Educator | Speaker | Consultant
Kenya Tyson, JD is an internationally recognized criminal justice expert and higher education executive, with expertise in the fields of race, crime, and inequality. Kenya is the Senior Associate Provost at Dartmouth College. In this role, she serves as the Provost’s chief advisor and oversees government and community affairs, institutional research, resource planning, and operations. Prior to working at Dartmouth College, she served as Assistant Provost of Academic Affairs and University Curriculum at The New School (NYC) and the Associate Dean of Academic Programs and Student Services at Rutgers University School of Criminal Justice, where she successfully led the university’s effort to develop a prison education program. In addition to her 20- year career in law and higher education, Kenya has consulted with courts and other government agencies across the nation on procedural justice and racial and ethnic disparity (RED) initiatives. She has worked with universities and human rights organizations around the globe, facilitating trainings on Title IX, crime prevention and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and has served in an advisory capacity for several professional organizations Kenya is also the founder and Executive Director of The Black Massacre Project. The Black Massacre Project is an independent public research center that explores the historical race massacres perpetrated against black communities in the United States. The Project serves as an interdisciplinary nerve center that brings scholars, historians, activists, students, and community members together to engage in collaborative research and cultural exchange, and to explore the role of race-based violence in the greater context of American society. Kenya’s extensive service includes work with the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), NJ LEEP (Law and Education Empowerment Project), and the Community Justice Advisory Board for the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office. She currently serves as Treasurer and Chair of the Community Service and Social Justice Committee for the Garden State Bar Association and as Vice-Chair of the Public Policy and Advocacy Committee for the Metropolitan Black Bar Association. Kenya is also a member of the New Jersey Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Access and Fairness and the Review Board of Appeals for the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS). A Fulbright Scholar, Kenya has received recognition and awards in honor of her service and scholarship. In 2016, she was recognized by the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office and the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives in appreciation of her support to the Citizens of New Jersey. Kenya is a fellow of the Higher Education Leadership Foundation and was recognized by the National Gang Crime Research Center as the 2019 recipient of the prestigious Frederick Milton Thrasher Award for her scholarship on gang courts. She was also named one of the New Jersey Law Journal’s Diverse Attorneys of the Year. Kenya earned a JD from Widener University Delaware Law School, a MS in Criminal Justice, with an emphasis on Criminal Behavior Analysis from the University of Cincinnati, and a BA in Political Science from Winston-Salem State University. Kenya is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. |