Megan Scherzberg was promoted to associate vice president for enrollment and student affairs at the Metropolitan State University of Denver, where she has worked for nearly a decade. Prior to her new role, she was executive director of orientation, transfer, and reengagement. Earlier, she held various positions at Des Moines Area Community College in Iowa and the University of Kansas.
Dr. Scherzberg holds a bachelor’s degree in child, adult, and family services with an emphasis on public policy and a master’s degree in higher education administration from the University of Kansas. She earned her Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy studies with a focus on community colleges from Iowa State University.
Lexie Vernon has been named executive director of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. With extensive experience in collegiate athletics, she most recently served as interim commissioner of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Before that, she spent over a decade at Knox College in Illinois, ultimately serving as senior woman administrator and associate director of athletics.
Vernon received her bachelor’s degree in athletic training from Lewis University in Illinois and her master’s degree in sport management from Western Illinois University.
Joi Gabrielle Artis is the new campus minister and chaplain at Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina. For the past 14 years, she has taught kindergarten through third grade in several districts throughout South Carolina. In addition to her work in education, she has held numerous leadership roles within the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. Currently, she is the pastor of St. James AME Church in Pinewood, South Carolina.
Rev. Artis earned her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from South Carolina State University, a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, North Carolina, and a master of divinity degree from Dickerson Green Theological Seminary in Columbia, South Carolina.
Shannon Trapp has been named associate vice chancellor for administration and strategic operations at North Carolina A&T State University. Her appointment marks a return to the university, where she served as assistant chief of staff from 2017 to 2021. More recently, Trapp was director of community partnerships and engagement for the Durham County Government in North Carolina.
Trapp earned her bachelor’s degree from Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina. She holds a master’s degree in higher education from Abilene Christian University in Texas.
April Thomas was recently named director of the Undergraduate Research Office at South Carolina State University. Thomas comes to her new role after nearly 15 years with the James E. Clyburn Scholarship and Research Foundation. Most recently, she was the foundation’s director of operations and community development. Thomas has also conducted research on educational equity, digital access, and the needs of historically marginalized communities.
Thomas is a two-time alumna of South Carolina State University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in professional English and her master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling.
Laura Picariello was promoted from interim director to permanent director of the Texas Sea Grant College Program at Texas A&M University. She has been affiliated with the program since 2018, serving in leadership roles relating to fisheries research, sustainable aquaculture and extension, and partnerships with industry and coastal communities. Her current efforts center on coastal containments, flood planning, and innovative oyster mariculture partnerships.
Picariello is a graduate of the University of Southern California, where she majored in flute performance. She holds a master’s degree in marine conservation and policy from Stony Brook University in New York.
Julia Ferrante was promoted from interim vice president to permanent vice president for communications and marketing at Middlebury College in Vermont. She joined the liberal arts college in 2020 as the inaugural associate vice president for public affairs. Previously, she was director of news and media relations at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts. Earlier, she held various roles with Bucknell University and Franklin & Marshall College, both located in Pennsylvania.
Ferrante holds a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of New Hampshire.