James Black, Senior Academic Professional in the Office of Graduate Education, has been promoted to Executive Director of Graduate Student Success. In his new role, he provides strategic leadership for initiatives that enhance the graduate student experience and oversees a portfolio of services supporting the Institute’s nearly 34,000 master’s and doctoral students. These services include Institute-level orientation and onboarding, graduate student hiring, fellowship administration, thesis and dissertation processing, and the new graduate advising platform Navigate360. 

Black brings more than a decade of progressive leadership experience within the Office of Graduate Education, where he has advanced through several key roles since joining the office in 2015. Most recently, he served as Director of Student and Academic Affairs and previously held positions as the Assistant Director of Strategic Initiatives and Grad Life (2020 - 2022) and Special Projects Coordinator (2015-2020). His time in OGE reflects a deep institutional knowledge and a proven commitment to strengthening graduate education at Georgia Tech in partnership with graduate programs, faculty, and students. 

Black is a recognized advocate for graduate student success and has received multiple honors and awards for his leadership and service, including the Graduate Student Government Association (SGA) Administrator of the Year Award (2023) and the Graduate SGA Friend of the Graduate Student Award (2016). He served as president of the Georgia Council of Graduate Schools for the 2024-2025 term and remains actively engaged in faculty governance by currently representing the Services and Central Administration in the Academic Faculty Senate.

Black is the founder of GT6000, Georgia Tech’s small group, peer-led extended orientation program for first-year graduate students. As of fall 2025, GT6000 has supported over 3,500 graduate students in building community, accessing resources, and navigating their transition into graduate studies at Tech. The impactful, innovative approach of GT6000 to support the graduate student experience earned national recognition, receiving the 2025 "Promising Practices in Graduate and Professional Student Services Award” from the NASPA Administrators in Graduate and Professional Student Services (AGAPPS) Knowledge Community.

Black completed his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech, researching a novel droplet levitation technique utilizing a fluid property called thermocapillarity. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Florida State University.