Ten Women Appointed to University Administrative Positions

Merianne Kimmel Roth has been named vice chancellor for marketing and communication at Texas Christian University. She has served as associate vice chancellor for the past five years. Earlier in her career, she held marketing and communication roles with JPS Health Network, RadioShack, and Visit Fort Worth.

Roth is a graduate of Mississippi University for Women. She holds an executive MBA from Texas Christian University.

Nandita Mani has been named deputy chancellor for institutional effectiveness at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She joined the university in 2022 as dean of University Libraries. Prior to her current role, she served as associate university librarian for health sciences and director of the Health Science Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Dr. Mani is a graduate of Concordia University of Edmonton in Canada, where she majored in psychology. She holds a master’s degree in library and information science and a Ph.D. in instructional technology from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan.

Frances Teves has been appointed the permanent vice president for university advancement at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona after holding the position in the interim for over a year. She has been with the university for the past seven years, most recently serving as associate vice president for government and external affairs. Her new position comes with an additional appointment as chief executive officer of the university’s philanthropic foundation.

Teves holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from California State University, Fullerton and a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Southern California.

Kara Whatley has been named vice provost for libraries and university librarian at the University of Missouri. She currently serves as university librarian at the California Institute of Technology. Earlier in her career, she held positions with the libraries of Texas Tech University and New York University.

Whatley is a magna cum laude graduate of Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas, where she majored in biology. She holds a master of library and information science degree from the University of Oklahoma and a master’s degree in biological sciences from Texas Tech University.

Freda Coleman-Jackson has been appointed assistant dean of career strategy for the Washington & Lee University School of Law in Lexington, Virginia. She has been with the university since 2020, and has served as interim assistant dean for the past six months. She has previous higher education administrative experience with the law schools at Indiana University, Barry University in Miami, and Florida A&M University.

Coleman-Jackson holds a bachelor’s degree from Florida A&M University, a master’s degree from the University of Florida, and a juris doctorate from Mercer University in Georgia. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in higher education and student affairs through Indiana University.

Crystal W. Boyce has been named associate vice chancellor for the Office of Alumni Relations at her alma mater, North Carolina A&T State University. She has over 15 years of experience with the university in admissions and alumni relations positions. Her previous positions include director of the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and the inaugural director of alumni programs.

Boyce received a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master’s degree in adult education with a concentration in higher education from North Carolina A&T State University.

Angela Preston has been named director of the Mebane Early Literacy Center in the Cato College of Education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Her career has been dedicated to advancing the field of early literacy through teacher preparation initiatives. She previously served as an early literacy consultant with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s Office of Early Learning.

Dr. Preston holds a master of education degree and Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Tamara Hatch has been appointed director of sponsored programs and research compliance at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. She has spent the past 23 years with the Office of Sponsored Programs at James Madison University in Virginia, most recently serving as its director.

Hatch is a graduate of the College of William and Mary in Virginia, where she majored in English. She holds an MBA from James Madison University.

Christine Wynne has been named chief of staff to the president at Boston University. She has been with the university for nearly two decades. She has been serving as the university’s assistant vice president for presidential affairs. Earlier, she served as director of presidential functions.

Wynne holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Boston University.

Emilie Amrein has been named associate dean for community engagement in the College of Liberal and Fine Arts at the University of Texas at San Antonio. She will also serve as the founding director of UTSA Arts. She has been serving as an associate professor of music and chair of the department of music at the University of San Diego.

Dr. Amrein received bachelor’s degrees in vocal performance and Italian from Indiana University. She holds a master’s degree in choral conducting from the University of Arizona and a doctor of musical arts degree in conducting from the University of Minnesota.