Four Women Scholars Appointed to Provost Positions at Colleges and Universities

Debbie Storrs was appointed provost, executive vice chancellor, and professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, effective June 30. For the past year, Dr. Storrs has served as the interim provost and vice president for academic affairs at the University of North Dakota. Dr. Storrs joined the University of North Dakota in 2013, where she served as dean of the College of Arts & Sciences for five years before her appointment as senior vice provost. Earlier in her career, she was a professor and associate dean at the University of Idaho.

A first-generation college student, Dr. Storrs earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology with a minor in psychology from the University of Alaska. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Oregon.

Monica Terrell Leach was appointed provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina. She will begin her new job on June 1. Dr. Leach has been serving as senior associate vice chancellor for enrollment management and academic affairs at North Carolina Central University in Durham. Earlier, Dr.Leach served at North Carolina State University for nearly 18 years in many capacities, including assistant dean for academic affairs and director of diversity programs in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, assistant vice provost for enrollment management, and associate professor and interim chair for the department of social work.

Dr. Leach holds a bachelor’s degree in business education from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. She earned a master’s degree in adult and community college education, and a doctorate in higher education administration from North Carolina State University.

Laura A. McLary was named provost and chief academic officer at Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia, effective July 1. Dr. McLary comes to Hollins from the University of Portland in Oregon, where she first joined the faculty in 1999 as an assistant professor of German. She was promoted to associate professor in 2003 and full professor in 2015. The following year, Dr. McLary became the academic associate dean for the university’s College of Arts and Sciences. In July 2020, she was named interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, which is the largest academic unit at the University of Portland with 15 departments, nearly 250 full- and part-time faculty, and over 1,300 student majors.

Dr. McLary is a graduate of Bowling Green State University in Ohio, where she majored in German language and literature. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in German language and literature from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Lisa Anderson-Levy will become the executive vice president and provost at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota on July 6. Dr. Anderson-Levy joins Macalester from Beloit College in Wisconsin, where she spent the past 13 years as a professor of anthropology. At Beloit, Professor Anderson-Levy served as associate dean of academic affairs and as chair of the department of anthropology.

Dr. Anderson-Levy graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and minors in French and women’s studies from Washington State University. She earned a Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Minnesota with a minor in feminist studies.