Dr. Antwon D. Woods earned his Bachelors in Business Administration in Accounting from Jackson State University in 2011, and a Masters of Science in Sport Management from Middle Tennessee State University in 2013. In 2015, he earned a PhD. in Urban Higher Education from Jackson State University, where he was an Ayers Fellow in the Jake Ayers Institute for Urban Research. He completed his educational record with the Masters of Business Administration degree from Louisiana State University in 2018.
Dr. Woods currently serves as the Department Chairman and Assistant Professor of Sport Management and Business Administration for Belhaven University. In this capacity, Dr. Woods approach, as an administrator and educator, is to deliver the concepts in a tangible way that students can grasp, so that they may gain the knowledge needed to understand the literature within the aspects of business in the sport industry. Dr. Woods research expertise focuses on areas relating to student engagement and retention. Much of his work has been on improving the academic development of minority students and student-athletes.
He recently published his first academic book entitled Examining Student Retention and Engagement Strategies at Historically Black Colleges & Universities (ISBN-13: 978-1522570219). The book investigates innovations that institutions can enact to better prepare the following generation of students in leadership throughout the competitive educational industry. In addition to his book publication, Dr. Woods has published over 15 peer-reviewed scholarly articles, presented paper presentations at both state and national conferences, and served on the editorial review board for 5 different academic journals. In 2018, the Mississippi Business Journal awarded Dr. Woods as one of the Top 50 under 40 business leaders in the state of Mississippi.
In addition to his work at Belhaven, Dr. Woods serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer for the Antwon and Constance Woods Family Foundation, a non-profit that supports the educational well-being of children across Mississippi, founded by him and his wife. He also is a member of the Board of Directors for Ambition Preparatory Charter School in Jackson, Mississippi, where he serves as Vice Chairman. Dr. Woods is married to Dr. Constance Barnes-Woods ‘09, a Pediatrician at Blair E. Batson Children Hospital. The couple is faithful members of the Church Triumphant in Jackson, pastored by Bishop Adrian Ware.