New Administrative Appointments for Seven Women in Higher Education

Elizabeth Hirst, chief of staff for the president of Florida State Univerity, will add associate vice president for university relations to her responsibilities. In her new role, Hirst will oversee the Office of University Communications. She joined the staff at the university in 2015. Earlier in her career, she was the press secretary for Jeb Bush when he was governor of Florida.

Hirst is a graduate of Florida State Univerity, where she majored in communications.

April R. Clark has been named associate vice president for institutional advancement at Talladega College in Alabama. She previously served as director of development for St. Augustine’s University in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Clark earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communications/public relations at Saint Augustine’s University. She holds a master’s degree in tourism administration from George Washington University.

Susan Davies is the new associate dean of research for the Tulane University School of Social Work in New Orleans. She was the director of the Prevention Research Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, which focuses on reducing health risks among underserved populations in Alabama.

Dr. Davies is a graduate of Florida State University, where she majored in health education. She earned a master’s degree in health education from George Mason Univerity in Fairfax, Virginia, and a Ph.D. in health education and promotion from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Leslie M. Corey was named interim chief human resources officer at Mississippi State University. Corey has served since 2006 as senior human resources generalist and more recently as deputy director for human resources management.

Corey earned a master’s degree in public policy and administration at Mississippi State University.

Qiana N. Wilson has been named the new director of the Equal Opportunity Office at the University of Georgia. For the past five years, she has served as general counsel at Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville.

Wilson is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University, where she majored in biology. She holds a master’s degree in law and a juris doctorate from the University of Arkansas.

Citrus Community College in Glendora, California appointed Joumana McGowan as vice president of academic affairs. Most recently, she served as the associate vice president of instructional services for six years at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, California.

Dr. McGowan holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and an MBA from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. She holds a doctorate in community college leadership from the University of Southern California.

Mary Garcia was named interim chief of police at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Garcia has 23 years of law enforcement experience and has been at the University of California, Santa Cruz since 2019. She is a co-instructor for the university’s Police Department Community Police Academy.

Garcia is a first-generation college student and holds a bachelor’s degree and two master’s degrees.