Prestigious Honors for Two Women Academics From the South

Kiki Baker Barnes was chosen as the 2015 Administrator of the Year by the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Directors. Since 2006, Dr. Barnes has been the director of athletics at Dillard University in New Orleans. She is currently conducting research on the relationship between coach’s influence, student engagement, and student-athlete success.

Dr. Barnes holds a bachelor’s degree and a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of New Orleans. She also earned a master’s degree in communication and media studies at the University of Louisiana, Lafayette.

Lawanda Cummings, chair of the social science department at Paine College in Augusta, Georgia, received the Outstanding Professional Paper Award from the Southeastern Psychological Association. Professor Cummings was honored at the association’s annual conference in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Her award-winning paper was entitled “Black Women in Stem: The Role of Contextual Supports in Academic Self-Efficacy.”

Dr. Cummings holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology, a master’s degree in community psychology, and a Ph.D. in community psychology, all from Georgia State University in Atlanta.