New Administrative Appointments for Eight Women in Academia

Shelby Reese has been promoted to senior woman administrator and assistant athletic director for student athlete success at Lackawanna College in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Reese originally joined the college as an athletic academic advisor in the fall of 2021, but additionally took on the role as head coach for women’s volleyball in August 2022. Before coming to Lackawanna College, Reese was the head volleyball coach and outdoor/indoor operations coordinator at Cedar Crest College in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Reese is a graduate of Keystone College in LaPlume Pennsylvania. She earned a master’s degree at Cedar Crest College.

Tiera Williams has been named director of residence life and housing at South Carolina State University. She brings over a decade of experience in higher education to her new role. Previously, she oversaw housing operations and coordinated summer camp programs at Savannah State University in Georgia. More recently, she was director of housing at East Georgia State College.

Williams holds an associate’s degree in sociology from East Georgia State College, a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Georgia Southern University, and a master’s degree in public administration from South University in Savannah, Georgia. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in public administration at Valdosta State University in Georgia.

Debra Clark Jones has been selected to serve as interim executive vice president for institutional advancement at Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina. She previously served as acting president at the college. More recently, she was associate vice president for community health at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.

Jones is an alumna of Bennett College, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in computer science. She holds a master’s degree in data analytics from the University of Maryland.

Karen Cole has been appointed interim director of the Collins Center for Arts at the University of Maine. For the past decade, she has served as the center’s associate director. Earlier in her career, she served as business manager for the university’s School of Performing Arts.

Cole holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Maine.

Samantha Hutchinson has been appointed vice president for business and finance at Savannah State University. Her background includes nearly two decades of experience in finance in public, private, and nonprofit sectors. She has been serving as assistant vice president and controller at Fort Valley State University in Georgia.

Hutchinson holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting with a minor in economics from Fort Valley State University and an MBA in finance from Walden University.

Natalie Oswalt has been named vice president of instruction at Panola College in Carthage, Texas. She has been an administrator with the community college for more than two decades. Most recently, she served as dean of career and technical programs. Her previous roles at Panola include dean of arts, sciences, and technology; dean of professional and technical programs; and director of Shelby County operations.

Oswalt holds a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas.

Rachel Erkkila has been appointed vice president for strategic enrollment and equity at Riverland Community College in Austin, Minnesota. With nearly 30 years of higher education experience, she previously served as associate provost and dean of enrollment management and guided pathways at Des Moines Area Community College in Iowa.

Dr. Erkkila is a graduate of Augsburg University in Minnesota, where she majored in communication. She holds a master’s degree in technical education from Metro State University in Minnesota and a Ph.D. in higher education from Iowa State University.

JaeEun Joo has been named associate provost of adult education and online learning at St. Catherine University, an undergraduate women’s and co-ed graduate institution in St. Paul, Minnesota. She brings 25 years of experience in online education to her new role. Most recently, she was executive director of online learning at Metropolitan State University of Denver in Colorado.

Dr. Joo she earned her bachelor’s degree in educational technology from Ewha Womans University in Seoul, Korea. She holds a master’s degree and doctorate from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

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