Eight Women Appointed to New Administrative Posts in Higher Education

Julie Patterson Forrester was named interim dean of the Dedman School of Law at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Professor Forrester joined the law school’s faculty in 1990 and has served as associate dean of academic affairs. She will begin her new role on June 1 and serve until a new dean is selected.

Professor Forrester holds a bachelor’s degree and a law degree from the University of Texas at Austin.

Tracy E. Boleware was appointed director of the Office of Communications, Public Relations, and Marketing at Tuskegee University in Alabama. She has been serving as vice president for the Black Executive Exchange Program of the National Urban League.

Boleware is a graduate of Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she majored in political science.

Penny Rue was named the new vice president for student life at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She will begin her new job this summer. Currently, she serves as vice chancellor for student affairs at the University of California San Diego. She is the former dean of students at the University of Virginia.

Dr. Rue is a magna cum laude graduate of Duke University. She holds a master’s degree from Ohio State University and a doctorate in counseling and personnel services from the University of Maryland in College Park.

Carli Schiffner was named vice president of instruction at Wenatchee Valley College in Wenatchee, Washington. She will leave her post as interim president of the State University of New York at Canton at the end of July.

Dr. Schiffner is a graduate of Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. She holds a master’s degree from Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, and a Ph.D. in history from Washington State University.

Janine Sherrier was appointed acting deputy dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Delaware. She is a professor of plant and soil sciences at the university with a secondary appointment in biological sciences. Professor Sherrier is also director of research at the Delaware Biotechnology Institute.

Dr. Sherrier is a graduate of Baylor University in Waco, Texas. She earned a Ph.D. at Texas A&M University.

Lucy France is the new legal counsel at the University of Montana, reporting directly to the university’s president. Since 2008 she has served as the director of the university’s equal employment/affirmative action office.

France earned her law degree at the University of Montana and before joining the university she was a partner in a Missoula, Montana, law firm.

Susan Neu was appointed assistant director for special programs at the Virginia Tech Language and Culture Institute. She has taught at the institute since 2000.

A native of California, Neu holds a bachelor’s degree in art history from California State University at Fresno. She earned a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Virginia Tech.

Joni Wadley was named interim director of the Office of Institutional Research at Ohio University in Athens. She has been serving as associate director for academic and student research and has served on the staff of the Office of Institutional Research for the past 10 years.

Dr. Wadley is a graduate of Wilmington College in Ohio. She holds a master’s degree from Union College and an educational doctorate from Ohio State University.