A Dozen Women in New Administrative Posts at American Colleges and Universities

Mary Lou Ortiz was named the university budget officer at Pennsylvania State University. She was vice chancellor for finance and administration at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Earlier in her career, Ortiz was director for finance and resource administration at Princeton University and director of planning and financial administration at Columbia University.

Ortiz holds a bachelor’s degree, an MBA, and a master of public administration degree, all from Columbia University.

Sarah Craig was named director of summer programs for Continuing and Professional Education at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She is the former founding director of non-degree programs at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts.

Craig is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts, where she majored in religion. She holds a master’s degree in integrative learning from Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts.

Erin Newmeyer was appointed director of communications and marketing for the Office of Strategic Initiatives at West Virginia University. She joined the staff at the university in 2016.

Newmeyer is a 2008 graduate of West Virginia University, where she majored in journalism and public relations.

Catherine Serrin Niekro was named vice president for institutional advancement at Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, North Carolina. She has been serving as associate vice president for advancement and director of special projects at Davidson College in North Carolina. Earlier in her career, Niekro was vice president for marketing and communications for the University of Michigan Alumni Association.

Niekro is a graduate of the University of Michigan, where she majored in sports management and communications. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and an MBA from Central Michigan University.

Danita Brown-Young was recently appointed the vice chancellor of student affairs at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Brown-Young previously served as vice provost of student affairs and dean of students at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

Dr. Brown-Young received her bachelor’s degree from Kent State University in Ohio, a master’s degree in community counseling from Loyola University in Chicago, and Ph.D. in higher education from Ohio University.

Leann Horsley was appointed assistant dean of the College of Nursing at South Dakota State University. She was an assistant professor at the School of Nursing at Loyola University, Chicago.

Dr. Horsley holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Oklahoma and a doctorate from the University of Kansas.

Susie Brubaker-Cole was named vice provost for student affairs at Stanford University in California. She was vice provost for student affairs at Oregon State University in Corvallis. From 2005 to 2008, Dr. Brubaker-Cole was associate vice provost for undergraduate education at Stanford.

Dr. Brubaker-Cole is a graduate of the University of Washington, where she majored in French and comparative history. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in French literature from Yale University.

Crystal A. deGregory was named the sole preferred candidate to direct the new Atwood Institute for Race, Education, and the Democratic Ideal at Kentucky State University. Dr. deGregory is the founder and executive editor of HBCUstory.

Dr. deGregory is a graduate of Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. She earned a master’s degree in education at Tennessee State University and a second master’s degree and a Ph.D. in history from Vanderbilt University in Nashville.

Maggie Burkhart Evans is the new associate vice president for campus living and director of residence life at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. She was executive assistant to the president at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Evans served on the staff at James Madison University for 27 years.

Evans is graduate of Bowling Green State University in Ohio, where she majored in communication and graphic design. She earned a master’s degree in educational policy and leadership at Ohio State University.

Maria de Lourdes Dieck-Assad was named vice president for hemispheric and global affairs at the University of Miami in Florida. She has been serving as a distinguished professor of economics at the Monterrey Institute of Technology in Mexico. Dr. Dieck-Assad is Mexico’s former ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg.

Dr. Dieck-Assadis a graduate of the Monterrey Institute of Technology. She holds a master’s degree in economics from Vanderbilt University in Nashville and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Texas at Austin.

Jenae Jones was named director of athletic communication at the Mississippi University for Women in Columbus. She was the assistant director of sports information at Jackson State University in Mississippi.

Jones is a 2011 graduate of Tougaloo College in Mississippi.

Amber WIddowson is the new assistant director for registered student organizations for the Office of Student Activities at the University of Arkansas. She was program coordinator for registered student organizations.

Widdowson holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in education from the University of Arkansas.