Colleges and Universities Announce the Appointment of Nine Women to Administrative Positions

Anna Gonzalez has been appointed vice chancellor for student affairs at Washington University in St. Louis, effective July 1. She has been serving as vice president for student affairs and dean of students at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California.

Dr. Gonzalez is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in international business. She holds master’s and doctoral degrees in education from Claremont Graduate University.

Megan Ryan was named vice president for enrollment management at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania. She was interim vice president for enrollment and executive director of admissions and financial aid at Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania.

Ryan is a graduate of Villanova University in Pennsylvania, where she major in communication. She holds a master’s degree in Irish studies from the National University of Ireland and a master of public management degree from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

Cassandra Volpe Horii, the founding director of the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Outreach at the California Institute of Technology, was appointed assistant vice provost at the university. She joined the staff at Caltech in 2012 after serving as dean of the faculty at Curry College in Milton, Massachusetts.

Dr. Horii is a graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder, where she majored in physics. She earned a Ph.D. in atmospheric chemistry from Harvard University.

Josie Hoover was appointed compliance officer and Title IX coordinator at the University of the District of Columbia. She was the director of human resources at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Hoover is a graduate of the University of Louisville, where she majored in criminal justice. She holds a master of divinity degree and a doctor of ministry, arts & theology degree from Wesley Theological Seminary.

Kathy R. Pharr was named vice president for marketing and communications at the University of Georgia. Dr. Pharr is chief of staff in the Office of the President and has served as interim vice president for marketing and communications since July 1, 2020. Dr. Pharr began her career at the university in 1993 as the director of communications and public relations in the School of Law.

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

DeAnna Cassat was appointed vice president of finance and administration and chief financial officer at East Central College in Union, Missouri. She was director of accounting at NOA Medical Industries Inc. in Washington, Missouri.

Cassat is a graduate of the University of Missouri, where she received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting.

Jacqueline Gill Powell was named special assistant to the chancellor of Virginia’s Community Colleges. For the past two years, she has served as president of Danville Community College in Virginia. Earlier, she was the president of Metropolitan Community College in Kansas City, Missouri.

Dr. Gill earned bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from Texas A&M University. She also holds a master’s degree from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Gorane Stormoen has taken on the role of executive director of the Office of Continuous Improvement in the division of University Financial Services at Boise State University in Idaho. She joined the staff at the university in 2019 after a 20-year career at Micron Technology Inc.

Stormoen earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Boise State University in 1997.

Lisa Frace is the inaugural senior vice president and chief financial officer at Michigan State University. She has been serving as the senior associate vice chancellor and chief finance and budget officer at the University of California, Davis.

Frace earned a bachelor’s degree in health planning and administration and an MBA with concentrations in marketing and finance from Pennsylvania State University.