Tonya Smith-Jackson, provost and executive vice chancellor for Academic Affairs at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NC A&T), has been appointed chancellor of Rutgers University–Newark, effective August 1.
A human factors engineer with extensive academic leadership experience, Smith-Jackson will lead Rutgers–Newark as it builds on its momentum as a top 50 public research university and an exemplary anchor institution. Her appointment, announced jointly by President Jonathan Holloway and President-designate William F. Tate IV, was approved unanimously by the Rutgers Board of Governors.
“Tonya Smith-Jackson is a person of principles and values who has dedicated her professional life to making transformative changes in higher education, and she is deeply committed to the mission of Rutgers University–Newark,” said Holloway. “President-designate Tate and I have met with her and are excited for the energy, wisdom, talent and leadership that Dr. Smith-Jackson will bring to her role as chancellor.”
Smith-Jackson, who holds a doctorate in psychology/ergonomics and an interdisciplinary master of science degree in psychology and industrial engineering, has served at NC A&T since 2013, where she chaired its Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering. At the university, she also directed a cybersecurity center, the Human Factors Analytics Lab and the laboratory for Cyber-Human Analytics Research for the Internet of Things, and served as senior vice provost, leading the establishment of three new Centers of Excellence (Cybersecurity, Product Design and Manufacturing, and Entrepreneurship and Innovation).
In her current role, Smith-Jackson has led the creation of three new doctoral programs, the state’s first bachelor’s degree program in artificial intelligence and dramatic increases in both research staff and graduate assistants at NC A&T, the nation’s largest HBCU. She also led the university’s process and final recognition as an anchor institution by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities.
Before arriving at NC A&T, Smith-Jackson spent 14 years at Virginia Tech, rising from assistant to associate to full professor of industrial and systems engineering. She worked as an engineer at IBM and Ericsson Mobile Communications and taught at several higher education institutions and community colleges. She also served for a year at the National Science Foundation (2018-2019) as program director in the NSF’s Cyber-Human Systems Program.
“Inspired by my parents’ belief in education as a pathway to liberation, meaning and purpose, I’ve dedicated my life to helping others obtain college degrees and upward mobility,” said Smith-Jackson.
“My success is not possible without chancellors, presidents and leaders I’ve learned from, and each institution’s commitment to scholarship, innovation, academic excellence, community engagement and providing opportunities for all — which is exactly what inspired me to seek out this opportunity to lead Rutgers–Newark.”
“It’s an incredible honor to join this esteemed institution, and I look forward to working together in shaping a future that honors institutional legacy and embraces bold new opportunities on the horizon,” she added.
Smith-Jackson’s appointment follows a year-long national search that involved wide-reaching participation across the Rutgers–Newark community and was led by the search committee, chaired by professor Salamishah Tillet and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Prabhas Moghe.
“Dr. Smith-Jackson’s academic, research, corporate and government service appointments provide meaningful experiences to draw upon in her role as chancellor at Rutgers–Newark. As an engineer with contributions to human factors research, she brings a systems-oriented, people-centered approach well-suited to leading an urban university,” Tate said. “I look forward to partnering with her to expand opportunity pathways, advance impactful research and promote economic development for the region and the state.”
Jeffrey Robinson, previously Rutgers–Newark provost and co-founder of The Center for Urban Entrepreneurship and Economic Development, has served as interim chancellor since July 1, 2024, after former chancellor Nancy Cantor left the post and became president of Hunter College. Robinson will remain in the position through July 30.
“I am deeply grateful to Interim Chancellor Jeffrey Robinson for the phenomenal job he has done in leading Rutgers–Newark over the past year — and for Jeff’s willingness to extend his interim appointment through July,” said Holloway. “I also want to thank Salamishah Tillet, Prabhas Moghe and all the members of the search committee for their dedication and teamwork, which have resulted in such an exciting appointment.”
