Tammy Snyder has been appointed chief executive officer of the UVA Health University Medical Center. Synder comes to the University of Virginia with extensive experience guiding large-scale patient operations, quality and safety initiatives, and operational improvements. Most recently, she was senior vice president of system operations for Rochester Regional Health in New York. Earlier, she was president and chief operating officer of Rochester General Hospital.
Synder holds a bachelor’s degree in health policy and administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a master of public health degree in health policy and administration from Yale University.
Patricia M. Langer was named vice president of finance and administration at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania. Langer joins the women’s college from Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where she has served five years as vice president of administration and finance. Earlier in her career, she was the budget director for Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota.
Langer earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and her master of public administration degree from the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
Nicole Porter was named executive vice president of student learning and success at the College of Alameda in California. Prior to her new role, Dr. Porter served as the college’s vice president of instruction. Earlier in her tenure, she was vice president of student services and equity and an instructional dean.
Dr. Porter received her doctorate in educational leadership from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California.
Stacy King was promoted to assistant vice president and university controller at Virginia Tech, following several months of interim service. King has more than 30 years of experience in higher education accounting, financial reporting, and operational management. Before her interim appointment, she was associate controller for accounting operations at Virginia Tech.
King is a graduate of Radford University in Virginia, where she majored in accounting.
Anna Addonisio is the new vice president for finance and administration at St. Bonaventure University in New York. Most recently, Addonisio served as founding chief financial officer at Orlando Health Sciences University in Florida. She previously served as vice president for finance and management at the State University of New York at Cortland and as associate dean for finance and operations at Binghamton University’s Harpur College of Arts and Sciences.
Addonisio earned both her bachelor’s degree in accounting and her MBA from Binghamton University in New York.
Jacqueline G. Powell was selected to serve as interim vice president for academic affairs at Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi. Dr. Powell has more than 25 years of leadership experience in higher education. In her interim role, she will oversee Rust College’s academic programs, faculty affairs, curriculum development, assessment, and institutional effectiveness.
Dr. Powell earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Texas A&M University, a master’s degree in social work from the University of Texas at Arlington, and both a master’s degree in education and a doctorate in higher education leadership from Texas A&M University-Commerce.
Hellen Hom-Diamond is the new senior vice president for communications and public affairs at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. She comes to her new role with an extensive background in higher education, strategic communications, and institutional storytelling. Previously, Hom-Diamond served as vice president for strategic marketing and communications at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. Her other experience in academia includes prior leadership roles at Yale University and the University of California, Los Angles Alumni Association.
Hom-Diamond holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Columbia University in New York City.
Kate Garlick was promoted to vice president for student life at Davis & Elkins College in West Virginia. She had been serving as the college’s dean of students since 2021. Earlier in her tenure at Davis & Elkins College, she was assistant dean of students and Title IX and Section 504 coordinator.
Garlick is a graduate of Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia, where she majored in psychology. She holds a master’s degree in services management in special education from McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland.
Renee Wells is chief diversity and inclusion officer at the State University of New York at Cortland. She come to her new role from Queens University of Charlotte in North Carolina, where she was assistant vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion and chief diversity officer. Before that position, she worked in progressive roles at Middlebury College in Vermont from 2018 to 2024, ultimately serving as assistant vice president of education for equity and inclusion.
Wells earned dual bachelor’s degrees in education and English from Auburn University in Alabama. She holds a master’s degree in English from Miami University in Ohio and a master of fine arts degree in creative writing from Southern Illinois University.
Donna Polk is the new associate athletic director and senior woman administrator at Coppin State University in Baltimore. Polk comes to her new role with more than 25 years of experience in collegiate athletics, high school sports administration, coaching, and the nonprofit sector. Previously, she was first woman and first African American to serve as executive director of the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association. Earlier, she was interim athletic director, associate athletic director, and head women’s basketball coach at Bowie State University in Maryland.
Polk holds a bachelor’s degree in counseling psychology from what is now Washington Adventist University and a master’s degree in organizational management from the University of Phoenix.
Julie Agee Gillaspy is the inaugural executive director of career success at Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas. Gillaspy brings more than three decades of experience in human resources and career guidance to her new position. For the past 20 years, she has held a variety of roles with Acxiom, a global data and technology company based in Conway. Earlier, she worked at Southern Methodist University in Dallas and at the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.
Gillaspy is an alumna of Hendrix College, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in economics and business. She holds a master’s degree in higher education administration from Texas A&M University.
Heidi Vanderbilt-Brown was appointed vice president for finance and administration and treasurer at Wellesley College, a liberal arts educational institution for women in Massachusetts. Vanderbilt-Brown has more than 15 years of experience in leadership roles in both secondary and higher education. Most recently, she was chief financial and operating officer at Milton Academy. She previously served as associate director of the Office of Financial Strategy and Planning at Harvard University.
Vanderbilt-Brown received both her bachelor’s degree in biology and her MBA from Harvard University.