Ten Women Who Are Taking on New High-Level Administrative Duties in the Academic World

Aisha Ahmad-Post was appointed executive director of the Robert and Judi Newman Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Denver. Most recently, she worked at the Ent Center for the Arts at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

Ahmad-Post earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in music at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University.

Ashley Storman was promoted to director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at Maryville University in St. Louis. Since 2017, she has been a program coordinator for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Previously, Dr. Storman worked at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, where she served as an academic coach/peer mentoring coordinator for the Office of Multicultural Student Services.

Dr. Storman holds a bachelor’s degree in criminology and a master’s degree in postsecondary education – student affairs from the University of Northern Iowa. She earned an educational doctorate at Maryville University.

Lisa Shacklett was appointed vice president of enrollment management for Lubbock Christian University in Texas. She is the former assistant dean for marketing and enrollment for the Graduate School of the College of Business at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee.

Shacklett holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing and an MBA from Lipscomb University.

Toyia Younger has been named senior vice president for student affairs at Iowa State University. Dr. Younger has been serving as the vice president for leadership development and partnerships for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. Earlier, she was associate vice chancellor for student affairs for Minnesota State Colleges and Universities.

Dr. Younger is a graduate of Michigan State University. She holds a master’s degree in student counseling from Trinity Washington University and a doctorate in education policy from the University of Maryland College Park.

Vanessa Crakes has been appointed interim Title IX coordinator director of the Office of Investigations and Civil Rights Compliance at the University of Oregon. Crakes has been with the university since 2014, serving as a Title IX investigator and most recently as the manager of investigations for the Office of Investigations and Civil Rights Compliance.

Crakes earned a bachelor’s degree in Russian studies and a juris doctorate at the University of Oregon.

Mary Elizabeth Miles was appointed vice president for human resources at the University of Louisville. Miles has served as interim associate vice president for human resources since August 2019. Earlier, she was director of employee relations, staff development, and talent management at the university.

Miles holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s degree in justice administration from the University of Louisville.

Gina Urias-Sandoval was named executive director of the Executive and Professional Education Center at the Anderson School of Management at the University of New Mexico. She had been serving as interim director and program director of the executive MBA program and MBA in education leadership program.

Urias-Sandoval holds a bachelor’s degree and an MBA from the University of New Mexico.

Laura McPhie Oliveira was appointed interim vice president of enrollment management for the 2020-21 academic year at Brenau University in Gainesville, Georgia. She is taking a leave of absence from Ruffalo Noel Levitz, where she has served as senior associate consultant since 1999.

Dr. Oliveira is a graduate of Amherst College in Massachusetts. She earned a master’s degree in education at Boston College and a doctorate in higher education from the University of Massachusetts at Boston.

Denise Pearson was appointed vice chancellor and chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. She has been serving as vice president for academic affairs and equity initiatives at the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association.

Dr. Pearson earned master’s degrees in conflict resolution from the University of Denver and educational administration from Concordia University. She holds a Ph.D. in administration and supervision of education from Marquette University in Milwaukee.

Liz Lierman has been named interim executive director of the Alumnae Association at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. Since 2014, she has served as executive director of the Career Development Center at the college.

Lierman is a graduate of Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, where she majored in psychology. She earned master’s degrees in social work and nonprofit management from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.