A Quartet of Women in New Administrative Roles at Universities

Susan Baida has been named the inaugural executive director of the Collaboratory Against Hate, a research and action partnership between the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University. In her new role, she will facilitate partnerships with technology companies, foundations, government, and nonprofits to research how hate radicalizes through social platforms and design intervention tools. She was the director of diversity, equity, and inclusion for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Baida earned a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies from Emory University in Atlanta. She completed executive leadership training and certifications in diversity leadership and strategic human resources business partnerships at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York.

Michelle Hargis Wolfe has been selected as the first chief people officer at the University of Arkansas, effective February 1. She will join the university after spending nearly 20 years with Walmart Inc., most recently as a senior director for Enterprise Business Services, where she oversaw supplier onboarding, master data management strategy and operations, and realty construction contract and project management.

A Little Rock native, Hargis Wolfe earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Arkansas. She received an MBA and a juris doctorate from the University of Denver.

De Acker was selected to serve as campus ombuds at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Acker served as director of the University of California, Santa Barbara Women’s Center for 12 years before joining the University of California, Merced to serve as the assistant dean of the School of Natural Sciences. There, she founded the university’s omsbud office.

Acker holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in education from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Marta Panickar is the inaugural director of research security at the University of Mississippi. With an aerospace engineering background and experience managing sponsored projects from the Department of Defense, Panickar will develop training and communication regarding research security requirements and procedures on the University of Mississippi campus.

Panickar holds undergraduate degrees in applied mathematics and aerospace engineering and a master’s degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology. She earned an MBA at the University of Mississippi.