New Administrative Duties at Colleges and Universities for Seven Women

Tamara Pearson has been appointed the inaugural director of the Center of Excellence for Minority Women in STEM at Spelman College in Atlanta. She was the associate director of school and community engagement in the Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics and Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Dr. Pearson received a bachelor of science in mathematics, with a minor in computer science at Spelman College. She earned a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction with a specialization in educational technology from the University of Florida.

Donna Gustafson has been appointed interim director of the Zimmerli Art Museum on the campus of Rutgers University in New Jersey. She has been serving as the museum’s curator of American art and Mellon Director for academic programs. She has been on the museum’s staff since 2009.

Dr. Gustafson holds a Ph.D. in art history from Rutgers University.

Charleita Richardson was named executive director of the Florida College Access Network, an independent, statewide network headquartered at the Univerity of South Florida. The network represents a cross-section of more than 700 organizations and institutions devoted to improving college access and success for minorities and other students underrepresented in higher education. Richardson has been serving as president and CEO of Partnership for the Future in Richmond, Virginia.

Richardson holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia, and an MBA from Strayer University.

Catherine Spear, was appointed to the newly-created role of vice president for equity, equal opportunity, and Title IX at the University of Southern California. For the past five years, she has been the first associate vice president of the Office for Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights at the University of Virginia.

Spear is a graduate of the Univesity of Dayton in Ohio, where she majored in English. She earned a juris doctorate at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

Ereka Williams was appointed associate dean of education, quality assurance, and community engagement at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina. She most recently served as the associate dean for the College of Education at Fayetteville State University.

A native of Windsor, North Carolina, Dr. Williams earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in special education from Fayetteville State University. She received a Ph.D. in teacher education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Denise Baclawski has been named associate vice president for facilities at the University of Nevada, Reno. She has worked at the university for nearly 20 years, most recently as senior director for planning and construction.

Baclawski holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. She earned an MBA from the University of Phoenix.

Taricka Burton has been named director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Burton has served as the office’s interim director since July 2019. Earlier, she was the associate director of multicultural programs and outreach.

Burton is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Omaha, where she majored in communication. She holds a master’s degree in educational administration from the Univerity of Nebraska-Lincoln.