Felecia Nave, Ph.D.

President

Alcorn State University

Dr. Felecia M. Nave is the 20^th President of Alcorn State University, where she serves as the chief executive officer of the nation’s oldest public land-grant HBCU in Lorman, MS. Dr. Nave has administrative oversight for Alcorn’s 1,700-acre Lorman campus and branch locations in Natchez and Vicksburg, MS.

Prior to her appointment as Alcorn’s president in April 2019, as Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at North Carolina Central University, she served as the university’s chief academic officer, developing, managing and providing oversight for all academic degree programs at the university. The university includes seven colleges and schools, including a law school. The university enrolls approximately 8,100 students, supported by over 564 full-time and part-time faculty and more than 450 professional and administrative staff.

In addition, Dr. Nave provided leadership of the existing inventory of degree programs, development of new degree programs and fully online programs, ensuring academic rigor and integrity and supervised program and accreditation reviews, both regional and specialized. She also supervised scholarship and key research activity for the university in collaboration with the Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Sponsored Programs.

Dr. Nave’s responsibilities included fundraising activities, expanding external partnerships and growing alumni relations. She also managed all student services functions, including recruitment, admission, registrar, financial aid, academic engagement and student success.

Prior to joining North Carolina Central University, Dr. Nave served in various academic and administrative roles at Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View, Texas from 2003 until 2018. These roles included tenure-track Assistant Professor, tenured Associate Professor, tenured Professor of Chemical Engineering, Interim Assistant Dean of the Roy G. Perry College of Engineering, Associate Provost and Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Director of Special Initiative for Faculty Development.

Some of Dr. Nave’s awards include University of Toledo Department of Chemical Engineering Outstanding Alumna Award, 2019; AICHE MAC Eminent Scholars Award, 2017; Top 30 Influential Women of Houston Award, 2015; Who’s Who in Black Houston, 2015; and Diverse Issues Emerging Scholars Under 40, 2013.

Dr. Nave graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Alcorn State University in 1996. She holds a master’s degree in chemical and environmental engineering and a doctorate in engineering, both from the University of Toledo in Toledo, Ohio.

She is married to Mr. Tracie Nave and they have four children, Jaylon, Justin, Kennedy, and Jonathan.