Public Institution

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.

Indiana University-Bloomington (IUB) has appointed Dr. Grace Sembajwe as a Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health (EOH) within the School of Public Health.  She will begin on August 1st. Dr. Sembajwe currently holds academic appointments at the rank of Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular Medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research; the Department of Occupational Medicine, Epidemiology, and Prevention at Northwell Health; and the Department of Molecular Medicine and Occupational Medicine, Epidemiology, and Prevention at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra University.  She also holds an appointment as Affiliated Investigator at the CUNY Institute for Implementation Science in Public Health.  She has authored nearly 50 peer-reviewed publications and has presented nationally and internationally on her scholarship. Dr. Sembajwe received a B.A. in Natural Science from Goshen College, an M.S. in Industrial Hygiene from Central Missouri State University, and an Sc.D. in Epidemiology from the University of Massachusetts Lowell.
 

University of Wisconsin-Green Bay has appointed Dr. Dawn Crim as its new Vice Chancellor of Inclusivity and Community Engagement. Dr. Crim will begin on August 9, 2023. Dr. Crim currently serves as a Consultant for Equity, Inclusion, and Employee Well-Being at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. As a Consultant for UW-Madison, Crim provides high-level consultation to schools, colleges, and divisions across campus to support and improve campus climate. Crim also coaches and advises leaders on building organizational capacity and navigating change; as well as supporting the creation and sustainability of healthy, equitable, and inclusive policies, systems, and environments campus wide. Dr. Crim earned her M. ED. In Counselor Education from Pennsylvania State University and her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Read more here.