New Administrative Appointments for Eight Women in Academia

Keiko Price Carter has been promoted to vice president of student engagement and dean of campus life at Emory University. She has been serving in the role on an interim basis since November 2025. Carter first joined the Emory administration in 2020 as assistant vice president of campus life and the Clyde Partin Sr., Director of Athletics. Before Emory, she held student-centered leadership roles with Stanford University, the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Illinois.

Carter earned her bachelor’s degree in African American studies from the University of California, Los Angeles. She holds a master’s degree in language, literacy, and culture from the University of California, Berkeley.

Alma Parada was named assistant university librarian for collections and public services in science and engineering at Stanford University in California. Dr. Parada first came to Stanford in 2016 as a postdoctoral scholar in marine biology. In 2021, she was named the earth and environmental sciences librarian, a role she retained when she became head librarian for the Branner Earth Sciences Library & Map Collections in 2024.

Dr. Parada holds a Ph.D. in marine biology and biological oceanography from the University of Southern California.

Melissa Mason-Montgomery is the new associate director of extension at Alcorn State University in Mississippi. Dr. Mason-Montgomery most recently served as director of the university’s farms. Earlier in her tenure at Alcorn, she was center director of ruminant research and director of biotechnology. She also previously taught as an associate professor of animal science.

A native of Ontario, Canada, Dr. Mason-Montgomery earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agriculture from Alcorn State University and her doctorate in life sciences with a concentration in genetics from Mississippi State University.

Sarah Higgins was named director and chief curator of the University of South Florida Contemporary Art Museum. Higgins comes to her new role with extensive experience in curatorial practice, nonprofit leadership, and arts administration. Most recently, she was executive and artistic director and editor of Art Papers, a nonprofit art journal. Within academia, she has previously served as curator of the Zuckerman Museum of Art at Kennesaw State University in Georgia and graduate program coordinator for the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College in New York.

Higgins holds a bachelor’s degree in printmaking from the Atlanta College of Art and a master’s degree in curatorial studies from Bard College.

Priya Harjani has been selected to serve as interim vice president for human resources at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Harjini, who currently serves as senior associate vice president and deputy general counsel, has held this interim leadership role twice before during prior transitions. She has been an administrator with Northwestern since 2004.

Harjani is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Illinois, where she double-majored in psychology and communications. She earned her juris doctorate from Northwestern University.

Lisa Wilkins was named executive vice president of student learning and success at Berkeley City College in California. Dr. Wilkins has more than 25 years of experience in higher education, including both faculty and administrative positions. Since 2020, she has served as vice chancellor for student affairs at the City College of San Francisco.

Dr. Wilkins is a graduate of Goucher College in Maryland, where she majored in history and international relations. She holds a master’s degree in counseling from Villanova University in Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in psychological services from Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia. She received her doctorate in higher education administration from George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Lani Fortier was appointed executive director of Northeast Passage, a program housed in the University of New Hampshire’s College of Health and Human Services. The program provides adaptive sports and recreation opportunities that promote inclusion, health, and independence for individuals with disabilities. Fortier has more than 20 years of nonprofit leadership experience, including senior roles with the International Rescue Committee.

Fortier is a graduate of the University of Connecticut, where she majored in exercise physiology and biology. She holds a master’s degree in international development from Brandies University in Waltham, Massachusetts.

Kristin Roberts was promoted to assistant vice president of institutional compliance and privacy at Auburn University in Alabama. Roberts has been serving as Auburn’s director of institutional compliance and privacy since 2025. Before that, she spent six years as an assistant director and manager for institutional compliance and privacy. Roberts first joined the Auburn staff in 2013.

Roberts holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, and a juris doctorate from the University of Missouri at Kansas City.

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