New Administrative Appointments for Six Women in Higher Education

Paula McCraney has been named senior vice president for advancement and development at Simmons College of Kentucky. She has served on the Louisville Metro Council since 2019, holding several key leadership roles such as president pro tempore and majority caucus chairwoman. She is also president CEO of P Mc & Associates Performance Management.

Dr. McCraney received her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Oklahoma State University, a master’s degree in business management and leadership from Webster University, and doctorate from Spalding University.

Carmen Cummings-Martin has been appointed chief of staff at Florida A&M University. In addition to her new responsibilities, she will retain her current role as the university’s assistant vice president of university engagement and alumni affairs. Prior to her career in academia, she was a prime-time television news anchor and senior journalist.

Cummings-Martin is an alumna of Florida A&M University.

Laura Findley has been named vice president of enrollment management at Texas Wesleyan University. Her professional background includes over a decade of experience in higher education admissions and enrollment. Most recently, she served as director of undergraduate admissions and recruitment at Jacksonville State University in Alabama.

Findley holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from Auburn University in Alabama and a master’s degree in liberal studies from Jacksonville State University.

Kristen Knight has been promoted to senior director of construction, planning, and design in the facilities management department at the University of Arkansas. A staff member with the university since 2011, she has served as associate director of contracted services, engineering, and construction since 2015. Earlier in her career, she spent a decade as a practicing architect.

Knight holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Arkansas.

Angela King Taylor has been promoted from interim vice chancellor to permanent vice chancellor for student affairs at the University of Missouri. Prior to her interim appointment, she served as the university’s associate dean of students. She previously held student and faculty affairs positions with Syracuse University in New York, Loyola University Chicago, and the University of Kansas.

Dr. King Taylor is a graduate of Hampton University in Virginia, where she majored in business management. She holds a master’s degree in higher education administration from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, and a doctorate in higher education leadership and policy from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

Argia Beristain has been promoted from interim CEO to permanent CEO of the Boise State University Foundation. Over the past 10 years, she has held progressive leadership roles with the foundation. She began her tenure as a development director for the College of Education and Honors College, ultimately working her way up to senior associate vice president before assuming her interim appointment.

Beristain is a graduate of the University of Washington. She holds a master’s degree in Basque studies from the University of the Basque Country in Spain and an MBA from Boise State University.