Universities Announce the Appointment of Eight Women to New Administrative Roles

Ashley U. Menendez has been appointed director of externships at the University of Arkansas School of Law. Menendez has been part of the law school since 2018. She worked in a variety of roles as part of the student services team, most recently as the director of academic excellence.

Menendez is a graduate of the University of Alabama, where she majored in communications. She holds a juris doctorate from the Dedman School of Law at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

Anjerrika Bean, was appointed assistant director of the Center for Women, Gender and Global Leadership at Howard University in Washington, D.C. She was the Dr. Ralph Gomes Social Justice postdoctoral fellow in the history department at the university. Dr. Bean also has served as the diversity research associate consultant for multicultural programs and services at Bowie State University in Maryland.

A native of Beaumont, Texas, and a veteran of the United States Air Force, Dr. Bean is a sociologist and criminologist with a concentration in criminology and inequality. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Christian leadership from the College of Biblical Studies in Houston. She earned a master’s degree in sociology from Prairie View A&M University in Texas and Ph.D. in sociology and criminology from Howard University.

Karen Elizabeth Bussey was named deputy chief of staff to the chancellor and secretary to the university at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina. Dr. Bussey served as a policy advisor for implementing the governor’s education, workforce, and economic development initiatives of the Office of the New Jersey Secretary of Higher Education.

Dr. Bussey is a graduate of South Carolina State University, where she majored in marketing. She holds a master’s degree in professional counseling with a concentration in student affairs from the University of West Georgia and a doctorate in higher education leadership and policy studies from Howard University.

Felice Rosan was promoted to general counsel at Columbia University in New York City, effective January 1. She is currently deputy general counsel. Rosan joined Columbia’s Office of the General Counsel in 1999. Before coming to Columbia, Rosan was vice president and general counsel for MovieFone, Inc.

Rosan is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where she majored in English. She earned a juris doctorate at Temple University in Philadelphia.

Torie A. Johnson will be the new associate vice president for strategic communications and initiatives at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, effective November 28. She has been serving as the associate commissioner for academic relations for the Southeastern Conference.

Dr. Johnson is a graduate of Baylor University, where she majored in journalism. She holds a master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a doctorate in higher education management from the University of Georgia.

Laurie Saroff was named vice president of the federal relations office at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Saroff worked on Capitol Hill for two decades in senior positions in both the House of Representatives and the United States Senate.

A graduate of Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, Saroff earned a master’s degree in public policy at Harvard University.

Ivana Rich is the new associate vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics at Edward Waters University in Jacksonville, Florida. She is the first African American woman to serve as athletics director in the university’s 155-year history. For the past seven years, she has worked in the athletics department at Norfolk State University in Virginia, where she was acting athletic director, associate athletic director for external relations, and senior woman administrator.

Dr. Rich earned her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Virginia Commonwealth University, where she was captain of the volleyball team. She holds a master’s degree in sports management from Virginia State University, a master’s degree in human services counseling from Liberty University in Virginia, and a doctoral degree in curriculum and instruction/educational technology from the University of South Carolina.

Denise Murphy has been promoted to assistant vice president for total rewards in the Office of Human Resources at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. She has been serving as senior director of compensation and benefits.

Murphy holds a bachelor’s degree from Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island.