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

Cynthia Peterson is the new assistant vice president for admissions at Sweet Briar College in Virginia. She was the vice president for enrollment management for undergraduate and graduate admissions at Piedmont University, a private, liberal arts university in Demorest, Georgia. She is the former director of athletics at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia.

Peterson is a graduate of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, where she played intercollegiate basketball. She earned a master’s degree in education at Auburn University in Alabama.

Micha Winkler Thomas is the new deputy director of Harvard Art Museums. She has been serving as the deputy director for strategy and chief operating officer at The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., where she has worked since 2019. Earlier, she served in various roles at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, the Smithsonian Institution, and the National Gallery of Art.

Winkler Thomas is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University, where she majored in art history. She holds a master’s degree in art history from American University in Washington, D.C.

Gissette Forte was appointed vice president for finance and administration and chief financial officer at Queensborough Community College in New York. Dr. Forte was the assistant vice president for budget and finance at Brooklyn College.

Dr. Forte holds a master’s degree in finance from Baruch College in New York and a master’s degree in management and leadership from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. She earned a doctorate in educational leadership from Edgewood College in Madison, Wisconsin.

Jennifer Cohen was named athletic director at the University of Southern California. Cohen will hold the Charles Griffin Cale Director of Athletics’ Chair. For the past seven years, she has been the director of athletics at the University of Washington. Earlier, Cohen held a variety of roles in intercollegiate athletics administration at Pacific Lutheran University, the University of Puget Sound, and Texas Tech University.

A native of Arcadia, California, Cohen received her bachelor’s degree from San Diego State University and her master’s degree in physical education with an emphasis in sports administration from Pacific Lutheran University.

Juanita W. Hicks has joined the staff at the University of Georgia as the new senior associate vice president for human resources and chief human resources officer. She has been serving as the vice chancellor for human resources for the University System of Georgia. Earlier, she held human resources positions at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of West Georgia.

Dr. Hicks is a graduate of the University of West Georgia, where she majored in management. She holds a master’s degree in human resource development from Clemson University in South Carolina and a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Georgia.

Mallory Neil is the inaugural director of industry partnerships for the College of Science at Clemson University in South Carolina. She was the assistant director of experiential learning for the College of Science at the University of Virginia.

Dr. Neil holds a master’s degree in history from Clemson University. She went on to earn a Ph.D. in history from the University of Houston.

Bettina Mozie has been named executive director of the Center for Online and Distance Education at South Carolina State University. Mozie joined the staff at the university in 2018 as an academic specialist and later served as the training coordinator and eLearning instructional designer for the Center for Online and Distance Education.

Mozie earned a master’s degree in teaching online and distance education from Ashford University.