New Administrative Roles for Eight Women at Colleges and Universities

Robin Jones was named executive director for organizational effectiveness in the Office of Student Affairs at Virginia Tech. She was assistant to the vice president for administration, operations, and assessment at Humboldt State University in Arcata, California.

Dr. Jones is a graduate of the University of North Georgia in Dahlonega, where she majored in sociology. She earned an educational doctorate at the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa.

Joi Cunningham was promoted to assistant vice president for human resources at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. She joined the staff at the university in 2003 and is the former director of the Office of Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives.

Cunningham is a graduate of Wellesley College in Massachusetts, where she majored in political science. She holds a juris doctorate from the Boston College Law School.

Meredith N. Brunen was appointed vice president of university advancement at the University of West Florida in Pensacola. She had served as executive director of development for Northwest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville.

Dr. Brunen holds a bachelor’s degree in Middle East studies, a master’s degree in education, and an educational doctorate, all from the University of Arkansas.

Jinliu Wang was appointed vice chancellor of research and economic for the State University of New York System, effective January 1. She has been serving as assistant director for engineering at the National Science Foundation.

Dr. Wang earned a Ph.D. in materials science and engineering at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

Brooke Beasley was named assistant director of athletics at the Mississippi University for Women. She was a compliance specialist at Wallace State Community College in Hanceville, Alabama.

Beasley is a graduate of Alabama State University, where she played volleyball.

Taffye Benson Clayton is the inaugural vice president for inclusion and diversity at Auburn University in Alabama. She will also serve as associate provost. Dr. Clayton was associate vice chancellor and chief diversity officer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Dr. Clayton is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she majored in speech communication. She holds a master’s degree in arts administration from American University in Washington, D.C., and an educational doctorate from East Carolina University.

Hannah S. Ross was named general counsel at Middlebury College in Vermont. Since 2003, she has served as university counsel at Princeton University in New Jersey.

Ross is a graduate of Yale University, where she majored in English. She earned her law degree at Harvard University.

LaMonaca Wisdom is the new director of graduate student advising and engagement for the humanities at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. She is the former executive director of the Institute for the Arts and Humanities at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Dr. Wisdom is a graduate of the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in Victorian literature from Indiana University.