New Administrative Positions in Higher Education for 11 Women

Jocelyn Evans was appointed associate dean of the newly formed College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities at the University of West Florida in Pensacola. She is a professor of political science at the university and has served as chair of the department of government. She will begin her new post on January 2.

Dr. Evans joined the faculty at the university in 2003. She is a graduate of Berry College in Georgia and holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Oklahoma.

Alison Bell was named the director of the Degree Completion Office at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). She was general manager for operations in Indiana for Western Governors University. From 2001 to 2007, Bell served as assistant director of career counseling services at IUPUI.

Bell is graduate of Indiana University, where she majored in psychology. She holds a master’s degree in student personnel administration from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.

Brenda L. Johnson was appointed library director and university librarian at the University of Chicago. Since 2010, she has been serving as the Ruth Lilly Dean of University libraries at Indiana University in Bloomington.

Previously, Johnson was the University Librarian at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Earlier, she spent more than 20 years at the University of Michigan, where she served as Associate University Librarian for Public Services. She will begin her new duties on January 1.

Wanda Raby Spurlock was named vice president of the National Gerontological Nursing Association. Dr. Spurlock is an associate professor in the College of Nursing and Allied Health at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Dr. Spurlock is a graduate of Our Lady of the Lake School of Nursing in Baton Rouge and holds a doctor of nursing science degree from the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center.

Sarah Shupenus is the new vice president for enrollment and marketing at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois. She has been on the staff at the university since 1997 and has served as interim vice president since February 2013.

Shupenus is a graduate of Xavier University in Cincinnati, where she majored in English. She holds a master’s degree in rhetoric and composition from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.

Pamela Beemer was promoted to vice president for human resources at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Since 2007 she has served as an associate vice president. Previously, Beemer was assistant vice president for human resources at Michigan State University.

Beemer holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and employment relations and a master’s degree in labor relations and human resources, both from Michigan State University.

Olivia S. Goodheart was named director of public relations at Jackson State University in Mississippi. She has had a 20-year career as a marketing and communications professional. Earlier in her career, she was an instructor in the mass communications department at Jackson State and was director of the journalism program at Tougaloo College in Mississippi.

Goodheart is a graduate of Jackson State University and holds a master’s degree in journalism from Ohio State University.

Barbara Ann Gill is the inaugural associate vice president of enrollment management at the University of Maryland-College Park.  She has served on the staff at the university since 1981. For the past decade, Gill has been director of undergraduate admissions and assistant vice president for undergraduate admissions and enrollment planning.

Gill is a graduate of the University of Maryland-College Park.

Helen Hartnett is the new associate director of the School of Social Work at West Virginia University in Morgantown. She has been serving as director of the master of social work degree program and will continue in that role. Dr. Harnett has been on the university’s faculty since 2007.

Dr. Harnett holds master’s and doctorate degrees in social work from Ohio State University.

Sharon Beales was appointed vice president for institutional advancement at Northampton Community College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. She was vice president for development and external relations at Montgomery Community College in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania.

Beales holds a bachelor’s degree in urban planning with a minor in museum studies from Rutgers University in New Jersey.

Ling Gao LeBeau was appointed director of the Office of International Programs at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina. She was the associate director at the School of Global and International Studies at Indiana University in Bloomington.

LeBeau is a graduate of Southwest China Normal University, where she majored in foreign language and literature. She holds a master’s degree in language education and is working on completing a doctorate in higher education at Indiana University.