Nine Women Who Have Been Appointed to Administrative Posts in Higher Education

Kelly P. Doney will be the next as chief information officer at Villanova University in suburban Philadelphia. She will take office on February 3. Doney most recently served as a vice president at Ellucian, a global market leader in higher education technology. Prior to joining Ellucian, Doney was associate vice president for enterprise applications at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

Doney is a graduate of Ithaca College in New York, where she double majored in music and psychology. She earned a master’s degree in experimental psychology at Syracuse University in New York.

Kimberly M. Scott is the new vice president for student affairs at Tuskegee University in Alabama. She was vice-chancellor for student affairs and enrollment management at Southern University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Dr. Scott holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and sociology from Ashland College in Ohio. She earned a master’s degree in educational administration from the University of Akron in Ohio and a Ph.D. in higher education from Ohio University.

Elizabeth Titus was appointed senior administrator in the Provost’s Office at New Mexico State Univerity. Since 2000, she has been dean of the library at the university.

Dr. Titus earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Michigan State University-Oakland. She holds a master’s degree in library science from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in urban planning from Wayne State University in Detroit. Dr. Titus earned a  Ph.D. in political science from Northern Illinois University.

Gloria Walker was named the vice president for business affairs and chief financial officer at the University of New Orleans. She was vice president of finance and administration at Cowley College in Arkansas City, Kansas. Earlier, Dr. Walker was executive vice president and chief operating officer at Texas Southern University in Houston.

Dr. Walker has a bachelor’s degree in business administration in accounting from the University of Houston. She holds an MBA in finance from the University of St. Thomas and an educational doctorate from Northeastern University in Boston.

Marie Schultz was promoted to associate vice chancellor for development at the University of California, Riverside. She was an assistant vice chancellor for development.

Schultz is a graduate of the University of California, Riverside. She earned an MBA at the University of Redlands in California.

Sonya Williams is the new vice president of education and chief academic officer at Lake County College in Grayslake, Illinois. She was dean of the arts and sciences division at Joliet Junior College in Illinois. Earlier, Dr. Williams was dean of the chemistry and biological sciences division at Oklahoma City Community College.

Dr. Williams holds a bachelor’s degree in zoology and a Ph.D. in anatomical sciences and cell biology/neurosciences, both from the University of Oklahoma.

Ginger Ostro was named executive director of the Illinois Board of Higher Education. She will take office on February 1. She has been serving as interim chief financial officer and vice president of financial operations at Chicago State University.

Ostro is a graduate of the University of Chicago. She earned a master of public policy degree in health and human services from Harvard University.

Nicole R. Stokes was appointed associate provost for diversity, equity, and inclusion at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. She most recently served as associate vice president for institutional effectiveness and diversity at Holy Family University in Philadelphia and has also been employed at Quinnipiac University in Hamden Connecticut, the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, and Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York.

Dr. Stokes holds bachelor’s degrees in sociology and journalism, along with a master’s degree in sociology and a master’s degree in professional studies in multicultural education from the State University of New York College at New Paltz. She earned a Ph.D. in sociology and public policy at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Lisa Sweany was appointed interim director of athletics at Georgia Southern University. Since 2017, Sweeny has been a deputy athletics director at the university. Earlier, she was athletics director at Armstrong State University, which merged with Georgia Southern Univerity in 2017.

Sweany holds a master’s degree in physical education with a concentration in sports management from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, and a bachelor’s degree with honors in business administration with a concentration in accounting from Tri-State University in Angola, Indiana.