Transitions: Gonzaga U. and U. of Washington Name New Presidents

CHIEF EXECUTIVES
Appointments
Lise Alschuler, associate director of the fellowship in integrative medicine at the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine and a professor of clinical medicine at the University of Arizona, has been named president of Sonoran University of Health Sciences.

Torey Alston, executive director and chief executive of the Greater Miami Expressway Agency and former chair of the School Board of Broward County, has been named president of Broward College, in Florida.

Doug Binsfeld, vice president for academic and student affairs at Upper Iowa University, has been named president of Northern Maine Community College.

Taylor Eighmy, president of the University of Texas at San Antonio, has been named acting president of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. He will hold both positions concurrently.

Marie Hardin, dean of the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications at Pennsylvania State University, has been named president of Quinnipiac University.

Robert J. Jones, chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has been named president of the University of Washington.

Antonio Merlo, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science at New York University, has been named president of Drexel University.

Brian Pappas, dean of the University of North Dakota School of Law, has been named chancellor of the Indiana University at South Bend.

Katia Passerini, provost and senior executive vice president at Seton Hall University, has been named president of Gonzaga University.

William H. Sanders, dean of the College of Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, has been named president of the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Resignations
Katricia Pierson, president of Crowder College, in Missouri, has stepped down. Chett Daniel, the college’s associate vice president for career and technical education, has been named interim president.

Sylvia Trent-Adams, president of the University of North Texas Health Science Center, is stepping down. This comes after an investigation found that the center had failed to contact families before using their loved ones’ corpses for medical research.

Armando Valdez, president of Colorado State University at Pueblo, resigned after an investigation found that he violated university policy.

Retirements
Rob Denson, president of Des Moines Area Community College, will retire in December.

José Padilla, president of Valparaiso University, plans to retire at the end of this year.

Sean Parnell, chancellor of the University of Alaska at Anchorage, will retire at the end of the spring semester.

David J. Spittal, president of MidAmerica Nazarene University, plans to retire in June.

CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICERS
Appointments
Daniel Jasper, vice president for academic affairs at William Jewell College, in Missouri, has been named provost at Millsaps College, in Mississippi.

Gina Kertulis-Tartar has been named provost and vice president for academic affairs at Dalton State College after serving in the role as interim since June 2024.

Jeanette Parker has been named provost and vice president for academic affairs at Campbellsville University after serving as interim vice president for academic affairs.

Nicole Sampson has been named provost and chief academic officer at the University of Rochester after serving as interim provost since August 2024.

Kenneth E. Sumner, associate provost for academic affairs and acting dean of the Graduate School at Montclair State University, has been named provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at Manhattan University.

Susan Willis, academic dean at Rogers State University, in Oklahoma, has been named interim vice president for academic affairs.

Resignations
Julian Vasquez Heilig, provost at Western Michigan University, has stepped down and will join the faculty.

John Wiencek, executive vice president and provost at the University of Akron, will step down and return to the faculty.

OTHER TOP ADMINISTRATORS
Appointments
Jeff Chaney has been named vice president for athletics and athletics director after serving as acting vice president since September 2024.

Bob Fass, chief advancement officer at the Webb Schools, in Claremont, Calif., has been named vice president for college advancement at Pitzer College.

Seth Gilbertson, former senior counsel in the State University of New York Office of General Counsel, has been named chief campus counsel at the University at Buffalo.

Stacy Roberts Giwa has been named senior vice president for human resources at the University of Southern California after serving in the role as interim since October 2024.

Kathleen Heckman, interim vice president for university advancement at the University at Buffalo, has been named to the post permanently.

James J. Husson, vice president for development and alumni relations at the University of Pennsylvania, has been named vice president for alumni affairs and development at Harvard University.

Nicholas McIntire, senior director of advancement operations and campaign manager at Allegheny College, has been named vice president for institutional advancement at Westminster College.

Tracy Ostrem, principal for the Ostrem Leadership Group and former associate dean of advancement and chief advancement officer in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Washington, has been named vice president for university advancement at the University of Nevada at Reno.

Francisco X. Pineda, executive vice president for asset management at the New York City Economic Development Corporation, has been named executive vice president for business and operations and chief operating officer at the New School.

Maria Sexton, chief information officer at the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada, has been named senior vice president and chief information officer at the University of Tennessee Medical Center.

Rebecca Woodland, a professor of educational policy, leadership, and evaluation in the College of Education at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, has been named vice president for the International Network for the Science of Team Science.

Kimberly Zimmerman, assistant vice president for admissions at Knox College, in Illinois, has been named vice president for enrollment at Ripon College, in Wisconsin.

Resignations
John Roberson, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Campbell University, will step down and join the faculty at the end of the academic year in May.

Retirements
Charlotte Pegues, vice chancellor for student affairs at the University of Mississippi, is retiring after being placed on leave.

DEANS
Appointments
Nancy Abashian, senior director for public services and the Office of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility at Binghamton University Libraries, has been named dean of university libraries at Ball State University.

Sean Atkinson, an associate professor of music theory and former director of the School of Music at Texas Christian University, has been named dean of the College of Fine Arts at the University of Montevallo.

Walaa Awad, former director of the science program at Baker College, has been named dean of health and wellness at Delta College.

Steven J. Beaupre, associate dean of the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas, has been named dean of the Graduate School at Arkansas State University.

Nicole L. Beebe, assistant vice president in the Office of Research and a professor of information systems and cybersecurity at the University of Texas at San Antonio, has been named dean of the College of Computing at the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Cameron G. Duncan, interim dean of the Orvis School of Nursing at the University of Nevada at Reno, has been named dean of the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing at Florida Atlantic University.

Frank Elwell, a professor of sociology at Rogers State University, in Oklahoma, has been named interim dean of the College Arts and Sciences.

Brian Horgan, associate dean for faculty affairs and development in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at Michigan State University, has been named dean of the College of Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Sciences at California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo.

Todd Jackson, chair of the Department of Business at Rogers State University, in Oklahoma, has been named interim dean of the College of Professional Studies.

Rebecca Krystyniak has been named dean of academic innovation and success at St. Cloud Technical & Community College.

Matthew Laurent, dean of the School of Health and Clinical Professions at Tarleton State University, has been named dean of the College of Health and Human Services at Salisbury University.

Sarah Hollingsworth (Holly) Lisanby, a professor emeritus at Duke University and director of the Division of Translational Research at the National Institute of Mental Health, has been named founding dean of the Arizona State University School of Medicine and Advanced Medical Engineering.

Rene Love, associate dean of academic affairs for graduate clinical education and a clinical professor at the University of Florida, has been named dean of the Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences Ellmer School of Nursing at Old Dominion University.

Tyre (T.J.) McDowell Jr., former senior adviser and chief of staff to the mayor of Lincoln and former assistant vice chancellor for student life and leadership at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, has been named assistant vice chancellor and dean of students at the university.

Holly Mercer, senior associate dean and professor for the University of Tennessee Libraries, has been named dean of university libraries at the University of Maryland.

Chon Noriega, a professor in the department of film, television, and digital media at the University of California at Los Angeles, has been named interim dean of the university’s School of Theater, Film, and Television.

Jessica Slaten, director of financial services at Gadsden State Community College, has been named dean of financial and administrative services.

Ayanna Thomas, a professor of psychology and dean of research for the School of Arts and Sciences at Tufts University, has been named dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Resignations
Elizabeth Smith, dean of the faculty at Dartmouth College, will step down and return to the faculty.

OTHER ADMINISTRATORS
Appointments
Scott Baier, chair of the department of economics at Clemson University, has been named acting associate dean for research in the university’s Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business.

Joyelle Harris, director of Undergraduate Transformative Learning Initiatives and an associate director of CREATE-X at the Georgia Institute of Technology, has been named director of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Institute in the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University.

Ibram X. Kendi, founder and director of the Center for Antiracist Research at Boston University, has been named director of the Howard University Institute for Advanced Study.

Brittany Longsdorf, multifaith chaplain director of religious and spiritual life at Bates College, has been named associate dean of religious life and the chapel at Princeton University.

Jennifer Ross, a professor of physics at Syracuse University, has been named associate dean for creativity, scholarship, and research in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Kacey Strickland, executive director of the offices of sponsored projects and of research compliance and security in the Office of Research and Economic Development at Mississippi State University, has been named assistant vice president and executive director for research administration.

Cathy Wood, senior associate dean for finance and administration at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, has been named the inaugural vice dean for finance and administration at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and senior vice president at Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Resignations
The Rev. Janet Cooper Nelson, chaplain at Brown University, will step down in June after 35 years.

ORGANIZATIONS
Appointments
Jon Williamson, dean of the School of Health Professions at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, has been named president-elect of the Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions.

DEATHS
Tim Boosinger, special adviser to the provost at Clemson University, died on January 27.

Iris Cummings Critchell, instructor of aeronautics emerita at Harvey Mudd College, died on January 24. She was 104. Critchell was a swimmer who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin and flew with the Women Airforce Service Pilots in World War II.

Samuel J. Dunn, a professor emeritus and former chair of the department of plant science and technology in the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at North Carolina A&T State University, died on January 9. He was 102.

Viola Florez, dean emerita of the College of Education and Human Sciences at the University of New Mexico, died at 77.

Loretta Ford, founding dean of the University of Rochester School of Nursing, died on January 22. She was 104.

Daniel L. Ritchie, who served as chancellor of the University of Denver from 1989 to 2005, died on January 30. He was 93.

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