On June 1, Kathy Murphy became president of Wallace Community College-Dothan in Alabama. According to federal data, the school enrolls about 4,000 students, two-thirds of whom are women.
Prior to her new role, Dr. Murphy was president of Gadsden State Community College in Alabama for over four years. Her career in education includes three decades of experience in both higher education and K-12 settings. She has held principal and superintendent positions with several school districts throughout the state of Alabama. She has also taught at Judson College, the University of West Georgia, and Auburn University at Montgomery.
“Some people go to work every day to their job and others go to their career and I get to go to my calling”, said Dr. Murphy. “I appreciate the opportunity and the privilege I have to be a part of the Alabama Community College system, to have had the absolute blessing and pleasure of serving at Gadsden. Now, I warmly embrace and look forward to the opportunity and the privilege that we’ll have to serve alongside the great folks that are already at Wallace-Dothan.”
A graduate of Troy University in Alabama, Dr. Murphy holds two master’s degrees and an educational specialist degree from Auburn University at Montgomery and a doctorate from Auburn University
Heather Pence recently became president of Chattahoochee Technical College in Marietta, Georgia. Across its nine campuses, the college enrolls over 9,800 students, 57 percent of whom are women.
With more than 20 years of experience at Chattahoochee Technical College, President Pence recently served as interim president and executive vice president for operations. She has served in several leadership capacities at the community college, overseeing financial, human resources, technology, and administrative divisions. Earlier, she worked for the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts.
“I am honored to serve as President of Chattahoochee Technical College,” said President Pence. “Having dedicated my career to this college and to the Technical College System of Georgia, I am passionate about our mission of delivering high-quality education and workforce training. I look forward to working alongside our talented faculty, staff, and partners to continue providing life-changing opportunities for our students and strengthening the communities we serve.”
President Pence received her bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of North Georgia and her MBA from Reinhardt University in Waleska, Georgia.
Preselfannie E. Whitfield McDaniels has been selected to serve as interim provost and vice president for academic affairs at Jackson State University in Mississippi.
Ann Huff Stevens has been named provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Colorado Boulder. She will begin her new role on July 15.
Maggy Tomova has been appointed executive vice president for academic affairs and provost of Augusta University in Georgia. Her appointment is effective July 1.
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New York University Langone Health has received a $50 million gift from the Allison and Roberto Mignone Family Foundation and a $10 million gift from Kenneth C. Griffin, founder of both Citadel and Griffin Catalyst, to establish the Mignone Women’s Health Collaborative. The new center will focus on advancing the university’s patient care capabilities and research in women’s health, as well as develop new coursework at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
Scripps College, a women’s liberal arts college in Claremont, California, has received a $6.3 million gift from the estate of Elizabeth “Betsy” Gordon Reinhold, an alumna who passed away in 2024. The donation will fund student scholarships through the Scripps Access Initiative and support the college’s Centennial Plaza Project, which aims to revitalize the Scripps campus.
California State University, Los Angeles has received a $100,000 grant to expand connections between the university’s department of women’s, gender, and sexuality studies and the College of Ethnic Studies. The grant will support faculty in developing dual-bachelor’s degree pathways for students to pursue double-majors in women’s, gender, and sexuality studies, and an Ethnic studies discipline, such as Asian and Asian American studies, Chicana(o) and Latina(o) studies, or Pan African studies.
Mississippi University for Women has signed a new agreement with Holmes Community College in Goodman, Mississippi that establishes several streamlined degree pathways for students.
“We are excited to announce our partnership with Holmes Community College, which reinforces our commitment to accessible education and creates new opportunities for students,” said Nora Miller, President of Mississippi University for Women. Together, we are dedicated to supporting academic growth and ensuring our graduates are well-prepared to enter the workforce.”
Shirley Marie Watts, longtime librarian at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, passed away on October 21, 2024. She was 89 years old.
Lydia E. Kavraki has been named a university professor at Rice University in Houston, Texas. The title is the university’s highest faculty distinction. Dr. Kavraki is one of 11 professors and the third woman to earn the title. An expert on robotics, AI, and computational biomedicine, she currently serves as the Kenneth and Audrey Kennedy Professor of Computing and director of the Ken Kennedy Institute.
Laura Vogel has earned the distinction of university professor at Illinois State University. She has been a faculty member in the university’s School of Biological Sciences for over 25 years. For the past three years, she has been associate dean for research, facilities, and technology in the College of Arts and Sciences. In her research, she studies immune regulation.
Daphne Greenberg has earned been appointed as a Regents Professor at Georgia State University. The title is the highest academic rank within the University System of Georgia. Dr. Greenberg is a full professor of learning sciences and director of the Adult Literacy Research Center. Her current research focuses determining the best instructional approaches for adults who read below the eighth-grade level.
Qing-Xiang Sang has been granted the title of distinguished research professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Florida State University. A faculty member since 1993, she currently serves as the Diane & Michael Bruton Professor for Cancer Research. As a biochemist, she studies cell development to advance the understanding of cancer formation and treatment.
Julie Collins-Dogrul has been promoted from associate professor to full professor of sociology at Whittier College in California. A faculty member since 2008, she currently holds the C. Wright Mills Endowed Chair in Sociology. She is also affiliated with Whittier’s Center for Engagement and Communities, where she connects undergraduates researchers with local organizations. Her scholarship focuses on U.S.-Mexico border issues, inter-organizational cooperation and governance, and health disparities.
Barbara Finlayson-Pitts, distinguished professor emerita of chemistry at the University of California, Irvine, has been named the North American laureate of the 2025 L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Award. Every year, the prestigious award is presented to five outstanding women in STEM from Africa and the Arab States, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and North America.
Lesley Clack has been appointed dean of the School of Health Professions at Mississippi State University-Meridian. She comes to her new role from Florida Gulf Coast University, where she served as a professor and chair of the department of health sciences. She has been a college instructor for the past two decades, previously teaching at the University of Georgia and Armstrong State University.
Kelly D. Bradley has been named dean of the College of Education and Professional Development at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. With over two decades of experience in higher education, she previously served as chair of the department of educational policy studies and evaluations and program chair for research methods in education at the University of Kentucky.
Geri Glover has been selected to serve as interim dean of the School of Education at New Mexico Highlands University. She has been a faculty member with the school for over 16 years. Currently, she teaches as an associate professor and chairs the counseling department. Her expertise centers on mental health, play therapy, and diversity training.
Theresa Hickey has been named dean of the College of Education at Western Oregon University. Previously, she was associate dean of the College of Social Sciences and Education at California State University, Bakersfield. Earlier, she was dean of the College of Education and Counseling at Saint Martin’s University in Washington.
Rebecca “Becky” Simcik has been appointed senior director of university health services at Pennsylvania State University. She has served in the role on an interim basis for the past three months. She first joined Penn State’s university health services in 2018 as a staff physician. In 2022, she was promoted to medical director.
Angel E. R. Pointer has been named the inaugural director of customer service at South Carolina State University. She most recently served as the university’s director of alumni affairs and engagement. Before joining the university’s administration, she was an associate vice president for Wells Fargo.
Usha Lee McFarling has been appointed director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Knight Science Journalism Program, a mid-career fellowship program for science journalists to complete 10 months of study with MIT, Harvard, and other institutions in Boston. A science writer for over three decades, McFarling most recently worked for STAT News.
Stacy Jones has been promoted to vice president for public services and outreach at the University of Georgia. She has held a variety of leadership roles at the university for over a decade. Most recently, she was associate vice president and director of the UGA Center for Continuing Education and Hotel.
Aimee Heeter has been named vice chancellor for finance at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. With over two decades of higher education experience, she currently serves has been serving as vice provost for finance and administration at Indiana University. Earlier in her tenure at Indiana, she served as associate vice provost for finance and budget and assistant vice president for budget.
Donna Blake has been selected to serve as interim associate vice president for Utah State University’s Blanding campus. An administrator at USU Blanding for 18 years, she currently serves as the campus’ director of operations. Earlier, she served as a business officer and a finance officer.
In recognition of her outstanding career contributions, Gwen Gray, the business, economics, and entrepreneurship librarian at the University of Missouri, has received the 2025 BRASS Excellence in Business Librarianship Award from the Reference and User Services Association, a division of the American Library Association.
Samantha Power has received a joint appointment as the Anna Lindh Professor of the Practice of Global Leadership and Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School and as the William D. Zabel ’61 Professor of Practice in Human Rights at Harvard Law School. Her appointment marks a return to Harvard, where she previously taught from 2017 to 2021. More recently, she served in the Biden administration as the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Hannah Pollin-Galay has been named the Pen Tishkach Chair of Holocaust Studies and director of the Institute for Holocaust, Genocide, and Memory Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She will hold faculty appointments in the university’s department of Judaic and Near Eastern studies and the department of history. For the past five years, she has served as head of the Jona Goldrich Institute for Yiddish Language, Literature, and Culture at Tel Aviv University in Israel.
Misty Gamble has been named the Steven Mayes Professor of Visual Arts at West Texas A&M University. A faculty member since 2020, she is the founder of Studio Nong: International Sculpture Collective and Residency Program. As an artist, she creates life-size ceramic figurative sculptures and installations of multiple ceramic cast figures, focusing attention on issues surrounding eco-feminism.
Roya Biggie was promoted to associate professor of English. Her research examines how early modern literature engages the scientific and medical frameworks of the era, as well as the intellectual trends that emerged from European colonization. She is a contributor to the two-volume set 
Deirdre Dougherty was named an associate professor of educational studies. She is a specialist in the history of U.S. education, with particular research interest in the experiences of Black and ethnic Mexican migrant families. She is co-author of the book 
Leanne Trapedo Sims was appointed the Daniel J. Logan Associate Professor of Peace and Justice. Her research focuses on the experiences of individuals of many backgrounds warehoused in the U.S. carceral system. Sher is the author of 
Leah Ward Sears has been named interim president of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Her appointment follows current Emory President Gregory Fenves’ transition to the role of chancellor, a reconstituted position that will focus on strengthening relationships with key university constituents. An Emory alumna, Sears is slated to begin her interim presidency on September 1.
Alexia Hudson-Ward has been elected vice president/president-elect of the Association of College and Research Libraries. Her appointment begins on July 1, 2025, followed by a one-year term as president beginning July 1, 2026.
Natalia S. Rost, professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, has been elected the thirty-ninth president of the American Academy of Neurology.
Ale Kennedy has been appointed chair-elect of the national board of directors for the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR). Her role begins on July 1, following a one-year term as chair of the board in 2026-2027.
Neva Specht has been appointed executive vice president and provost at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. She began her appointment on May 1 after one year of service as interim provost.
Jessica Lavariega Monforti was promoted from interim provost to permanent provost of California State University Channel Islands in May. She was first named interim provost during the fall 2024 semester.
Kathleen Weaver has been selected to serve as interim executive vice president and provost of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. Her appointment went into effective on June 1.
Patsy Parker has been appointed interim provost and vice president for academic affairs at Southwestern Oklahoma State University. She officially began her interim role on June 1.
Tracy Skopek has been named provost and vice president of academic and student affairs at Lamar State College Orange in Texas. She will begin her new role in July.
Melissa Bonds has been promoted to associate professor of education. She first joined the Alverno faculty in 2018 and has served as director of the doctor of education degree program since 2022. Earlier in her career, she spent more than a decade on the staff of Milwaukee Public Schools.
Ronett Jacobs has been promoted to associate professor of education. An Alverno faculty member since 2018, she currently directs the Thea Bowman Institute for Excellence and Leadership. Throughout her career in education, she has focused on developing innovative student-centered practices, designing creative learning environments, coaching teachers, and supporting student success.
Andrea Skyberg has been promoted to associate professor of art education and art therapy. She currently serves as the assessment coordinator for Alverno’s art department. In addition to teaching her own courses in studio arts and art education, she is involved with developing new arts courses at the college.
Laura Grafe, professor of psychology at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, passed away unexpectedly on May 5. She was 39 years old.
Jill Drouillard has been promoted to director of the Women’s College at Mississippi University for Women. She has served as an assistant professor of philosophy and women’s gender, and sexuality studies for the past five years. Earlier this year, she published her first book, 
Carrie Geiger has been appointed director of the P. K. Yonge Developmental Research School in the College of Education at the University of Florida. A faculty member with the college since 1999, she has been an administrator at P. K. Yonge for the past 13 years. Currently, she serves as the research school’s secondary school principal.
Renata Engel has been selected to serve as interim vice president for Commonwealth Campuses at Pennsylvania State University. A Penn State faculty member since 1990, she currently teaches as a professor of engineering mechanics and engineering design. She has served in several administrative capacities, including her current role as vice provost for online education.
Cicilia Yudha has joined the faculty of the School of Music at the University of Nevada-Reno as a professor of piano. She previously served as an associate professor of piano at Youngstown State University in Ohio. A versatile soloist and chamber musician, she has performed and taught master classes at institutions around the world.
Jami Fukui has been appointed chief of clinical breast oncology for the Ka ʻUmeke Lama initiative at the University of Hawai
Allison Harris has earned the distinction of University Professor at Illinois State University. She has taught in the department of physics since 2013 and achieved the rank of full professor in 2021. In her work, she researches computational methods of charged particle collisions, ultrafast physics, and biophysics.
The American Society for Nutrition has issued its Jean-Pierre Habicht Lifetime Achievement in International Nutrition Award to Maureen M. Black, professor emeritus of pediatrics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
Wendy Powers has been named dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Maryland. She comes to her new role from Washington State University, where she has been serving as the inaugural Cashup Davis Family Endowed Dean of the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences. Earlier, she was associate vice president for the division of agriculture and natural resources at the University of California.
Dawn Conway has been selected to serve as interim dean and executive-in-residence of the Raj Soin College of Business at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. Currently, she is the president and chief executive officer of Boost Engagement, a brand engagement agency. Prior to her interim appointment, she served on the Wright State’s board of trustees for four years, including a one-year term as vice chair.
Brigitte Vittrup has been promoted from interim dean to permanent dean of the College of Professional Education at Texas Woman’s University. Throughout her tenure with the university, she has served in several leadership capacities, including chair of the department of human development, family studies, and counseling and acting director of the School of Library and Information Sciences.
Every two years, the Bodossaki Foundation in Greece presents the Bodossaki Distinguished Young Scientist Awards to four scholars of Greek heritage for their outstanding early-career research. The awards cover the fields of basic sciences, life sciences, applied sciences and technologies, and social sciences. Among this year’s recipients are two women professors at American-based universities.
Stavroula Hatzios, associate professor of molecular, cellular, and developmental biology and of chemistry at Yale University, received the 2025 Bodossaki Distinguished Young Scientist Award in Life Sciences.
Vicky Fouka, the Bing Professor of Human Biology and associate professor of political science at Stanford University, received the 2025 Bodossaki Distinguished Young Scientist Award in Social Sciences.
Blaire Hines has been appointed director of the Lincoln University Employment Academy in Missouri. Most recently, she served as program director of Missouri Girls Town in Kingdom City. She previously worked for St. Louis Community College as a program planner and continuing education coordinator.
Stephanie Johnson has been named athletic director at Goucher College in Baltimore. Currently, she is the associate director of athletics for compliance and Title IX, senior woman administrator, and interim head women’s volleyball coach at Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania. Earlier, she was assistant athletic director and senior woman administrator at Brevard College in North Carolina.
Sue Porterfield has been named senior associate vice provost for research operations at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. She previously spent two decades with Johns Hopkins in various administrative and research positions. More recently, she was vice president of research at Kean University in New Jersey.
Rachel Davis has been selected to serve as interim senior associate vice president for finance at Grambling State University in Louisiana. Her background includes over a decade of experience in audit, accounting, and risk management. Currently, she serves as Grambling’s director of internal audit.
Blakely R. Pomietto has been promoted to assistant president and chief of staff for the Office of the President at the University of Maryland. For the past two decades, she has held various academic and leadership roles throughout the University System of Maryland. Most recently, she was senior vice president or academic affairs and chief academic officer for the system’s Global Campus.
Sabine Klahr has been promoted from interim vice provost to permanent vice provost for Penn State Global. Prior to her interim appointment last year, she spent two years as associate vice provost. Before joining Penn State, she was associate and acting chief global officer at the University of Utah.
Heather O. Freeman has been named associate vice president for enrollment management at Xavier University of Louisiana. She comes to her new role from Southern University at New Orleans, where she served as associate vice chancellor of enrollment management and student success and director of University College.
Kathleen “Katie” McCarthy has been selected to serve as interim vice president for enrollment management at Seton Hall University in New Jersey. She has been a staff member with Seton Hall since 2013. Currently, she serves as assistant vice president for enrollment management operations.
Freda Patterson has been named the Alumni Distinguished Professor of Health Behavior and Nutrition Sciences. A University of Delaware faculty member since 2015, she currently serves as associate dean of research in the College of Health Sciences. Earlier in her tenure, she was her department’s associate chair for research and graduate education. Her academic expertise includes sleep health, health disparities, and health behavior change.
Marianna Safronova has been named the Unidel Professor of Physics and Astronomy. She first joined the University of Delaware faculty in 2003 and achieved the rank of full professor in 2013. For over a decade, she has also been an adjunct fellow with the Joint Quantum Institute, an initiative between the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the University of Maryland. In her work, she studies a wide range of research topics related to quantum, atomic, and nuclear applications.
Carolyn Voter has been named the Brigid Hawk McVaugh ’74 and John B. McVaugh, Jr. ’71’75M Term Professor of Environmental Engineering. In addition to her primary appointments in the departments of civil and environmental engineering and earth sciences, she is affiliated with the university’s Center for Applied Coastal Research. Her research focuses on the challenges of sustainably managing water resources and restoring ecosystem services.
Iris S. Levine has been selected to serve as interim president of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Her appointment is effective July 28, following the retirement of current president 
Carrie Castille has been appointed the tenth president of the University of Louisiana Monroe. Upon assuming her role, she will become the institution’s first-ever woman president.