Three Women Who Are Stepping Down From High-Level Posts at Major Universities

Melinda O’Neal, professor emerita of music at Dartmouth College, is retiring after 39 years with the college. She taught various courses at Dartmouth on conducting and music theory. Her research focused on the music of Hector Berlioz and historical performance practices. Additionally, she conducted the Handel Society at Dartmouth for 25 years. Upon her retirement, Dr. O’Neal said, “it has been a privilege to make music with amazing students, faculty, and community members.”

Dr. O’Neal holds a bachelor’s degree in choral music from Florida State University, and master’s and doctoral degrees in choral conducting from Indiana University.

Marilyn Sanders Mobley, vice president for inclusion, diversity, and equal opportunity at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, has announced she will step down form her post at the end of this academic year. She has been with the university since 2009 and is the first person to ever hold this position. As vice president, she created a Diversity Leadership Council, a campus-wide education program called Diversity 360, and the Trailblazer Project, which showcases the contributions of Case Western Reserve alumni and leaders of color. After taking a year-long sabbatical, she will return to her full-time faculty position as a tenured professor of English.

Dr. Mobley holds a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University, a master’s degree in English from New York University, and a Ph.D. in English from Case Western Reserve University.

Jane DiFolco Parker, vice president for development at Auburn University and president of the Auburn University Foundation, has announced she will retire at the end of 2019. During her tenure, the university had its most successful fundraising campaign in campus history, which raised more than $1.2 billion dollars. She also oversaw the making of a number of significant gifts which contributed to over 1.2 million square feet of new construction on campus. Additionally, Auburn’s endowment portfolio nearly doubled since she started at the university in 2012.

Parker is a graduate of Georgia State University where she majored in English.