New Administrative Positions for Women at Seven Universities

Anna Spain Bradley has been named the new vice chancellor for equity, diversity, and inclusion at the University of California, Los Angeles, effective September 1. Since 2017, she has been assistant vice provost for faculty development and diversity at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Earlier in her career, Bradley served as deputy director of the UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations.

Bradley holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies at Denison University in Granville, Ohio. She earned a juris doctorate at Harvard Law School.

Kathy R. Pharr will assume the dual responsibility of chief of staff of the President’s Office and interim vice president for marketing and communications at the University of Georgia. She has been on the staff at the university for 27 years serving most recently as chief of staff and associate vice president for institutional affairs.

Dr. Pharr holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism, a master of public administration degree, and an educational doctorate, all from the University of Georgia.

Valerie Fields was appointed interim vice president of student affairs at the University of Louisiana-Monroe. Dr. Fields served as director of student development at the University of Louisiana at Monroe from 1996 to 2003. She was then appointed assistant dean for student life and leadership.

Dr. Fields is a graduate of Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she majored in early childhood and elementary education. She holds a master’s degree in education from the University of Louisiana-Monroe and an educational doctorate from Louisiana Tech.

Dawn Turton is the new chief of staff in the Office of the Chancellor at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. She was associate provost for academic planning and operations at the university. Earlier, she served as assistant provost for faculty and institutional accreditation and then senior assistant provost for faculty and strategic affairs at the university.

A native of the United Kingdom, Turton holds a master’s degree in applied linguistics from Ohio University and a Ph.D. in education from the University of Southern California.

Maura Donahue was appointed vice president for finance and administration and treasurer at Ohio Wesleyan University. Dr. Donahue had been serving as associate dean for finance and administration at the University of Dayton’s College of Arts and Sciences. She had been on the staff at the University of Dayton for 22 years.

Dr. Donahue holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and a master’s degree in theological studies from the University of Dayton. She earned an MBA and a doctorate in finance at the University of Cincinnati.

Marita Gilbert was named the associate dean of diversity and campus inclusion at the College of Osteopathic Medicine at Michigan State University.

A native of New Orleans, Dr. Gilbert earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from Auburn University in Alabama and a Ph.D. in kinesiology with concentrations in the sociology of sport and college teaching and learning from Michigan State University.

Nicolle Wood is the new director of athletics at Salem State University in Massachusetts. She joined the athletics department at the university in 2007 and has served as women’s soccer coach, coordinator for student-athlete affairs; assistant director of athletics; associate director of athletics; and most recently, interim director of athletics.

Wood is a graduate of Salem State University, where she majored in sport and movement science.