Public Institution

The Seattle Colleges Board of Trustees has selected Dr. Rosie Rimando-Chareunsap as the District's Chancellor. Dr. Rimando-Chareunsap has dedicated much of her career to Seattle Colleges. She stepped in as Acting Chancellor in July 2022 while maintaining her role as President of South Seattle College. She previously served as Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for the Seattle Colleges District, and she has held other important roles across the system for more than 20 years. Dr. Rimando-Chareunsap was recognized as a rising star in 2019 by the  Aspen Institute, which selected her for its prestigious Presidential Fellows Program. She holds a B.A. in English and Ethnic Studies from Washington State University, a Master of Public Administration from the University of Washington, and a Doctorate of Education from Washington State University. Her permanent role as Chancellor becomes official on August 3, 2023. Read more.

Tennessee State University has appointed Lt. Gen. (ret) Jason T. Evans as Chief Operating Officer, who began on July 5th. Mr. Evans comes to TN State from 3 years as the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-9, at the Headquarters Department of the Army.  In this position, he led a staff of 280 and was responsible for advising the Secretary of the Army and the Chief of Staff of the Army on all matters related to the 141 Army Posts, Camps, and Stations worldwide.  He received a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and Management from Bellevue University, a master's degree in Business Administration and Management from Webster University, and a master's degree in Military National Resource Strategy and Policy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (War College). 

Polk State College has appointed Stacey Cary as the Vice President for Human Resources. Ms. Cary begins on July 10, 2023. Ms. Cary previously served as Director of Human Resources at Black Hawk College since 2014. Prior to this, Ms. Cary served as the Director of HR for Family Resources, Inc. from February 2013 to October 2014. Before that, she was the Associate Executive Director, Administrative Services at Arc of the Quad Cities Area from April 2005 to February 2013 where she also served as the agency's CFO and was responsible for Human Resources, Fiscal, Property and Maintenance and Training. From February 2003 to February 2005, Ms. Cary was the Fiscal Director and HR Manager at Generations Area Agency on Aging and before that she was the Controller at Diocese of Davenport from September 1996 to February 2003 where she was responsible for bookkeeping, reconciliation, A/P, A/R, payroll, and benefits. Ms. Cary earned her MBA with a HR concentration at St. Ambrose University and her BA in Accounting from the University of Northern Iowa. Read more.

Polk State College has appointed Dr. Amy Bratten, associate provost of teaching and learning at Southeastern University, as the Provost of Academic Affairs and Workforce Education. Dr. Bratten began on July 3, 2023. Dr. Bratten joined Southeastern University in 2007 and has served the institution in several capacities: ESOL faculty, department chair, associate dean, dean of the College of Education; interim dean, College of Arts and Media; professor; and finally in the associate provost role. She describes herself as a higher education administrator with demonstrated experiences in leadership, global education/study abroad, strategic planning, teaching, professional development, accreditation/program approval, grant writing/oversight, program design/implementation/review, curriculum development, student success, academic advising, academic integrity, creative problem solving, ideation, programmatic assessment, and community engagement/partnerships. Dr. Bratten earned a Doctorate of Education at Nova Southeastern University, a Master of Arts from University of Central Florida, and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Florida. Read more.

Texas State University has appointed Dr. Barrett Bryant as the new Dean of the College of Science and Engineering. Dr. Bryant has over 40 years of experience in higher education and currently serves as Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and tenured Professor of Computer Science and Engineering in the College of Engineering at the University of North Texas. He will begin his new position on August 1, 2023. During Dr. Bryant's tenure at North Texas he oversaw significant departmental growth, added undergraduate and graduate programs in Computer Engineering, Computer Science and Cybersecurity and worked to significantly increase both faculty and student support. Read more.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has appointed Dr. Rodney D. Bennett as Chancellor beginning July 1, 2023. Dr. Bennett most recently served as President of the University of Southern Mississippi, a comprehensive public research institution that enrolls 14,000 students across multiple campuses. As President from 2013 to 2022, Dr. Bennett brought Southern Miss into the top tier of research institutions, delivered improved student outcomes, invested in faculty and high-growth academic programs, and stabilized the budget through fiscally conservative management. Prior to his role at Southern Miss, Dr. Bennett held various leadership roles at the University of Georgia, Winthrop University and his alma mater, Middle Tennessee State University. Dr. Bennett holds a Doctor of Education in Educational Administration from Tennessee State University in Nashville and specialist, master’s, and bachelor’s degrees from Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. Read more.

The University of the District of Columbia has appointed Dr. Twinette L. Johnson as Dean of the David A. Clarke School of Law. She has served in the role in an interim capacity since August 2022. Previously, Dr. Johnson served the School of Law as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and as Director of Academic Success. Prior to UDC, she held leadership and faculty positions at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and at Saint Louis University School of Law. Dr. Johnson earned a Ph.D. in Public Policy at Saint Louis University, a J.D. at Tulane University Law School, and a B.A. in English Literature at Saint Louis University.

University of Maryland has appointed Juan (“Jay”) Rosselló as Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel effective August 1, 2023. Mr. Rosselló currently is the Chief Legal Officer for The University of Texas at San Antonio (“UTSA”), where he has served since 2019. Prior to joining UTSA, he served as General Counsel & Secretary for The InfiLaw System, a consortium of ABA-accredited law schools, and as Director of Legal Affairs and Enterprise Risk, Ethics & Compliance for the National Collegiate Athletics Association. Earlier, Mr. Rosselló served as  Associate General Counsel at West Virginia University. He also has private practice experience as a Partner with Hogan Marren Babbo & Rose, Ltd, a Chicago-based law national law firm serving regulated industries. Mr. Rosselló obtained his BA from Yale University, his JD from the Georgetown University Law Center, and his MBA from Suffolk University’s Sawyer School of Management. Read more here.

University of Wisconsin System has appointed Dr. Monica Smith as Associate Vice President for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging effective 6/12/23. Dr. Smith joins the UW System’s staff with a breadth of experience in diversity in higher education, most recently serving as the first Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Augustana College since 2018. Previous positions include the Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Elizabethtown College and Director of Inclusion and Diversity at Saint Joseph's University. Dr. Smith is an experienced senior leader with a broad background incorporating diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) throughout institutions to create cultures of inclusion and increase a sense of belonging for all students. Dr. Smith holds a DSW and MSW in social work from the University of Pennsylvania and a BS in social work from Eastern College (now University).

The City Colleges of Chicago has appointed Dr. Katonja Webb-Walker as President of Kennedy-King College. She has served in the role in an interim capacity since July 2022. Previously, Dr. Webb-Walker was Senior Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs at Malcolm X College. She also earlier served as a Kennedy-King College administrator from 2009 to 2012, including roles as Interim Vice President and Dean of Continuing Education. Dr. Webb-Walker earned an Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration from Northeastern University, an M.Ed. in Policy, Planning, and Administration from Boston University, and an A.B. in Psychology from Harvard University.