Seven Women Appointed to Administrative Roles in Higher Education

Maryam Laguna Borrego has been promoted to senior vice president and chief operating officer at Miami Dade College in Florida. She has been an administrator at the college since 2021, most recently serving as vice president for external affairs and strategy and chief of staff. Previously, she was the assistant vice president of public affairs at the University of Miami.

Dr. Borrego received her bachelor’s degree in political science and sociology and a master’s degree in public policy and public affairs from the University of Florida. She holds a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Miami.

Ashley Allen has been named executive director of inclusion and intercultural experiences at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. She has been a staff member with the university since 2016. Her new role will focus on developing mentoring, advising, and cultural programming for the Augustana student body.

Allen holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and African American studies from the University of Iowa and a master’s degree in public administration from Upper Iowa University.

Connie Wilson has been appointed vice president for advancement at Southern Arkansas University. She has held several different positions with the university over the past 15 years. Most recently, she served as dean of graduate studies.

Dr. Wilson is a two-time graduate of Southern Arkansas University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in education and master’s degree in secondary education. She holds a doctorate in educational leadership from Louisiana Tech University.

Chanel Graves has been named director of TRIO Upward Bound Math and Science at Virginia Union University. She has over a decade of experience in middle school science education, curriculum development, and advancing reading and literacy initiatives for English language learners.

Dr. Graves earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry and mathematics from Norfolk State University in Virginia and her master’s degree in education from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. She holds a Ph.D. in education from National University.

Dania Matos has been appointed vice president for diversity, inclusion, and belonging at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois. She comes to her new role from the University of California, Berkeley, where she currently serves as vice chancellor for equity and inclusion. Earlier in her career, she held similar roles with the University of California, Merced and the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Matos holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Brown University and a juris doctorate from the Catholic University of America.

Colette Carmouche has been named university ombudsperson at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She has served as an ombudsperson at Harvard University for the past three years. Previously, she spent over a decade as an ombudsman specialist for the Transportation Security Administrator.

Carmouche is a graduate of the University of Rochester in New York, where she double-majored in anthropology and African and African American studies. She holds a master’s degree in conflict analysis and resolution from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.

Keitha Carlton has been named vice president of business services at Paris Junior College in Texas. She previously served as the college’s comptroller. Most recently, she served as director of accounting, associate vice president, and comptroller for student financial services at Collin College in McKinney, Texas.

Carlton earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration and master’s degree in accounting from the University of Texas at Arlington.