Eight Women Taking on New Administrative Positions in Higher Education

Carol Strohecker was named vice provost for academic affairs at the Rhode Island School of Design. From 2006 to 2013, she was the director of the Center for Design Innovation of the University of North Carolina system.

Dr. Strohecker holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in media arts and sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Brenda Malone was named interim director of the Equal Opportunity/ADA Office at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Since 2007, she has served as vice chancellor for human resources at the university. Previously, she was vice chancellor for faculty and staff relations at the City University of New York.

Malone is a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Hofstra University School of Law.

Beth Raffeld was appointed vice president for development at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. She was executive director of philanthropic partnerships at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Previously, she was senior vice president for development at the Boston Museum of Science.

Raffeld is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts.

Kate Walker was named vice president of finance and treasurer at Grinnell College in Iowa. She was the assistant vice president for finance at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Walker is a graduate of St. Mary’s University of Minnesota. She holds an MBA from the University of Minnesota.

Danielle Rice was named director of the museum leadership graduate degree program at Drexel University in Philadelphia. Since 2005, she has been serving as executive director of the Delaware Art Museum.

Dr. Rice is a graduate of Wellesley College and holds a Ph.D. in art history from Yale University.

Christina V. Tran is the new director of the veterinary technology program at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. She previously served on the faculty of Portland Community College in Oregon.

Dr. Tran holds bachelor’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Illinois.

Maria Keri was appointed director of business affairs at Clermont College of the University of Cincinnati. She has been working for the university’s College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Previously, she was a financial administrator at Chatfield College in Saint Martin, Ohio.

Keri is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati and is working toward an MBA at the university.

Dawn Thompson was named interim vice president for student life at the University of Delaware. Since 2009, she has served as associate vice president for student life and dean of students at the university. She is the former executive director of housing and residence life at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Thompson is a graduate of Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, and holds a master’s degree from Ohio State University.