On Friday, June 7, 2019, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced the following new appointments to the Norfolk State University Board of Visitors:
- Bishop Kim W. Brown of Chesapeake, Virginia
- Mary L. Blunt of Chesapeake, Virginia
- Dr. Harold L. Watkins II of Richmond, Virginia
Kim W. Brown is no stranger to NSU, having graduated from the University in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering. He went on to receive a Master’s in Divinity and Doctorate of Ministry from Virginia Union University. Since 1990, Brown has served as the senior pastor of Mount Lebanon Baptist Church, also known as The Mount. Under his leadership, the church’s membership has grown from 75 to more than 13,000. Brown brings strong higher education governance experience to NSU, having previously served as Board Member and Chair of the Elizabeth City State University Board of Trustees from 2015-2019. Brown is a steadfast advocate for his alma mater, and recently served as a member of the University’s Presidential Search Committee. Because of his outstanding professional accomplishments and strong support of the University, Brown was inducted into the NSU 2019 Class of Distinguished Alumni.
Mary L. Blunt brings more than 40 years of senior executive management experience in the healthcare sector to the NSU Board of Visitors. As Senior Corporate Vice President for Sentara Healthcare’s Hampton Roads Region, Blunt, serves as the regional executive responsible for strategic and operational oversight for seven of Sentara’s hospitals, the Post-Acute Division including, Home Health, Hospice, ten Long-term Care facilities and two PACE programs. Blunt is also responsible for oversight of supply chain management and three system service lines. Prior to assuming her current role, Blunt held the following positions at Sentara: Corporate Vice President, Peninsula Region; Corporate Vice President, Administrator, Sentara Norfolk General Hospital; President Operations, Sentara Life Care Corporation and Rehabilitation; Vice President Operations, Southside Hospitals; and Vice President Operations, Sentara Bayside. Blunt received her Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Illinois Medical Center in 1978 and Master’s in Health Administration from Washington University School of Medicine in 1987.
Dr. Harold L. Watkins II brings 30 years of policy, management and social service experience to the NSU Board of Visitors. Watkins currently serves as Principal of HarryCo LLC, a diversified social services consultancy, which provides evidenced based case management, crisis intervention and therapeutic counseling services to individuals and families. He previously served as President of Renaissance Inc., which operated residential programs for 900 at-risk youth and families from across Virginia. Watkins’ public policy experience includes tenure as a Senior Research and Policy Analyst for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Inc. and service as a legislative staffer for Virginia State Senator Henry Marsh and Delegate Betsy Carr. His previous higher education board appointments include Board Member, J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College Board. Watkins received his Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1998, Master of Social Work from Norfolk State University in 2001, Master of Public Administration from Walden University in 2007 and a Doctorate in Political Science from Howard University in 2015.
Michael Helpinstill, Vice President and Chief Business Officer for the Nuclear & Environmental Group, Huntington Ingalls Industries, was reappointed to the NSU Board of Visitors. All appointments are effective on July 1, 2019 and will expire on June 30, 2023.
Outgoing board members are Dr. Ann Adams and Kenneth W. Crowder.