Kathaleena Edward Monds Receives Prestigious Zenobia L. Hikes 2022 Faculty Woman of Color in the Academy Award

By: Rachel Lawrence

Albany State University (ASU) professor of management information systems and founding director of the ASU Center for Educational Opportunity, Dr. Kathaleena Edward Monds, recently received the 2022 Faculty Woman of Color in the AcademyZenobia L. Hikes Award from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. 

The award, named in memory of Dr. Zenobia Lawrence Hikes, former vice president of student affairs at Virginia Tech, recognizes women of color with a distinguished career in higher education. Award recipients are engaged members of the campus and community and have a history of advancing the development of young women of color as they pursue their education and prepare for their careers.

“Receiving the Zenobia Lawrence Hikes 2022 Woman of Color in the Academy Faculty award is truly the highlight of 25 years in the academy. Having known Dr. Hikes both as my Spelman and Delta sister connected me to her spiritually as we celebrated her rich legacy, which I aim to uphold. Having met Nikole Hannah-Jones made the event that much more humbling."

Monds is a veteran educator who has devoted her career in higher education to inspiring future leaders and teachers. This includes her work as founding director of the ASU Center for Educational Opportunity. The research center provides grant funds to faculty at HBCUs, and faculty of color across the U.S. The center helps to remove financial barriers that many scholars face when conducting research to address the issues that impact underserved communities. Through the center, Monds has worked with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and the United Negro College Fund. She has received more than 40 grants and has served as a mentor for over 100 undergraduate research students.

Among her accomplishments at ASU, Monds launched the first study abroad program among business faculty to engage students in summer internships and service learning. The students studied in Belize, Central America where they were introduced to the inner workings of international business. She has also served as a Fulbright Professor at the University of Malaya Kuala Lumpur.

Mond’s research contributions extend to more than 25 publications, including The Journal of Computer Information Systems and Southern Business and Economics Journal. Recently, she published a chapter entitled "The Freedom to Homeschool: Community as Classroom” which appears in the anthology “Homeschooling Black Children in the U.S.: Theory Practice and Popular Culture.”  

In addition to receiving several honors and awards from educational organizations, Monds was recently named an EdChoice Fellow, and is a fellow member of the Global Home Educators Exchange (GHEX) Research Committee, the Education Policy Fellows Program, Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education, and STEM-STEAM, Georgia Department of Education. The award was presented at the 10th annual Faculty Women of Color in the Academy National Conference at Virginia Technical College in April in Washington, D.C.

Monds was presented with the award at the Faculty Women of Color in the Academy National Conference in April.