Eleven Women Who Have Been Appointed to University Administrative Positions

Etka Vyas is the new chief human resources officer at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. Previously, Dr. Vyas served as deputy chief human resources officer at UC Davis Health, the academic health system of the University of California, Davis.

Dr. Vyas earned a master’s degree in industrial/organizational psychology from San Jose State University and a doctorate in organization and management from Capella University.

Gabrielle Young was appointed executive director for strategic marketing and communications at Maryville University in St. Louis. Most recently, Young served as director of marketing for Blue Bird Corporation, an American bus manufacturer headquartered in Fort Valley, Georgia.

Young holds a bachelor’s degree from Drake University in Dees Moines, Iowa. She earned an MBA from the University of Illinois.

Stephanie Rempe has been named athletic director at the University of Nevada, Reno. Since 2019 she had been serving as the executive deputy director of athletics at Louisiana State University. From 2016 to 2019, Rempe was the chief operating officer for the athletics program at Texas A&M University.

Rempe earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in sports administration from the University of Arizona.

Casey Malsam was appointed interim director of the Women and Gender Advocacy Center at Colorado State University. She was the assistant director and joined the staff at the center in 2011.

Malsam holds a bachelor’s degree in art history from the University of Kansas. She earned a master’s degree in women’s studies from Lake Forest College in Illinois and a master’s degree in mental health counseling from Colorado State University.

Janette Yarwood was named director for Africa and the Middle East in the Office of International Affairs at Yale University. Prior to joining the staff at Yale University, she held several roles in Washington D.C. working on U.S. policy toward Africa. Most recently, Dr. Yarwood was senior advisor to the assistant secretary of African affairs at the U.S. Department of State.

Dr. Yarwood is a graduate of Purchase College of the State University of New York System. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.

Heather McWhorter has been named director of the  Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. She has been interim director for the past year. Earlier, McWhorter was regional center director for the Small Business and Technology Development Center at the university.

McWhorter holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and a master’s degree in energy and mineral engineering from Pennsylvania State University.

Richantae Johnson is the new interim director of gender equity and Title IX coordinator at Kent State University in Ohio. She has been serving as a compliance investigator and deputy Title IX coordinator at the university. Prior to joining Kent State, Johnson served as a criminal defense attorney, primarily handling cases relating to domestic/dating violence and sexual assault.

Johnson is a graduate of Florida Gulf Coast University, where she majored in psychology. She earned a juris doctorate at the University of Florida.

Katherine Fogelberg has been named associate dean for professional programs at Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine in Blacksburg, Virginia. In this role, she oversees the doctor of veterinary medicine program and is responsible for the design, planning, operation, and assessment of that program. She has been serving as the director of the Center for Innovation in Veterinary Education and Technology at Lincoln Memorial University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in Harrogate, Tennessee.

Dr. Fogelberg completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She holds a master’s degree from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, a doctor of veterinary medicine degree from Texas A&M University, and a Ph.D. in science education from Texas Christian University.

Carrie Showalter has been promoted to assistant dean and executive director of Campus and Community Life at West Virginia University. She was the executive director of the Office of Student Conduct and has been on the staff at the university since 2007.

Showalter earned a bachelor’s degree in women’s studies from the College of Wooster in Ohio and a law degree from West Virginia University.

The University of Holy Cross in New Orleans has appointed Jeannie Brown as vice president for admissions and financial aid. Brown previously held administrative posts at Loyola University New Orleans and Delgado Community College in New Orleans.

Brown is a graduate of Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she majored in computer science. She holds a master’s degree in higher education administration from the University of New Orleans.

Angela Coonce, a 24-year veteran of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, has been appointed chief of police at Washington University in St. Louis.

Coonce earned her undergraduate degree at Harris-Stowe State University in St. Louis. She holds a master’s degree in management and leadership from Webster University in Missouri and a graduate degree in security studies from the Naval Postgraduate School’s Center for Homeland Defense and Security in Monterey, California.