Ten Women Who Have Been Appointed to New Administrative Posts at Colleges and Universities

Jeanine Gordon, an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, is the inaugural special assistant to the president for Native American outreach at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington. Since March 2002, she has been a member of the Whitman College Council for Collaboration with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.

Gordon holds an MBA from the University of Phoenix.

Katherine O’Dair was named chief of staff for the president of Harvard University. She has been serving as University Marshall and will continue in the role. Prior to her appointment as University Marshal, Dr. O’Dair served as dean of students since her arrival at Harvard in 2016.

Dr. O’Dair is a graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where she majored in communication. She holds a master’s degree in higher education counseling from Northeastern University in Boston and a Ph.D. in higher education administration from Boston College.

Tourea B. Robinson is the new vice president for institutional advancement, development, marketing, and communications at Edward Waters University in Jacksonville, Florida. She is the former director of donor relations and special events at Florida State College in Jacksonville.

Robinson earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from Savannah State University in Georgia. She holds an MBA with a concentration in public administration and is currently pursuing a doctor of management degree in organizational leadership from the University of Phoenix.

Deborah Korth was named assistant dean of student success for the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas. Dr. Korth has been with the university for more than 19 years, and additionally currently serves as the Provost’s Faculty Fellow for the General Education Learning Outcomes Assessment Project.

Dr. Korth is a graduate of the University of Nebraska, where she majored in mathematics teaching. She earned a master’s degree in secondary mathematics education from North Carolina State University and a doctorate in higher education from the University of Arkansas.

Katherine Perez is the new chief of the Georgetown University Police Department. She is the first woman to hold the position. During 20 years in the Hartford, Connecticut, Police Department, she rose to the rank of captain before becoming the first chief of police of the Bowie Police Department in Maryland. Most recently, Perez was the assistant chief of police for the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors at their Washington, D.C. headquarters.

Perez holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in public administration from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.

Rosalyn Metz, associate university librarian for the library technology and digital strategies department for Emory Libraries, will assume the inaugural role of chief technology officer, libraries and museum, and associate university librarian for digital strategies, effective June 1. Metz joined Emory University in March 2016. Previously, she was the operations manager for the Stanford Digital Repository at Stanford University in California.

Metz earned a bachelor’s degree in political science at George Washington University. She holds a master of library and information sciences degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Yvonne Harris was named vice president of the Division of Research and Innovation Partnerships at Northern Illinois University. She has been serving as associate vice president of research, innovation, and economic development at California State University, Sacramento.

Dr. Harris earned a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree, and a Ph.D. in molecular and cellular radiation biology from Northern Illinois University.

Kandy Ferree was appointed senior vice president in the Office of Institutional Advancement at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta. She is the founder and president of 360 Strategy Group, where she was a consultant and strategic advisor to foundations, corporations, and nonprofits in the areas of strategic planning, resource development, public-private partnerships, and board development.

Ferree holds a bachelor’s degree in family studies with a minor in gerontology, from Messiah College in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. She holds a master’s degree in community psychology from Pennsylvania State University.

Beth Venn was named executive director of Neltje Center for Excellence in Creativity and the Arts at the University of Wyoming, effective June 1. Most recently, she served as the founding executive director of KinoSaito, a multidisciplinary art center and artist residency program in New York.

A native of northern Illinois, Venn received her bachelor’s degree in art history at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. She holds a master’s degree in art history from the University of Delaware.

Marcia Pecot is the new director of alumni relations at Xavier University in New Orleans. She previously held positions at Morehouse School of Medicine and Emory University, both in Atlanta.

A 1996 graduate of Xavier University, Dr. Pecot holds a master’s degree from Georgia State University and a doctorate in education from Northeastern University in Boston.