On the Move February 2020: Recent Hirings and Promotions in Higher Education

Livingstone College in Salisbury, NC, has announced former NFL defensive lineman Sean Gilbert as its new head coach. Gilbert spent 11 years in the NFL, including five seasons as a Carolina Panther from 1998 to 2002.

Indiana Wesleyan University-National & Global has selected Christopher Davis, D.M., to take over as dean of the DeVoe School of business. Prior to being named dean of the DeVoe School of Business, Davis served as associate professor in the Paul R. Carter College of Business at Harding University in Searcy, AR.

Florida’s Jacksonville University has announced the selection of Dr. Barbara A. Ritter as the next dean of the Davis College of Business. Dr. Ritter currently serves as the dean of the Wall College of Business at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, SC. The university will welcome her to campus in July.

Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights, KY, in partnership with the Kentucky Small Business Development Center, has announced Catherine Glover as the new director of its award-winning Small Business Development Center. She has previously served as president/CEO for several chambers of commerce and a state-wide manufacturers association. She assumed her new post on February 3.

Quinton Staples has been selected as the first director of diversity initiatives at College of Coastal Georgia in Brunswick, GA. Previously, Staples worked in multicultural outreach and education at the University of South Florida in Tampa and Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

Northeast Community College in Norfolk, NE, has selected Carla Streff as its new director of its extended campus operation in West Point, NE. Streff, who previously served as executive director of technology services at Northeast, began her new position in early January.

Dr. Douglas Palmer has been selected as president of Culver-Stockton College in Canton, MO. Dr. Palmer has served as provost–vice president of academic affairs and as assistant dean of academic innovation at Walsh University in North Canton, OH, since 2015. He will assume his new role on July 1st.

The University of Massachusetts board of trustees has selected Marcelo Suarez-Orozco to serve as the new chancellor for the system's Boston campus. Suarez-Orozco is the Wasserman Dean at the University of California Los Angeles, where he leads a graduate school, 16 research institutes, and two academic programs. He has also previously held positions at Harvard University and New York University.

Robin Fretwell Wilson, a professor and associate dean at the University of Illinois (U of I) College of Law, has been appointed director of the U of I Institute of Government and Public Affairs. Wilson will assume her new role at the U of I System’s public policy research institute in a designate capacity effective February 16.

The board of trustees of Caldwell University has announced the selection of Matthew Whelan as the next president of the Catholic Dominican University in Caldwell, NJ. He is currently vice president for University Enrollment Strategy and Relationship Development at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, NY.

Christine Wilson, a professor and director of undergraduate programs for Kansas State University’s agricultural economics department, has been appointed associate dean and director of academic programs for Purdue University’s College of Agriculture in West Lafayette, IN, effective February 17.

Kasia Gonnerman has been selected as the next dean of Libraries at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Gonnerman, who is director of Vanderbilt University’s Central Library in Nashville, TN, will begin her work at UAB on April 1.

Featured

  • Illinois Elementary School Breaks Ground on Campus Expansion

    Heather Hill Elementary School, part of Flossmoor School District 161 in Palatine, Ill., recently broke ground on a new addition to the school focused on student support and security, according to a news release. The district partnered with Wold Architects & Engineers for the expansion as part of a longer-term facility planning and modernization initiative.

  • K–12 Safety Trends Report Reveals Reliance on Training, Technology

    Wearable safety technology provider CENTEGIX recently released its 2025 School Safety Trends Report, according to a news release. The report is based on more than 265,000 incidents during the 2024–25 school year as reported through the CENTEGIX Safety Platform, used by more than 800 school districts across the U.S.

  • College of the Mainland Starts Construction on New Library & Learning Center

    College of the Mainland in Texas City, Texas, recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new Library & Learning Center, according to a news release. The new facility is part of a larger, $250-million campus expansion project funded by a 2023 bond program.

  • Wisconsin District Launches Series of Improvement Projects

    The School District of River Falls in River Falls, Wis., recently launched a series of five construction projects scheduled for completion by September 2025, according to a news release. The district partnered with Bray Architects for their design and with integrated construction management firm Kraus-Anderson (KA) for their construction.

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