The Society is pleased to announces the election of Esther L. Jones (ΦBK, Fisk University) as President of the Society and Ronald A. Crutcher (ΦBK, Miami University) as Vice President. Both positions are for a three-year term.
Jones (pictured at right) is the Associate Dean for Faculty Development at Brown University, a role which supports faculty development at all career stages, from new faculty orientation and onboarding to career advancement and leadership development for mid-career faculty. Prior to joining Brown, she served as the Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs at Clark University, where she established and implemented the recruitment, retention, and development strategy for faculty. She also served in various leadership roles for the Lambda of Massachusetts chapter of Phi Beta Kappa at Clark, including historian, Vice President, and President. At the national level, Jones has served as a ΦBK Senator for 12 years, variously appointed to the Committee on Chapters, the Executive Committee, the Investments Committee, and the Futures Task Force.
Crutcher is President Emeritus and University Professor at the University of Richmond, where he served as President from 2015 to 2021. He previously served as President of Wheaton College for 10 years. Earlier, he was the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at Miami University. In 2021, he was appointed a Senior Fellow at the Aspen Institute and elected a Senator-at-Large of the Phi Beta Kappa Society.
During his 45-year career in higher education, Crutcher has consulted with higher education institutions, nonprofit organizations, and corporations in the U.S. and abroad on issues related to organizational culture, especially bridging racial and cultural divides. His thematic memoir, I Had No Idea You Were Black: Navigating Race on the Road to Leadership, was published in February 2021.
