Appointments
Jewel Jones is joining Guttman Community College (New York) as its chief diversity officer. She previously was associate director of compliance and diversity/deputy chief diversity officer/deputy Title IX coordinator at Hostos Community College (New York).
Melanie Rose is now chief of institutional advancement and external affairs officer at Community Colleges of Spokane (Washington). She has experience in both higher education and K-12 and most recently was regional business manager for Avista Utilities.
Darren Smith is the inaugural executive director of institutional effectiveness at Raritan Valley Community College (New Jersey). He previously was director of institutional effectiveness at Valencia College in Florida.
Rassheedah “Eda” Watts will serve as interim vice chancellor for equity and inclusion at Minnesota State, the state’s system for public two-year colleges and four-year universities. She has served North Hennepin Community College since 2020 as associate vice president for equity and inclusion and vice president, equity, inclusion and culture.
Mark Winter, a retired U.S. Navy officer and former commandant of midshipmen at Maine Maritime Academy, has been hired as the first program director of the Maine Defense Industry Alliance. MDIA, which launched in March, is a coalition of Maine defense industry companies, community colleges and universities, state agencies, and the U.S. Navy that aims to train thousands of new employees for critical jobs in the state’s defense industrial base.
Kudos
Yeurys Pujols, vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion at Hudson County Community College (and an alumnus of the New Jersey college), was recently honored with the Outstanding Dominican Recognition Abroad Award from Instituto de Dominicanos y Dominicanos en el Exterior. The institute noted Pujols’ work in building the college’s DEI office from the ground up and promoting an institutional climate that appreciates and celebrates differences while championing inclusive practices, policies and procedures. Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader presented the award in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic.
