Executive Vice President and Provost
Hampton University President Darrell K. Williams proudly announced today the appointment of Betty H. Stewart, Ph.D., as the new Executive Vice President and Provost, effective July 1, 2024.
With a distinguished career spanning 30 years in academia, Stewart brings a wealth of experience and a steadfast commitment to academic excellence to her new post, having served as provost at the University of North Texas at Dallas (UNT Dallas) where she spearheaded innovative initiatives in STEM and fostered a culture of collaboration and scholarly achievement.
“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Stewart and anticipate her building upon a reputation as a dynamic, cross-functional leader with a keen intellectual curiosity and the ability to drive our value proposition forward,” said President Williams. “I am confident she will make a substantial impact on our faculty and external stakeholders.”
Stewart, who earned a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from Mississippi State and a Ph.D. in Protein Biochemistry, Biological Sciences from Carnegie-Mellon University, touts an exceptionally strong research profile. She is highly regarded for securing a $100 million allocation for a 150,000-sq. ft. building for minorities in STEM at UNT Dallas, creating offices of Sponsored Research and Undergraduate Research, a game-changing move that helped increase the institution’s research profile.
A three-time tenured professor of chemistry at Austin College, Midwestern State University, and UNT Dallas, and a two-time provost/vice president for academic affairs, Stewart served as Fellow at the University of Texas Medical School, led the accreditation for ABET for Engineering Program, and helped obtain a $7 million partnership grant from JP Morgan Chase to support workforce development in north Texas. While at Midwestern State University, Stewart’s contributions to the sciences and STEM field were so significant that there is a lab named after her.
Leading through change, Stewart worked to bring much needed structure to the campus following a period of frequent turnover in administrative leadership positions, including five of six academic deans representing the College of Law, Graduate School, the Schools of Education, Business and Liberal Arts and Sciences. She established and promoted university traditions such as the first-year Ceremony of Lights, the Book Plating Ceremony for newly tenured faculty, and led all Commencement and Hooding ceremonies.
“In Dr. Stewart, Hampton has found a visionary leader who will continue to advance the university’s mission of academic excellence, student success, and community engagement,” said President Williams. “Dr. Stewart’s passion for higher education, commitment to student success, and dedication to nurturing the next generation of scholars align perfectly with our values and aspirations.”
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Dr. JoAnn W. Haysbert is Executive Vice President and Provost with over 35 years of stellar service as a professional educator. She holds the BA degree in Psychology from Johnson C. Smith University, the MEd degree in Educational Administration and the doctoral degree in Educational Administration with a teaching specialization in Psychology from Auburn University. She was also selected to participate in the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, Institute for Educational Management.
During her 34-year tenure at Hampton, she has served in several key positions, including acting president, provost, assistant provost, professor and coordinator of graduate programs in education, dean of freshman studies, assistant vice president for academic affairs, director of summer sessions, and director of the assessment and learning support center. She has also held positions at Virginia State University, Auburn University and Alexander City State Junior College.
She returned to Hampton after successful seven-year tenure at Langston University as its fifteenth and first female president. While there, she set into motion an aggressive agenda that expanded and strengthened the academic programs, galvanized the faculty, invigorated active participation among alumni, broadened the external donor base, increased financial support, improved the physical plant, embraced a broader commitment to shared governance, created a safer, access-controlled campus, and placed the university in the best fiscal standing in more than two decades by eliminating a multi-million-dollar operating deficit.
Dr. Haysbert is active in numerous local, state and national organizations and served on professional boards including: National Campus Compact, Board of Trustees and Nominating Committee of The College Board; and the boards of directors for the State Chamber and Leadership Oklahoma. She was also a member of the American Council of Education’s Commission on Women in Higher Education Board, Leadership Oklahoma -Class XX, and the advisory boards of the Greenwood Cultural Center in Tulsa, Black Liberated Arts Center, Inc. in Oklahoma City, the Tulsa Metro Urban League and Job Corps (Guthrie). Currently, she is a member of the Hampton City Schools Advisory Board, National Institute of Aerospace Board of Directors, and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges Board of Trustees.
Throughout her professional career, she became a successful grant writer and an astute fundraiser directly involved in securing millions of dollars in public and private funds. She also played an integral role in the team approach to fundraising, and as a result, has been instrumental in securing funds for new programs, scholarships and endowments.
Her awards and accolades are numerous. In 2011, she received the “Ladies in the News” award given by the Oklahoma Hospitality Club. In 2009 and 2011, she was feted by the state of Oklahoma as one of its “Fifty Outstanding Women;” is a past recipient of the Drum Major for Justice Award given by the SCLC/Women’s Organizational Movement for Equality Now, Inc. in Atlanta, Georgia, and was bestowed the Interfaith Dialog “Outstanding Education Award” in Oklahoma City. In 2010, she was honored by her hometown of Kingstree, South Carolina, with welcome-to-the-city signs in her name and in 2012 inducted into the Williamsburg County School District Hall of Fame.
She is the mother of five children: Andre, a Hampton University graduate, a public school teacher in Maryland and doctoral student; Nineveh, a Hampton University and Langston University graduate; Nazareth, a practicing attorney in California; Jordan, a graduate of Hampton University; and Samaria, also a Hampton University graduate.
Contact Information:
Dr. Betty H. Stewart
757-727-5201
betty.stewart@hamptonu.edu