Ivan W. Banks is a professor and the dean of the School of Education and Psychology at Alcorn State University (Mississippi). He previously served as the interim executive director of the Vicksburg Expansion Campus and director of online education. His professional experience prior to Alcorn includes serving as the director of educator preparation and certification at Alabama A&M University; interim dean of the College of Education at Florida Gulf Coast University (Fort Myers); provost and vice president for academic affairs at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania; dean of the College of Education at New Jersey City University; acting dean at Jackson State University; and director of supervised teaching and chairperson of the Department of Education at Kentucky State University.

Banks has extensive experience in the area of accreditation and assessment, especially as those relate to program quality and student learning outcomes. In Pennsylvania, he served as the institutional liaison officer for Cheyney University, as an evaluator on visiting accreditation teams, and as a primary evaluator for periodic review reports for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. In New Jersey, Banks was appointed by the commissioner of education to serve on the Higher Education Taskforce that was charged with recommendation for policies and procedures to govern processes for the preparation of teachers and other professional school personnel, in addition to serving as president-elect for the New Jersey Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.

Banks has a strong record of scholarship that includes numerous presentations at national and international conferences, writing book chapters and journal articles, and participation in Fulbright Study Abroad in Singapore and Malaysia. He believes in and remains committed to community service as a Rotarian, active involvement with the chamber of commerce, and his fraternity—Alpha Phi Alpha, Inc. Banks completed his bachelor’s degree in history and sociology with an Ohio teacher’s certification at Case Western Reserve University. He earned his master’s of education (economics) at John Carroll University and doctorate of education in instructional design and educational technology at the University of Kentucky.