Michelle McGowan was appointed vice president of economic development at South Georgia Technical College. McGowan has been an administrator with the college since 1999. Most recently, she served as assistant vice president for academic affairs and director of business and industry services for the Crisp County Center. Earlier in her career, she held leadership roles with Middle Georgia College and the Housing Authority of Americus.
McGowan holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in journalism and a master’s degree in administration from Georgia Southwestern State University.
Sonia Chawla was named assistant vice president for research integrity at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. Dr. Chawla comes to her new role after more than 13 years with Eastern Michigan University, where she most recently served as assistant vice president for academic research and regulatory compliance. Earlier in her tenure, she was director of research compliance.
Dr. Chawla is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in brain and cognitive science with a concentration in neuroscience and linguistics. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in psychology from Boston University.
Lindsay Stadler was promoted from interim registrar to permanent registrar at Pomona College in Claremont, California. Stalder has more than a decade of experience in various registrar-related positions. Prior to coming to Pomona, she was university registrar and director of student information management at Claremont Graduate University in California.
Stadler received her bachelor’s degree in biology from Claremont McKenna College in California and her master’s degree in education administration from Claremont Graduate University.
Heather Pieper-Olson has been named vice president for advancement and alumni engagement at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota. Pieper-Olson most recently served as vice president for institutional advancement at the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota. Before her career in advancement, she was an attorney with the St. Cloud office of Gray Plant Mooty.
Pieper-Olson received her bachelor’s degree in anthropology and Spanish from the College of Charleston in South Carolina. She holds a juris doctorate from the University of Minnesota Law School.
Melissa Rockwell-Hopkins is the new vice chancellor for enterprise physical operations, infrastructure, capital programs, and real estate at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Dr. Rockwell-Hopkins has more than 35 years of experience in higher education, healthcare, engineering, and hospitality. She previously oversaw major physical operations and capital planning work for WashU Medicine. Earlier in her career, she held leadership roles at the University of Houston and Ohio State University.
Dr. Rockwell-Hopkins earned a bachelor’s degree in law and justice from Central Washington University. She holds two master’s degrees in human resource management and nonprofit management from Washington University and a doctorate in educational leadership and organizational change from Baylor University in Waco, Texas.
Christa Racine was named the next director of athletics at Haverford College in Pennsylvania. Since 2017, Racine has served as athletics director at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, where she also coached the women’s soccer team from 1994 to 2023. Before her promotion to director, Racine served as Drew’s associate athletic director for eight years.
Racine is a graduate of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.