Sixteen Women Appointed to Administrative Roles in Higher Education

Sharon Ortega has been appointed as the associate dean for student success and engagement for Seton College, the new two-year school of the University of Mount Saint Vincent in the Bronx, New York. She has spent more than a decade with Manhattan College, most recently serving as assistant dean of students and assistant director of student development.

Ortega holds a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership and an MBA from Manhattan College.

Patience Bryant has been named the inaugural executive director for Black student academic success at California State University, Fullerton. She has nearly two decades of experience, most recently serving as interim deputy diversity officer and director of Black/African American equity at San José State University in California.

Dr. Bryant holds a bachelor’s degree in multimedia journalism and sociology from Florida Atlantic University, a master’s degree in mass communication from the University of Central Florida, and a Ph.D. in conflict analysis and resolution from Nova Southeastern University.

Lucreta Tribune has been selected to serve as interim chief financial officer and vice president of finance, administrative services, and operations at Alcorn State University in Mississippi. She first joined the Alcorn community in 2022, most recently serving as associate vice president of finance.

Tribune holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Alcorn State University and a master of professional accountancy degree from Jackson State University in Mississippi.

Diana Zapata has been named director of human resources at Santa Barbara City College in California. Most recently, she served as the director of human resources at Carpinteria Unified School School District in California. Earlier in her career, she held HR leadership roles with AIROOM Inc. and Chicago Public Radio/Media, Inc.

Zapata earned a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from Arizona State University.

Tana Monroe has been appointed associate vice president of the department of public safety at Boise State University in Idaho. She has been with the university for the past 14 years, most recently serving as the Clery compliance officer and a member of the CARE team.

Monroe received her bachelor’s degree in marketing from Boise State University and her master’s degree in organizational leadership from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington.

Jennifer Klein has been selected to serve as interim vice president and chief human resource officer at Washington State University. For the past 16 years, she has been a member of the university’s human resources staff. Most recently, she served as senior associate vice president and director of human capital management.

Klein is a two-time graduate of Bowling Green State University in Ohio, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in communications and master of public administration degree.

Jee Hae Song has been named the United Methodist chaplain at Syracuse University in New York. Since 2016, she has served in three United Methodist congregations in the Syracuse area. She also spent two years as director of the Hope Christian Student Fellowship at the Hendricks Chapel on the Syracuse University campus.

Song holds a master of divinity degree from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

Kira Stoll has been named the inaugural chief sustainability officer and executive director of the Office of Sustainability at the University of California, San Francisco. She has 25 years of experience working within the University of California system, previously holding roles in sustainability and transportation management at UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz.

Stoll holds a master’s degree in social sciences, adult learning, and global change from Linköping University in Sweden.

Kenitra Horsley has been promoted to chief of staff and chief information officer at Queens University of Charlotte in North Carolina. She has spent the past five years with Queens University, most recently serving as deputy chief information officer. Her new appointment makes her the first woman to serve as the university’s CIO.

Horlsey is a graduate of the University of Maryland, where she majored in computer science. She received an MBA from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.

Lyndsey Crum has been named assistant vice president of alumni relations and executive director of the alumni association at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. She most recently served as the assistant vice president for alumni and community relations at the University of Northern Colorado. Earlier in her career, she held advancement and alumni relations roles with the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and the University of Denver.

Crum holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Northern Colorado and a juris doctorate from the University of Denver.

Sandhya L. Iyer has been appointed senior vice president and general counsel at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. She comes to her new role from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, where she served as chief legal officer for seven years. Previously, she served as first general counsel at Oberlin College in Ohio.

Iyer is a summa cum laude, two-time graduate of Yale University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry and women’s studies and her juris doctorate.

Anne Slinn has been named executive director of the Center for Sustainability Science and Strategy in the School of Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She currently serves MIT as the executive director for research in the Center for Global Change Science, as well as executive director of the joint program on the science and policy of global change.

Slinn holds a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Washington State University. She earned a second master’s degree in civil engineering from MIT.

Stephanie Long has been named medical director of health services at the California Institute of Technology. Prior to her new position, she served as director of student health services at the Claremont Colleges. Earlier in her career, she served as a regional medical director for Planned Parenthood.

Dr. Long is a graduate of Dartmouth College, where she double-majored in biochemistry and molecular biology. She holds a medical doctorate from Columbia University and a master of public administration degree from the University of Washington.

Diana Coleman has been appointed assistant chief of police at Grambling State University in Louisiana. She recently retired from a long-tenured law enforcement career with the Shreveport Police Department after nearly three decades of service.

Coleman received her master’s degree in business organizational management from Wiley College in Marshall, Texas.

Aliyah McDaniel has been named the assistant sports information director at Alabama A&M University. She comes to her new role from the University of Kentucky, where she served as in the athletics communications department.

McDaniel holds three degrees from the University of Kentucky: a bachelor’s degree in sports communication, a second bachelor’s degree in writing, rhetoric, and digital studies, and a master’s degree in kinesiology and health promotion with a specialization in sport leadership.

Shelly Gehrke has been appointed associate provost for student success at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She comes to her new role after 14 years with Emporia State University in Kansas, where she most recently served as vice president for enrollment management and student success.

Dr. Gehrke is a graduate of Stephen F. Austin University in Texas, where she double-majored in environmental science and public relations. She holds a master’s degree in college and university student personnel administration and a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Texas at Austin.