Two Women Who Have Been Appointed to Provost Positions

Phyllis Curtis-Tweed was appointed provost and vice president of academic affairs at Queensborough Community College in Bayside, New York. The college enrolls nearly 10,000 students.

Dr. Curtis-Tweed had been serving as vice president for academic and student affairs at Bermuda College in Paget Parish, Bermuda. At Bermuda College, Dr.Curtis-Tweed developed a new Division of Nursing and Allied Health. She also served as co-editor of Bermuda College’s Voices in Education journal and worked with community partners to support the pipeline for higher education by improving reading literacy outcomes for children in elementary education.

Earlier in her career, Dr. Curtis-Tweed taught at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and what is now Simmons University in Boston. She served as college-wide dean at Oakland Community College in Michigan and worked in various capacities at Medgar Evers College, in Brooklyn including assistant provost for student success and assessment and then interim associate provost.

“I am thrilled to join the Queensborough Community College as provost and vice president of academic affairs, and to return to CUNY, where our very prescient mission remains to provide high-quality public education for all students,” said Dr. Curtis-Tweed. “I look forward to serving the Queens community, and beyond, as we, at Queensborough Community College, continue to transform the landscape for student success by promoting access, equity, and excellence.”

Dr. Curtis-Tweed holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in foreign language education from the University of Maryland. She earned a Ph.D. in educational studies from Emory University in Atlanta.

Toni Williams has been named provost and executive vice president of academic affairs at Martin University in Indianapolis. Previously, she served as the director and chief academic officer for the University Heights Excel Center, an Indianapolis public charter school.

“As an educator in several states for the past 19 years, I have had the opportunity to work in different environments and learn from persons and organizations with major academic difficulties,” said Dr. Williams. “I bring this knowledge and experience, plus what I’ve learned as a volunteer in schools with a high population of socio-economically disadvantaged students, and want to make a difference at Martin University.”

Dr. Williams is a graduate of Thomas Edison State University in Trenton, New Jersey. She holds a master’s degree in English from Fort Hays State University in Kansas and a doctorate in educational leadership and management from St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens, Florida.