By Maddie Garvis//
The Hood search committee for a new Dean of Students began interviewing candidates for the position on Oct. 20 and will continue interviews until Nov. 2.
The search comes months after current Dean of Students Olivia White announced her retirement after 27 years at Hood.
Members of the search committee include: Provost Debbie Ricker, biology professor Oney Smith, assistant professor of education Becky Grove, Assistant Director of Residence Life LaShawn Taylor, Director of Campus Safety Thurmond Maynard, Career Center Director Lisa Littlefield, sophomore Russell Odor and junior Ashley Arevalo.
The search committee is considering five candidates for the position. Each candidate will be interviewed by the search committee and will participate in open forums, both on-campus in the chapel and via Zoom, to give members of the Hood community the opportunity to engage with each candidate and give their feedback via an online survey.
“The search committee has worked diligently to bring this slate of candidates to our community for consideration,” Ricker said in an Oct. 16 email. “The candidates represent an impressive array of professional talents honed in the student life realm at institutions throughout the U.S. and all are accomplished leaders in the field.”
The first candidate, Ron Wiafe, was interviewed on Oct. 20.
Wiafe has worked in higher education for 17 years and has a doctorate in higher education from the University of Pittsburgh. Wiafe has previously worked in various positions related to student affairs at Millersville University, Notre Dame College and Metropolitan College of New York, and is the current director of Student Rights and Responsibilities at Gettysburg College.
The second candidate, Tiffany Sanchez, was interviewed on Oct. 21.
Sanchez has 20 years of experience working in student affairs administration roles, has a master of arts degree in college student personnel from Bowling Green State University and is pursuing a doctorate of education at the Vanderbilt Peabody College of Education and Human Development.
Sanchez has previously worked in student affairs administration positions at Heidelberg College, American University, Johns Hopkins University, and is the current vice president of Student Affairs at Stevenson University.
The third candidate, Jennie Smith, was interviewed on Oct. 22.
Smith has worked in student affairs roles for 25 years, has a master’s in education counseling and human development from St. Lawrence University and is pursuing her doctorate in organizational leadership from the University of Dayton.
Smith has held positions in student affairs at University of South Carolina Aiken, Alfred University, and St. Lawrence University, and was most recently the Dean of Students at Capital University until August 2020.
The fourth candidate, Timothy Doyle, was interviewed on Oct. 30.
Doyle has over 30 years of experience working in student affairs administration and has a doctorate in higher education management from the University of Georgia.
Doyle has held student affairs positions at Emory University, Oxford College of Emory University, Oglethorpe University, The American University of Iraq, and is the current associate vice president for student life at Christian Brothers University.
The fifth candidate, Takeem Dean, is scheduled to be interviewed on Nov. 2.
Dean has 16 years of experience in student life administrative roles and has a doctorate in education from Wingate University. Dean has held positions in student life administration at Seton Hall University, North Carolina Central University, The Julliard School, Montclair State University, Passaic County Community College and Allen University, and is the current Dean of Students at Johnson C. Smith University.
The search committee plans to make tits final pick for the position soon after the last candidate is interviewed, and all student and faculty feedback has been collected and evaluated.
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