Two Women Leaders Named Chief Academic Officers at Universities

April Massey has been appointed as the permanent chief academic officer at the University of the District of Columbia.

Dr. Massey has served as interim chief academic officer since September 2023. Before her interim appointment, she served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences for nine years. As an administrator, she prioritizes supporting faculty across the career lifecycle and promoting high-impact learning opportunities for students. In addition to her academic endeavors, she is a trained speech-language pathologist.

Dr. Massey is a graduate of Ohio State University, where she majored in speech and hearing science. She holds a master’s degree in speech-language pathology from the University of Cincinnati and a Ph.D. in child language and sociolinguistics from Howard University in Washington, D.C.

Gloria Waters has been promoted to provost and chief academic officer at Boston University.

For more than a decade, Dr. Waters has served as vice president and associate provost for research at Boston University. Previously, she served as dean of the Sargent College of Health & Rehabilitation Services. She has been with the university for nearly three decades, serving as a professor of speech, language, and hearing science. Throughout her career, her research has focused on language and memory processing.

Dr. Waters is a graduate of McGill University in Montreal, where she majored in psychology. She holds a master’s degree in applied psychology and a Ph.D. in psychology from Concordia University in Montreal.