Eight Women Appointed to Administrative Roles in Higher Education

Ashley F.G. Norwood has been named associate director of digital storytelling in the division of university communications at Jackson State University in Mississippi. She has over a decade of experience in multimedia journalism. Earlier in her career, she held senior reporting and journalist positions with Mississippi Public Broadcasting and Mississippi Today.

Norwood received her bachelor’s degree in English from Jackson State University and master’s degree in journalism and media studies from the University of Mississippi.

Holly Hunt has been named vice president of executive affairs and chief of staff at the University of Oklahoma. For the past three years, she has served as the university’s chief governmental affairs officer. Previously, she served the university as vice president of external affairs.

Hunt is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. She received her juris doctorate from Oklahoma City University.

Simran Kaur-Colbert has been named the inaugural director of the Center for Interfaith and Spiritual Life at George Washington University. She comes to her new role from Earlham College in Indiana, where she served as director of student engagement and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Earlier in her career, she was special assistant to the interim vice president for institutional diversity at Miami University in Ohio.

Dr. Kaur-Colbert is a graduate of the University of Mary Washington in Virginia, where she double-majored in business administration and international affairs. She holds a master’s degree in diplomacy and international commerce from the University of Kentucky and a Ph.D. in student affairs in higher education from Miami University in Ohio.

Jennifer Pittman has been appointed associate vice president of human resources at Virginia Western Community College in Roanoke. She has two decades of experience in human resources in both industry and higher education settings. Most recently, she served as corporate human resources director for Virginia Transformer Corporation.

Pittman is a two-time graduate of Radford University in Virginia, where she received her bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in industrial and organizational psychology.

Christina W. Williams has been named vice president for finance and administration at Connecticut College. She comes to her new role from Boston College, where she served as associate dean for finance and administration for the Woods College of Advancing Studies. Earlier in her career, she held several senior finance roles with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, including chief financial officer for the Sloan School of Management.

Williams received her bachelor’s degree in accounting and an MBA from Northeastern University in Boston.

Meghan Jackson has been appointed director for food, agriculture, and environment security for the University of Nebraska’s National Strategic Research Institute and Institute for Agriculture and Natural Resources. The two institutes support agricultural researchers across the university’s four campuses. She has extensive experience in agriculture and environmental protection, including service with the United States Department of Agriculture and the United States Department of Homeland Security.

Jackson is a graduate of Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York, where she majored in environmental science and policy with minors in environmental health and safety and pre-law studies. She holds a master of public health degree from Wright State University in Ohio.

Lisa Dysleski has been appointed assistant vice provost for academic success and advising at Colorado State University. A staff member for over two decades, she currently serves as associate dean for undergraduate programs in the university’s College of Natural Sciences. Prior to transitioning to administrative roles, she served as a faculty member in the department of chemistry.

Dr. Dylseski holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Mary Washington College in Virginia and a Ph.D. in chemistry from Colorado State University.

Julie Miller Denesha has been named director of development and corporate partnerships for the College of Engineering and Technology at West Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina. She has over a decade of experience in development and fundraising, most recently serving as associate director of athletics for development at West Carolina University. Prior to her current role, she served as director of major gifts for the athletics program at Arizona State University.

Denesha is a graduate of the University of South Carolina-Upstate, where earned her bachelor’s degree in communications.