New Administrative Appointments for Ten Women in Higher Education

Jasmin Patel has been named vice president of strategy in the new Office of Strategy & Innovation at Boston University. She most recently served as associate vice president for research and chief of staff to the vice president for research and partnerships at St. Louis University in Missouri.

Patel holds a bachelor’s degree in speech and hearing science from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

Michelle Goncalves has been promoted to chief of staff at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She has been with the university for nearly two decades. She has been serving as deputy chief of staff and executive director of the UMass Women into Leadership program. Earlier in her tenure, she was director of administration and research for the department of political science.

Goncalves holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology and women’s studies from Providence College in Rhode Island and a master’s degree in public policy and administration from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Danisha Williams has been promoted to executive director of enrollment management at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri. She has served as the university’s director of admissions for the past two years. Earlier in her career, she held admissions and enrollment positions with Mississippi Valley State University and Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee.

Dr. Williams received her bachelor’s degree in sociology from Fisk University, a master of public administration degree from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and doctorate in leadership and professional practice from Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville.

Gretchen Ritter has been appointed vice president for civic engagement and education at Syracuse University in New York. She has served as the university’s vice chancellor, provost, and chief academic officer for the past three years. Prior to assuming her position at Syracuse University in 2021, she served as executive dean and vice provost for the College of Arts and Sciences at Ohio State University.

Dr. Ritter is a graduate of Cornell University, where she majored in government. She holds a Ph.D. in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Mary Lucal has been named vice president and chief human resources officer at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She has previously served as the chief human resources officer for both George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, and the University of Tennessee. Earlier in her career, she worked in human resources at Harvard University.

Dr. Lucal holds a bachelor’s degree in English and women’s studies from the College of Wooster in Ohio, and a second bachelor’s degree in English education from Ohio State University. She earned a master’s degree in human resources management from Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Tennessee.

Felicia Washington has been appointed vice president of human resources at the University of Pennsylvania. For the past five years, she has served as senior vice president of human resources at the University of Southern California. Earlier, she was the vice chancellor for workforce strategy, equity, and engagement at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Washington holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a juris doctorate from the University of Virginia.

Sandra F. Powers has been named executive assistant to the chancellor at North Carolina Central University. She currently holds the same position at Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina and has nearly three decades of experience in administrative support roles.

Powers earned her bachelor’s degree from East Coast Bible College in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Becca Bradley has been appointed senior director of development for the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas. Most recently, she has served as the senior director of corporate and foundation relations for the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. She has also served as associate director of development for the university’s Sam M. Walton College of Business.

Bradley is a two-time graduate of the University of Arkansas, where she received her bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in higher education.

Shalanda Baker has been named the inaugural vice provost for sustainability and climate action at the University of Michigan. She currently serves as the director of the Office of the Energy Justice and Equity and the secretarial adviser on equity at the United States Department of Energy. Previously, she served as the Department of Energy’s chief diversity officer.

Baker is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy. She holds a master of law degree from the University of Wisconsin and a juris doctorate from Northeastern University.

Sabrina Ram has been appointed vice president of marketing and communications at Bowie State University in Maryland. She has over two decades of marketing experience in both corporate and higher education settings. She previously held marketing leadership roles with Arcadia University, Walden University, and Drexel University Online.

Ram holds two degrees in public relations and corporate communications: a bachelor’s degree from Drexel University in Philadelphia and a master’s degree from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.