Seven Women Selected for Administrative Positions in Higher Education

Marla Keller has been appointed executive dean for the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where she will oversee the college’s strategic planning and operations. She has been with the college for nearly two decades, currently serving as the director of the Harold and Muriel Block Institute for Clinical and Translational Research.

Dr. Keller received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Cornell University in New York and her medical degree from New York University.

Kelli Shuman has been named associate vice president and chief human resources officer at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She has served in the same role at Elon University in North Carolina for the past five years. Prior to her most recent position, she was the vice president for human resources at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.

Shuman is a graduate of Black Hills State University in South Dakota, where she majored in business administration and human resource management. She holds a master’s degree in administration and human resource management from the University of South Dakota.

Naronda Wright has been elected president of NAGAP, the Association for Graduate Enrollment and Management, making her the first African American to hold the position. With over 15 years of higher education experience, she currently serves as associate dean of graduate student services in the Jack N. Averitt College of Graduate Studies at Georgia Southern University.

Dr. Wright is a graduate of Columbia College where she majored in general studies. She holds a master’s degree in higher education administration from Georgia Southern University and a doctorate in higher education from Clark Atlanta University.

Saadiya Fratila has been appointed assistant vice chancellor for business operations and strategy at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. Currently, she serves as director of business administration for the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Missouri-Columbia, where she has worked for the past decade.

Fratila holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and an MBA from the University of Peshawar in Pakistan.

Julie Edwards has been named assistant vice president of student and campus life for student health and well-being at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. For the past two years, she has served as director of the Skorton Center for Health Initiatives at Cornell Health. Prior to her current role, she was the director of health promotion at the University of Chicago.

Dr. Edwards is a graduate of Iowa Wesleyan College, where she majored in communications. She holds a master’s degree in health administration and doctorate in educational leadership from the University of St. Francis in Illinois.

Ashlee Spannagel has been appointed vice chancellor for workforce development at Eastern Iowa Community College. Most recently, she served as dean of career and technical education and workforce development at Southeastern Community College in Iowa. Earlier in her career, she held positions with Frontier Community College and Illinois Eastern Community Colleges.

Dr. Spannagel is a graduate of Southern Illinois University Carbondale, where she earned her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in plant, soil science, and agricultural systems. She holds a doctorate in educational leadership and management from Capella University.

Kentrice S. Rush has been selected to serve as interim director of marketing in the division of university communications at Jackson State University in Mississippi. She first joined the university in 2015 as a social media associate and was promoted to digital media manager in 2018.

Rush received her bachelor’s degree in marketing from Jackson State University and her MBA from Clark Atlanta University.