A Dozen Women Appointed to Administrative Roles in Higher Education

Maria LaMonaca Wisdom has been promoted to assistant vice provost for the Office of Faculty Advancement and The Graduate School at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. She most recently served the university as director of faculty mentoring and coaching programs. Prior to joining the Duke University staff, she served as the executive director for the Institute for Arts and Humanities at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Dr. Wisdom received a Ph.D. in English literature from Indiana University.

L. Angela Webb has been appointed president of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators. She currently serves as the associate vice president for campus safety at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. Earlier in her career, she served as the executive director of police services and risk management at Southwest Tennessee Community College.

Webb holds a bachelor’s degree in applied psychology from Christian Brothers University in Memphis and a master’s degree in operations management from the University of Arkansas.

Deedee Southerlin has been promoted from interim director to permanent director of the division of continuing and professional education at Georgia Southern University. She has been a staff member with the university for the past seven years, most recently serving as a professional development and customized training manager.

Dr. Southerline is a three-time graduate of Valdosta State University in Georgia. She holds a bachelor’s degree in  criminal justice, a master’s degree in sociology, and a doctorate in adult and career education.

Louisa Blenman has been selected to serve as interim director of international programs at Florida State University. She has been with the university’s international programs department for the past two decades, most recently serving as the associate director. She is also a board member with the university’s international programs association direct support organization.

Blenman is a graduate of Mississippi University for Women, where she majored in physical sciences. She holds a master’s degree in higher education and an MBA from Florida State University.

Jessica Roberts has been named senior executive director of the University of Maryland Alumni Association. She first joined the Alumni Association in 2008, most recently serving as chief of staff and managing director of board operations.

Roberts holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of Maryland and an MBA from the University of Maryland Global Campus.

Chris Smith has been named interim vice chancellor for advancement at the University of Missouri. She brings two decades of fundraising and administrative experience to her new role, most recently serving as the university’s assistant vice chancellor for constituent units. She has held other roles with the university including director of advancement for the Thompson Center for Autism and chief development officer for the College of Education and Human Development.

Smith received her bachelor’s degree in communications from Kent State University in Ohio.

Alison Miller has been promoted to chief human resources officer at Virginia Commonwealth University. She first joined the university in 2017 as the executive director of HR service delivery. Most recently, she served as interim assistant vice president for human resources.

Miller holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, and a master’s degree in public administration from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Charmaine Madison has been named vice president of information services and chief information officer at George Mason University in Virginia. She has worked for the Central Intelligence Agency for over a decade, most recently serving as deputy chief of the IT Enterprise Group. She is also a retired cyber operations officer with the United States Air Force.

Dr. Madison holds an MBA from Saint Leo University in Florida, a master’s degree in information technology from the Florida Institute of Technology, a master’s degree in national security studies from the National War College, and a doctorate in strategic leadership from Regent University in Virginia Beach. She is currently pursuing her fourth master’s degree in mental health counseling from the College of William and Mary.

Elisabeth Potts has been named senior coordinator of the North Carolina Health Careers Access Program at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. She has extensive experience serving in medical roles with the United States Army. Previously, she served as the medical education training campus coordinator for the Womack Army Medical Center.

Dr. Potts holds dual bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and biology, respectively, from Troy University in Alabama and a medical degree from the University of South Alabama.

Dionne N. Curbeam has been appointed vice president of information technology and chief information officer for Coppin State University in Baltimore, Maryland. A member of the university staff since 2007, she has served as the interim vice president since 2022. Her promotion makes her the first African American woman to serve in a CIO role within the University System of Maryland.

Dr. Curbeam received her bachelor’s degree in journalism and a doctorate in educational leadership from Bowie State University in Maryland. She holds a master’s degree in instructional system development from the University of Maryland Baltimore County and a master’s degree in organizational communications from Towson University in Maryland.

Heather Crabbe has been appointed assistant dean for the Center for Professional Development in the University of Cincinnati College of Law. She has held several administrative roles within higher education, most recently serving as associate provost for academic support at Mount St. Joseph University in Ohio. Earlier in her career, she served as the assistant dean for students at the Northern Kentucky University Salmon P. Chase College of Law.

Crabbe received her bachelor’s degree from Western Kentucky University and her juris doctorate from Northern Kentucky University.

Kelly Farano has been named assistant dean of administration for the Western State College of Law at Westcliff University in Irvine, California. She previously held administrative roles with the Fowler School of Law at Chapman University in Orange, California.

Farano holds a bachelor’s degree in international business, real estate, and finance from California State University, Long Beach and an MBA from Chapman University.