Six Women Who Have Been Appointed to University Administrative Positions

Norma Guzman Duran is the new vice president of instruction and student services at Luna Community College in Las Vegas, New Mexico. She has been serving as the dean of the School of Business and assistant professor at Colorado Mountain College.

Dr. Guzman Duran is s graduate of Texas A&M University, where she majored in biomedical engineering. She holds an MBA from Western Governor’s University and a doctorate in community college leadership from National American University.

Thelma Ford Sojourner is the inaugural community relations liaison at Voorhees University in Denmark, South Carolina. She is the former superintendent of the Denmark-Olar School District in South Carolina. She retired from that post in 2021.

Dr. Sojourner is a graduate of Voorhees University and holds a doctorate from South Carolina State University.

Amy Conger has been named vice provost for global engagement at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, effective October 31. She currently serves as managing director of the University of Michigan’s Center for Global Health Equity. Previously, Dr. Conger was associate vice provost and director of global engagement at the University of Michigan for eight years.

Dr. Conger holds a bachelor’s degree in art and design and a master’s degree in applied English linguistics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She holds a Ph.D. in higher education and public policy from the University of Michigan.

Apryl D. Roberts was appointed director of protocol and special events at Hampton University in Virginia. For the past two decades, she has run her own special events consulting firm.

Roberts is a graduate of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, where she majored in political science and criminal justice.

Paula Smith is the inaugural associate dean of students and director of student rights and responsibilities at the University of New Mexico. She has been serving as acting dean for student wellbeing at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. Earlier, she was the assistant director of residence life and student housing at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.

Smith is a graduate of Eastern Illinois University. She earned a master’s degree in education from Bowling Green State University in Ohio.

Abby Reynolds has been named the assistant vice president for strategy management at Princeton University Facilities. She was the chief operating officer for infrastructure and real estate at Blackrock. Prior to her 25-year career at Blackrock, Reynolds served as the associate director of admission at the Yale University School of Management.

Reynolds holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Yale University and a master’s degree in international affairs from Georgetown University.