Eight Women Leaders Appointed to Administrative Posts

Melissa Smiley has been named chief of staff and university relations officer at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. She most recently served as chief of staff at WorkMoney, a nonprofit dedicated to lowering costs and raising incomes for all Americans.

Dr. Smiley received her bachelor’s degree from Bryn Mawr College, a women’s school in Pennsylvania. She holds a master’s degree in public health, a second master’s degree in urban planning, and a Ph.D. in epidemiological science from the University of Michigan.

Lisa Maria L. Ferrell has been named associate vice chancellor for university communications and marketing for North Carolina State University. She most recently served as global senior executive in marketing for Lenovo. She previously worked for the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill as a marketing executive.

Ferrell is a graduate of Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia where she majored in business administration with a minor in Italian and a concentration in marketing.

Shani L. Crayton has been named interim executive director of strategic communications and marketing at Alabama State University, her alma mater. Prior to her new appointment, she served as the university’s director of brand and marketing.

Crayton received her bachelor’s degree in communications and a master’s degree in education from Alabama State University.

Jessica Brown has been elected Womxn in Student Affairs Knowledge Community Co-Chair-Elect for the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. She is the director of student activities and leadership development at Alabama A&M University.

Dr. Brown is a graduate of Stillman College in Alabama where she majored in psychology. She holds a master’s degree in higher education administration from the University of South Alabama and a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Naomi D. Nixon has been appointed associate dean for development for the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine at Florida International University where she will lead the college’s fundraising, donor stewardship, and alumni engagement. Her background in higher education includes 16 years at the University of Miami as the associate vice president for strategic philanthropy.

Nixon holds a bachelor’s degree from Tufts University in Massachusetts and a juris doctorate from George Washington University in the District of Columbia.

Kimberly Shiner has been appointed interim vice president for university advancement at California State University Fullerton. She most recently served as vice president for college advancement and communications at Pitzer College in Claremont, California.

Shiner earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism and her master’s degree in public administration from California State University Northridge.

Genita Mangum has been appointed registrar of Delaware State University. She has served as registrar for Harrisburg Area Community College in Pennsylvania for the past nine years.

Dr. Mangum graduated from Tunxis Community College in Connecticut with two associate degrees in criminal justice and general studies, respectively. She holds a bachelor’s degree in criminology from Central Connecticut State University, a master’s degree in education and community counseling from Saint Joseph College in Connecticut, and a doctorate in community college policy and administration from the University of Maryland Global Campus.

The University of Pennsylvania has named Marie Harf executive director of Perry World House, a university center that focuses on pressing global issues. She most recently served as executive director of external relations and marketing for the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in the District of Columbia

Harf graduated from Indiana University Bloomington where she majored in political science with concentrations in Jewish Studies and Russian and Eastern European studies. She holds a master’s degree in foreign affairs from the University of Virginia.