Johnson C. Smith University welcomed Dr. Valerie Kinloch, an alumna and member of its Board of Trustees, as its 15th President.

Kinloch took the helm in August 2023 after serving as Dean of the School of Education at the University of Pittsburgh. Before that, she held positions as associate dean and professor at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, a faculty member at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York City and at the University of Houston-Downtown.

A native of Charleston, S.C., she graduated from JCSU in 1996. She succeeds Clarence D. Armbrister, who successfully led the campus for more than five years. Kinloch said she aims to continue raising the school’s profile and its community support while further enhancing its academic offerings.

With North Carolina leaders allowing Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act, a two-year, $1 million Endowment grant will support a collaborative effort to provide outreach and enrollment services to newly eligible residents.

The expansion opens the way for Medicaid coverage for approximately 600,000 low-income, uninsured adults. To reach those newly eligible consumers, three organizations will use the grant to coordinate outreach and enrollment efforts.

Working together on the initiative will be Care Share Health Alliance, the North Carolina Community Health Center Association and Legal Aid of North Carolina. All have long histories of helping underserved communities overcome barriers that prevent them from accessing services. They will use a statewide network of navigators and certified application counselors to reach and assist eligible consumers.

In supporting the project, the Endowment joined a broad coalition of funders that included the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, Dogwood Health Trust, the Cone Health Foundation and the John Rex Endowment.

Foster America, a national child welfare organization, will use a three-year, $4.5 million grant from the Endowment and other partners to test a new, prevention-based approach to keeping children safe from maltreatment in South Carolina.

Nationally, about 7 million children are reported as potential victims of abuse or neglect each year, but only 20 percent of those reports reflect concerns about the child’s safety. In South Carolina, for instance, tens of thousands of families reported for child maltreatment each year are screened out of the child protective system due to unsubstantiated charges or other reasons. These families receive no additional support because the system is designed to address immediate safety concerns, not broader problems such as food or housing insecurities. Over time, experts say, such issues can intensify until families are re-reported for abuse or other safety concerns.

Through the new grant, Foster America, in partnership with the South Carolina Department of Social Services, will build a new pathway of preventative resources for such families in South Carolina. Screened-out families will gain access to a resource hub that can assess their needs and make referrals for support. Navigators will help connect families to resources, and cash assistance and other supports will be available to fill gaps. Over time, advocates hope to see increased community and family engagement, as well as lower rates of investigations and child removals from families.

New Hires

Diatra A. Fullwood (Events Planner, Communications)

Megan M. Smith (Senior Accountant, Finance)

Promotions

Justin M. Dunham from Program Analyst to Program Officer, Health Care

Amy M. Flores from Evaluation Analyst to Senior Evaluation Analyst

Ali Marzouq from Network Engineer to IT Manager