The Graduate College Inducts Three Distinguished Alumni into Hall of Fame

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (April 9, 2026) – The Graduate College at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University has inducted Laklieshia Izzard ’07, Ed.D., Kanton T. Reynolds ’97, ’14, Ph.D., and Karl Ricanek Jr. ‘92, ‘93, ‘99, Ph.D., into its Hall of Fame.

Izzard, founder and CEO of Shekinah Counseling LLC in Oxford, Georgia, earned an M.S. in mental health counseling through N.C. A&T’s College of Education and was inducted into Chi Sigma Iota Academic and Professional Honor Society International (CSI) during her time as a graduate student. “Dr. Izzy,” as she is known, is a Licensed Professional Counselor, experienced faculty member and author recognized for her mental health expertise. She received the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Georgia 2024 DEi Executive Director’s Award, NAMI Georgia 2023 Program Leader Award, NAMI Georgia 2022 DEi President’s Award and NAMI Georgia 2021 Outstanding Leader Award, as well as the 2021 Leadership and Advocacy Award from the American Counseling Association (ACA). She is a founding member and former secretary and vice president of ACA of Georgia. Additionally, she was appointed in 2021 by the Newton County (Georgia) Board of Commissioners to serve on the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health Advisory Council, where she continues to serve as the county’s only member. She also received the 2022 One Newton Award during the county’s bicentennial celebration for her service to diverse populations across the county. Georgia Sen. Tonya Anderson presented Izzard with the 2025 Legislative DEi Community Award during Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.’s AKA Day at the state capital.

Reynolds, undergraduate programs director for Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at North Carolina State University, earned an M.S. in industrial engineering and Ph.D. leadership studies from A&T. He served as a graduate intern with the U.S. Embassy Lilongwe, where he was assigned to the political and economic sections. As a graduate researcher at The Carter Center, he worked on political and human rights issues in Malawi and Sudan. He is a distinguished Park Faculty Scholar, subcommittee chair for NCAA Legislation for the Faculty Council on Athletics and past chair of the University Courses & Curriculum Committee. He co-leads summer study abroad programs to Rwanda (Engineering Education) and the United Kingdom (STEM/Liberal Studies), where he developed a structured internship component to further enhance experiential learning. With his selection to the prestigious Fulbright-Hays Program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education, he spent a month in summer 2024 in the Republic of Colombia building sustainable academic partnerships with universities, advancing international collaboration, and expanding access to transformative global learning experiences for undergraduate students.

Ricanek, professor of computer science in the College of Science and Engineering at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, earned a B.S. in electrical engineering with a focus on artificial intelligence and machine learning, M.S. in electrical engineering with a focus on software engineering, and Ph.D. in electrical engineering with a focus on AI and machine learning-computer vision, all from A&T, graduating summa cum laude and holding memberships in multiple engineering and academic honor societies. An internationally recognized leader in AI, machine learning, and computer vision, his pioneering research in facial analytics, biometrics, and health intelligence from facial imagery has produced multiple patents and over 90 peer-reviewed publications. As co-founder and former CEO and chief AI scientist of Lapetus Solutions, he helped deliver breakthrough AI solutions for insurance and financial services. He is director of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Identity Sciences and was founding co-director of the National Intelligence’s first Center of Academic Excellence in Science and Technology. He also is a senior member of both the National Academy of Inventors and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). His career includes prestigious fellowships with NASA, the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, and the National Security Agency.

The Graduate College Strategic Advisory Board, formed during the 2021-22 academic year, established the Hall of Fame in conjunction with The Graduate College to recognize the outstanding alumni of N.C. A&T’s master’s and doctoral programs for their accomplishments. Crystal W. Boyce ‘15 and Siobahn Day Grady ‘18, Ph.D., became the hall’s inaugural members last year. The board chose Izzard, Reynolds and Ricanek as this year’s inductees based on eligibility criteria and a thorough review process.

“Our inductees represent the very best of graduate education – scholars, leaders, innovators and change agents whose work has made a meaningful difference in their professions, their communities, and the world,” said Clay Gloster ’85, ‘88, Ph.D., dean of The Graduate College. “Their journeys remind us that graduate education is not merely a credential but a catalyst for purpose, leadership and lifelong impact."

The university awarded its first graduate degree in 1941 to Woodland Ellroy Hall, who earned an M.S. in agricultural education with his master’s thesis, “A Study of the Needs in Vocational Agricultural Education of Negroes in Gates County, North Carolina.” The University of North Carolina Board of Governors approved A&T’s first doctoral programs – electrical engineering and mechanical engineering – Oct. 1, 1993.

The Graduate College now has more than 10,000 alumni and enrolled more than 2,000 students for the 2025-26 academic year.