A Dozen Women Who Are Taking on New Administrative Roles in Higher Education

Sarah Weil was named interim Title IX coordinator at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. She joined the staff at the university in 2019 as the deputy Title IX coordinator. Earlier, she was an investigator in the Office of Dispute Resolution at Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona.

Weil is a graduate of the University of Iowa, where she majored in sociology and minored in women’s studies.

Susan Hester was appointed interim vice chancellor for institutional advancement at North Carolina Central University. She joined the staff at the university two decades ago and has served in numerous roles including director of corporate and foundation relations and executive director of the NCCU Foundation.

A native of Durham, North Carolina, Hester received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from North Carolina A&T State University and a master of public health degree in health policy and administration from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Akirah Bradley was named interim vice chancellor of student affairs at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She was associate vice chancellor for student affairs and has been employed by the Division of Student Affairs since 2016.

Dr. Bradley earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Mansfield University in Pennsylvania. She holds a master’s degree in higher education student affairs administration from the University of Vermont and a doctoral degree in educational leadership from the University of California, Davis.

Kim Wheeler was named director of alumni at Lubbock Christian University in Texas. Wheeler began working at Lubbock Christian University in 2014 in the university advancement office as an executive administrator.

Wheeler is a 1998 graduate of Lubbock Christian University.

Meredith E. Davis was appointed associate vice president of student engagement at Syracuse University in New York. She has been serving as the associate dean of students, divisional strategy, inclusion and involvement at Rhodes College in Memphis.

Dr. Davis is a graduate of St. Mary’s College of Maryland, where she majored in sociology. She holds a master’s degree in African American studies from the University of Maryland Baltimore County and a Ph.D. in women’s and gender studies from Rutgers University in New Jersey.

Tammy Ewin is the new vice president of communication and marketing at the University of Akron in Ohio. She was associate vice president for marketing and communications at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh.

Ewin earned both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in communication from the University of Dayton in Ohio.

Linda L. Singh has been named Towson University’s inaugural Leader-in-Residence. The retired adjutant general of the Maryland National Guard started her new role at the university on January 22. In 2015, Dr. Singh became the first woman and African-American adjutant general of the Maryland Military Department.

Dr. Singh is a graduate of Columbia Union College in Takoma Park, Maryland. She holds an MBA from Touro University and a master’s degree in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College. She received a Ph.D. in industrial and organizational psychology through Capella University.

Odalys M. Diaz Piñeiro will be the new chief of staff to the president of Ithaca College in New York, effective April 13. She has been serving as executive director of university advancement at the City University of New York.

Dr. Diaz Piñeiro earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania with a dual major in political science and communications systems and social analysis. She holds master’s and doctoral degrees in education administration from New York University.

Arion Jett-Seals has been hired to serve as the inaugural basic needs coordinator at the University of Kentucky. In this role, she will ensure all students have access to resources that can provide them with basic necessities for well-being on campus, including housing and food security. She was a Family Resource Center coordinator for Fayette County Public Schools.

Jett-Seals earned a bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of Kentucky and a master of social work degree from the University of Louisville.

Amanda Steele-Middleton was appointed registrar at the University of Delaware. She was registrar at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. Earlier in her career, Steele-Middleton has held positions at Meredith College in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Ohio.

Steele-Middleton earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and an MBA, both from Wright State University.

Anita Walton will be the next vice chancellor for university advancement at Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina, effective March 2. Walton has most recently worked as the senior director of diversity and talent management for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, or CASE. Earlier, she was assistant vice chancellor for student affairs at North Carolina Central University.

Walton holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a master’s degree in higher education from North Carolina State University.

Leah Ladley will be the new chief auditor at the University of Oregon,  effective February 26. Ladley comes to the university from Memphis, Tennessee, where she has served as chief audit officer for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Ladley is a certified public accountant. She earned a bachelor’s degree and an MBA at Mississippi College.