Six Women Appointed to Administrative Roles in Higher Education

Nicole Porchia has been promoted to vice president for student development at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas. A staff member with the university for over a decade, she most recently served as associate vice president for student success and retention. Previously, she was director of multicultural student programs for five years.

Dr. Porchia is an alumna of Ouachita Baptist University, where she majored in mass communication. She holds a master’s degree in higher education leadership from the University of Arkansas and a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Rebecca G. Johnston has been appointed as the social sciences and humanities librarian in the department of research and scholarship at Syracuse University Libraries. She comes to her new role from Wells College in Aurora, New York, where she served as a reference librarian.

Johnston is a graduate of the College of Wooster in Ohio, where she double-majored in English and history. She holds a master’s degree in library and informations science and history from Simmons University in Boston.

Dana Hector has been promoted to assistant vice president for research development and strategic planning at Howard University in Washington, D.C. She first joined the university’s staff in 2000 as an accountant for restricted grants and has received several promotions since that time. For the past 15 years, she has served as the executive director for research administrative services

Hector is a graduate of Howard University, where she majored in finance.

Melissa Shaffmaster has been named the inaugural vice president for marketing and communications at Haverford College in Pennsylvania. Currently, she serves as the senior director of strategic communications in university relations at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Prior to joining the Cornell staff in 2018, she held various roles in public affairs and government relations.

Shaffmaster holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature and visual communication from Lycoming
College in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and a master’s degree in strategic communication from American University in Washington, D.C.

Molly Rowe has been named executive director of the Hilliard Art Museum at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Her background in higher education includes roles with Savannah College of Art & Design in Georgia and Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. She has also held positions with the New York City Ballet and the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Rowe is a graduate of Cornell University, where she double-majored in history and French literature. She holds an MBA in strategic management from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Cadi Stair has been appointed assistant director of development for the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas. A staff member for the past three years, she most recently served as assistant director of the Walton Honors Program in the university’s Sam M. Walton College of Business.

Cadi holds a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from the University of Arkansas.