Five Women Who Are Taking on New Administrative Roles in Higher Education

Sarah Curran was named the new director of the Center for the Arts at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, effective February 20. She has been serving as associate director of the Stanford Arts Institute in California.

Curran earned a bachelor’s degree in religion, theater and dance at Princeton University in New Jersey. She holds a master’s degree in performance studies from New York University.

Marsha C. Senior was appointed director of the Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program at Syracuse University in New York. She will also serve as assistant director of student administrative services at University College at Syracuse.

Senior first joined the staff at Syracuse University in 1986. Earlier, she worked as a counselor for the Upward Bound program at Le Moyne College in Syracuse. Senior holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.

Mary Jo Gonzales has been chosen as the next vice president for student affairs at Washington State University. She will take office on February 6. Since 2013, Dr. Gonzalez has been serving as assistant vice president and dean of students at the University of Rhode Island. Earlier, she was associate dean of students at Iowa State University.

Dr. Gonzales is a graduate of San Jose State University, where she majored in communication. She holds a master’s degree in communication and a Ph.D. in education from Washington State University.

Shira Thomas was named acting general counsel at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee. She joined the legal team at Florida A&M in 1999 as assistant general counsel. Earlier, she was an attorney for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

Thomas is a 1994 graduate of the College of Law at Florida State University.

Kristen Roman was appointed chief of police at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has been serving as a captain for the Madison Police Department. Roman has been on the police force for 26 years.

Roman is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she played on the volleyball team. She holds a master’s degree from Boston University.