Five Women Who Have Been Hired to Administrative Positions at Colleges and Universities

Karah L. Gunther has been named vice president of external affairs and health policy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Gunther previously served as executive director of government relations and health policy. She began her career at the university in November 2011 as senior health policy analyst for the VCU Office of Health Innovation.

Gunther received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and a master’s degree in health administration from Virginia Commonwealth University. She holds a juris doctorate from Washington and Lee University School of Law in Lexington, Virginia.

Laura Colson was named vice president for academic affairs at Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina. She has been serving as associate vice president for academic affairs at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte. She has been on the staff there since 2005.

Dr. Colson earned a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She holds a master’s degree in curriculum and supervision from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a doctorate in curriculum and instruction from Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, North Carolina.

Olga Weider has been selected to serve as assistant vice president and university controller at the University of Florida. She is the first woman to hold the position. Weider joined the University Finance and Accounting division in 2017 as an assistant controller.

Weider earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Florida and is currently pursuing an MBA through Louisiana State University.

Marie Williams has been appointed vice president for human resources at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, effective July 12. A native of England, Williams comes to Brown from North Carolina State University, where she has served as associate vice chancellor for human resources since 2016. Earlier, she was associate vice president for human resources and administrative services at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.

Williams earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and enterprise from what is now Birmingham City University in England. She holds a master’s degree in business administration from Georgia Southern University.

Jamie Boggs is the new vice president of athletics at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona. Since 2019, she has served as interim director of athletics at the university.

Boggs grew up in Phoenix, went to college at the University of San Diego, and earned a law degree from the University of Arizona.