New Administrative Posts for Nine Women in Higher Education

Meredith Weiss was appointed vice president for administration at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, effective August 1. She has been serving as senior associate vice chancellor for finance and administration at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Dr. Weiss is a graduate of the University of Delaware, where she majored in human resources. She holds master’s degrees from North Carolina Central University and East Carolina University and a Ph.D. in information science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Chanta M. Haywood was named interim vice president for external affairs at Fort Valley State University in Georgia. She has been serving as vice president for institutional advancement at Albany State University in Georgia.

Dr. Haywood is a graduate of Florida A&M University in Tallahassee. She earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in American literature from the University of California, San Diego.

Kathy Fox is the new assistant dean of admissions at the Wayne State University Law School in Detroit. Since 2009, she has been director of employer development in the Career Services office at the law school. Earlier, Fox was the deputy director of the Office of Career and Professional Development at the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan.

Fox is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. She holds an MBA from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, and a law degree from Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Marjorie Kostelnik was named interim senior vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She has been serving as dean of the College of Education and Human Sciences at the university. Dr. Kostelnik has been with the university since 2000. Earlier, she served on the faculty at Michigan State University for 22 years.

Dr. Kostelnik is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in human development and family studies from Pennsylvania State University.

Jovoni Simmons was promoted to director of alumni engagement in the Division of Institutional Advancement at Delaware State University in Dover. She had been serving as an admissions officer at the university.

Simmons is a graduate of Wesley College in Dover, Delaware. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies, she worked for five years in the Office of Institutional Advancement at her alma mater. She holds a master’s degree in higher education administration from Walden University.

Claire Krendl Gilbert was named executive director of information technology experience and engagement at Virginia Tech. She has been serving as director of strategy and analysis in the university’s Division of Information Technology.

Dr. Gilbert is a graduate of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where she majored in political science and communication studies. She earned a Ph.D. at Pennsylvania State University.

Carol Mauch Amir was promoted to senior vice president and general counsel at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. She joined the university’s legal team in 1999 and was named general counsel in 2008.

Amir is a graduate of Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. She earned her law degree at New York University.

Molly Goldwasser was named associate vice provost for academic affairs at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. She has been serving as assistant vice provost and manager of institutional assessment and accreditation in the academic affairs office at the university.

Dr. Goldwasser is a graduate of Duke University, where she majored in public policy studies. She earned a master’s degree at the University of Mississippi and a doctorate in education leadership and policy at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

Judy Ditner was appointed the Richard Benson Assistant Curator of Photography and Digital Media at the Yale University Art Gallery. She has 10 years of experience as a curator for museums, private art foundations, and universities.

Dr. Ditner earned a Ph.D. in art history from Boston University.