Eleven Women Who Have Been Appointed to Administrative Positions in Higher Education

Patty Franklin was named chief of staff to the president of Cleveland State University in Ohio. She was associate vice president for human resource operations at Pennsylvania State University. Earlier, she was a senior policy advisor to the president and then chief of staff and senior director of administration for the Office of Human Resources at the University of Minnesota.

Franklin is a graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where she majored in political science. She holds a juris doctorate from Cleveland State University.

Stephanie Foster was appointed director of assessment at Colorado State University. The director of assessment’s purpose is to ensure the university takes responsibility for the quality of its educational programs and learning environments with a focus on continuous improvement. She was the director of assessment in the Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Dr. Foster holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Oregon State University She earned a second master’s degree in higher education at the University of Arizona and a Ph.D. in higher education from the University of Georgia.

Melissa Sinclair was named assistant vice chancellor for major gifts in the Division of University Advancement at the University of North Carolina at Willmington. Since 2019, she has been director of development for major gifts in the College of Health & Human Services at the university.

A native of Wilmington, Sinclair earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and criminal justice at the University of North Carolina at Willmington.

Shana Lassiter was appointed assistant vice provost for faculty advancement at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. She was assistant dean for academic programs and student affairs at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke. Earlier, she spent six years as an assistant provost for faculty advancement at Columbia University in New York City.

Dr. Lassiter received a bachelor’s degree in psychobiology from Binghamton University in New York. She earned a master’s degree in clinical and community psychology from Georgia State University and a doctorate in health education from Columbia University’s Teachers College.

Penny Hawkins is the new interim associate vice chancellor for development at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Prior to joining the university, Hawkins was a senior consultant for PMA Nonprofit Leadership.

Hawkins is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Mame Ndiaye was promoted to assistant director of the Office of New Student and Transition Programs at Ithaca College in New York. She was a residence director in Offices of Residence Life and Student Conduct and Community Standards at the college.

Ndiaye is a graduate of the State University of New York at Cortland. She earned a master’s degree in global development from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University.

Britney Smith is the new executive director of marketing and communications at Fort Valley State University in Georgia. She was the assistant director of publications and strategic events at Florida A&M University.

Smith holds a bachelor’s degree in management and an MBA with a concentration in marketing from Florida A&M University.

Winnie Dowling was promoted to director of the Nevada Small Business Development Center at the University of Nevada Reno. She has served as deputy director for 20 years.

Dowling holds a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems and an MBA from the University of Nevada.

Jasmine Young was named director of the Warner Music/Blavatnik Center for Music & Entertainment Business at Howard University in Washington, D.C. She is the former vice president of marketing/operations for the North Star Group and marketing consultant for the Ascena Corporation.

Young is a graduate of Howard University, where she majored in communication. She earned an MBA at Felician University in Rutherford, New Jersey.

Katie Wilkinson has been appointed vice provost of data analytics for the University of Missouri and chief data officer for the University of Missouri System. She has led data management operations at University of Missouri Health Care for the last seven years.

Dr. Wilkinson earned a doctorate in biomedical informatics, a master’s degree in political science, and bachelor’s degrees in political science and mathematics.

Phanalphie Rhue is the new chief global communications and experience officer at Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina. For the past five years, she has been serving as a district manager for U.S. Representative Alma Adams.

Rhue earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.