New Administrative Appointments for Twelve Women in Higher Education

Hannah Thach has been named executive director of the Alliance for System Safety of Uncrewed Aircraft Systems through Research Excellence at Mississippi State University. A staff member with the university for the past eight years, she most recently served as the alliance’s deputy director. Earlier in her tenure, she was a UAS flight operations technician and project member with the Raspet Flight Research Lab.

Thach holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from Colorado State University and an MBA from Mississippi State University.

Detrich Hebert has been appointed director of human resources at Dillard University in Louisiana. She has held several key leadership roles with the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority, including chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer and deputy chief of human resources and labor relations.

Herbert is a graduate of Dillard University, where she majored in accounting. She holds a juris doctorate from Southern University Law Center and an MBA in human resource management from the University of New Orleans.

Ashley Redmond has been named director of development in the division of institutional advancement at the College of Charleston in South Carolina. She most recently served as vice president of development and communications for Florence Crittenton Programs of South Carolina. Earlier, she was executive director and chief development officer for the Roper St. Francis Foundation.

Redmond received her bachelor’s degree in psychology and master’s degree in public health from the University of South Carolina.

Crystal Fletcher has been promoted from assistant director to director of new student and family programs within the division of student affairs at North Carolina Central University. She has been a staff member with the university for the past six years. Her previous experience in higher education includes administrative roles with Living Arts College in North Carolina, Duke University’s National Center for Traumatic Stress, and Duke University Medical Center.

Fletcher holds a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies from North Carolina A&T State University and a master’s degree in public administration from North Carolina Central University. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in educational management from Hampton University in Virginia.

Daphnie Johnson has been promoted from interim director to permanent director of athletics at Fort Valley State University in Georgia. She has extensive experience as an administrator for collegiate athletics, including service as the first woman director of athletics at Clinton College in South Carolina. Earlier in her career, she was the senior woman administrator at Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina.

Johnson received her bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in organizational management from Edward Waters University in Florida and a master’s degree in sport and athletic management from North Central University.

Julia Wickard has been appointed executive director of the Purdue Veterinary Alumni Association and constituent liaison with the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine. Previously, she was the state executive director for the United States Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency in Indiana. In addition to the public sector, she has held key leadership roles with numerous agricultural organizations, including the Indiana Beef Cattle Association and Indiana Farm Bureau Inc.

Wickard is a graduate of Purdue University, where she double-majored in agricultural communications and political science.

Susan Christian has been named senior director of campus and community engagement and conferences services at Rice University in Houston, Texas. With nearly four decades of experience in event management and public service, she currently leads the Mayor’s Office of Special Events in Houston. She is the co-founder of Houston Civic Events Inc., a nonprofit that assists the Mayor’s Office of Special Events with fundraising initiatives.

Christian holds a bachelor of fine arts degree in theatre from Texas Christian University.

Kathryn Meier has been named vice president for communications and marketing at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. She comes to her new role from Drexel University in Philadelphia, where she is vice dean of marketing and communications for the College of Engineering. Earlier in her tenure with Drexel, she served as the engineering school’s inaugural assistant dean for strategy and innovation.

Dr. Meier is a three-time graduate of the University of Delaware, where she earned her bachelor’s degree, an MBA, and a Ph.D.

LaToya Jordan has been named senior associate vice president for audit and compliance at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. She has worked for the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Auditor of Public Accounts for the past 18 years. Most recently, she served as the APA’s deputy auditor for human capital and operations.

Jordan received her bachelor of business administration degree in accounting from Radford University in Virginia, and her MBA from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.

Linda Kroll has been appointed vice president of business and chief financial officer for Claremont McKenna College in California. She comes to her new role from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, where she most recently served as associate vice president for finance.

Dr. Kroll currently serves as chair of the board of trustees at her alma mater, Manchester University in Indiana, where she received her bachelor’s degree in accounting and master of accountancy degree.

Jessica Ambler has been appointed director of the Eleanor D. Wilson Museum at Hollins University, an educational institute for women in Virginia. Before her new position, she was director of the Martin Ary Gallery at Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania. She previously conducted research with the Heller Group and served as a curator with Loupe, Inc.

Dr. Ambler received her bachelor’s degree in art history, criticism, and conservation from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in the same discipline from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Tasha Heard has been selected to serve as interim associate vice president for enrollment management at Grambling State University in Louisiana. She will continue to hold her current role as executive director of Title III programs. Her background includes nearly two decades of higher education experience, specializing in administration, grant management, and student success.

Heard holds a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems and a master of public administration degree in public management from Grambling State University. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in developmental education with a focus on higher education administration and management.