon since 2020. Powers has nearly three decades of administrative support experience in various roles.  Her years of service have equipped her with exceptional organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills, allowing her to effectively support the university’s mission.