May 17, 2018 (Jackson, Miss.) - The Mississippi Business Journal recently honored Belhaven Chair and Assistant Professor of Sports Management Dr. Antwon Woods with the Top 50 Under 40 award.
Considered one of the state's most prestigious awards, it highlights individuals who have made significant contributions to Mississippi's overall economic progress. All of the Top 50 Under 40 recipients have involvement that go beyond normal working hours. Their days are extended by a large number of civic and community activities.
In addition to working at Belhaven, Dr. Woods serves as co-founder, president and CEO for the Antwon and Constance Woods Family Foundation. He received his B.B.A. in Accounting from Jackson State University in 2011, and a M.S. in Sport Management from Middle Tennessee State in 2013. Additionally, he received his Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from Jackson State University in 2015, and completed his educational record with his M.B.A. from Louisiana State University in 2018.
Much of his work has been on improving the academic development of minority students and student-athletes, while examining the areas of student engagement and retention. Dr. Woods is currently serving as a co-editor of Examining Student Retention and Engagement Strategies at Minority Serving Institutions (IGI Global, 2018). This book investigates new innovations that these institutions can enact to better prepare the following generation of students in leadership throughout the competitive educational industry.
Dr. Woods has also published over 15 peer-reviewed scholarly articles, presented paper presentations at both state and national conferences, and served on four editorial boards: American Journal of Advanced Research, Journal of Education and Social Development, Journal of Rural Education Policy and Practice, and International Journal of Community College Research and Pedagogy. Dr. Woods is married to Dr. Constance Barnes-Woods of Webb, Miss., who is a pediatric resident at Blair E. Batson Children Hospital.