New Administrative Appointments for Seven Women in Higher Education

Shawn Thierry has been appointed executive director for policy and counsel at Texas Southern University. She has extensive experience in Texas state government. Currently, she serves on the Texas Juvenile Justice Board. Earlier, she represented Houston’s District 146 in the Texas House of Representatives for four terms.

Thierry received her bachelor’s degree from Howard University in Washington, D.C., and her law degree from Texas Southern University.

Anabal Toche has been named executive dean of student equity and completion at Sierra College in Rocklin, California. With over 25 years of higher education experience, she most recently served as dean of student success and institutional effectiveness at Yuba College in Marysville, California.

Toche received her bachelor’s degree in leadership studies from California Polytechnic State University, Humboldt and her MBA from Southern Oregon University. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in educational leadership at the University of California, Davis.

Charlette Woolridge has been named executive director of the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center, an adult education and job training institution. Her background includes over three decades of experience in public administration, governance, and community development. Currently, she serves as county administrator for Greensville, Virginia. She previously held leadership roles with Brunswick County and the City of Richmond.

Dr. Wooldridge is a graduate of Virginia Union University, where she majored in business administration. She holds a master’s degree in general administration from Central Michigan University and a Ph.D. in public policy and administration from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Christina Nations has been appointed director of communications and young alumni relations at Shorter University in Rome, Georgia. She has a background in communications, fundraising, and relationship management. She previously served as the development manager at the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts.

Nations is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University.

Hannah Baker has been promoted director of the first-year experience program at Mississippi State University. For the past four years, she has served as an academic coordinator for the department of teacher education and leadership. She previously served as assistant director of marketing for the university’s athletic department.

Baker holds a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and a master’s degree in adult and higher education from the University of Oklahoma.

DaNia Childress has been appointed project director of the Avery Center for African American History and Culture at the College of Charleston in South Carolina. She comes to her new role from the Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she was an associate curator of African American history.

Childress is a graduate of Claflin University in Orangeburg, South Carolina.

Shannon McGhee has been named chief of staff for community relations and student advancement at Keiser University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Her background in academia includes past leadership roles with West Virginia State University, Helms College in Georgia, and Mercer University in Georgia. Most recently, she served as vice president of education and development at Gulfsteam Goodwill Industries in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Dr. McGhee received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Mercer University, where she later earned her Ph.D. in educational leadership. She also holds a master’s degree in psychology from the University of Alabama at Huntsville.