Nine Women Who Have Been Appointed to New Administrative Positions in Higher Education

Mary E. “Beth”  Palmer is the inaugural assistant vice chancellor for holistic education and career development at Louisiana State University Alexandria. In this post, Dr. Palmer will focus on wraparound support for students during their academic experience and building partnerships with local businesses for internships and on-the-job training.

Dr. Palmer is a graduate of what is now Louisiana Christian University. She holds an MBA and a Ph.D. in business and sport management from Texas Woman’s University. She also earned a master’s degree in education from North Texas State University.

Madeline Brown was named interim associate director of the Center for Academic Excellence at North Carolina A&T State University. Brown, who joined N.C. A&T in August 2019, has served as an academic advisor and lecturer in the Center for Academic Excellence.

Brown holds a bachelor’s degree in Spanish studies from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan, and a master’s degree in human behavior and organizational psychology from Kean University in Union, New Jersey.

Kristen Buoy will be the new vice president of academic affairs at West Georgia Technical College in LaGrange, Georgia. She was most recently the dean of health sciences at Gwinnett Technical College in Georgia.

Buoy is a graduate of Gwinnett Technical College and Oglethorpe University in Atlanta. She later earned a master’s degree in workforce education from the University of Georgia.

Birma Gaino was appointed director of Counseling and Psychological Services at Clemson University in South Carolina. She has been interim director since March 2021. She served as assistant director from 2015 to 2021.

Dr. Gaino earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Clemson in 1995. She added master’s degrees in professional communication in 2001 and counselor education in 2003 from Clemson University. She earned a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia in counseling psychology.

Chris Fowler was promoted to director of The Women’s Center at Ohio University. She was the interim director of the Office of Multicultural Success and Retention at the university. Earlier in her career, Dr. Fowler was the assistant director and then interim director at Iowa State University’s Margaret Sloss Women’s Center.

Dr. Fowler holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Dubuque in Iowa. She earned a master’s degree in counselor education from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, and a doctoral degree in higher education from Ohio University.

Courtney Cadore was appointed assistant to the athletic director at Dillard University in New Orleans. She is the head cheerleading coach at the university and has been a cheerleader for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League.

Cadore holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in sports management from Florida A&M University.

Virginia R. Painter has been appointed chief of staff to the president of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Since 2014, she has been serving as senior vice president for communications and marketing.

Painter holds a bachelor’s degree in public relations from Marshall University. She earned an MBA from the University of Charleston in West Virginia.

Rosemonde Pierre-Louis was promoted to executive director of the McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research at New York University. She has been serving as chief operating officer. From 2014-2016, she served as the senior adviser to the New York City Commission on Gender Equity and earlier was commissioner of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence.

Pierre-Louis completed her undergraduate studies in political science at Tufts University. She earned a juris doctorate at Case Western University in Cleveland.

Clare Shinnerl will be the next vice chancellor of finance, operations, and administration at the University of California, Davis, effective August 15. She has been serving as senior associate vice chancellor of campus life services at the University of California, San Francisco.

Dr. Shinnerl earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of California, San Diego. She holds an MBA from the University of Redlands and a doctorate in higher education management from the University of Pennsylvania.