Presidential Announcement

Sarah Willie-LeBreton is the 12th president of Smith College. She earned a bachelor of arts degree from Haverford College in 1986, and an M.A. (1988) and Ph.D. (1995) from Northwestern University, all in sociology. After having taught at Colby College (1991–1995) and Bard College (1995–1997) in tenure-track appointments, she was tenured at Swarthmore, where she served as coordinator of the Black Studies Program and chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology for a total of 17 years. She was appointed as provost and dean of the faculty at Swarthmore in 2018 and served in that role until 2023.

An accomplished administrator, scholar, and sociologist who studies social inequality and race and ethnicity, Willie-LeBreton is known for her commitment to the liberal arts, strengthening community, and energizing the work of equity and inclusion. She is the author of several dozen articles, essays, reviews, and op-ed columns. Her first book, Acting Black: College, Identity and the Performance of Race, examines how the experiences of Black college alumni of a predominantly white institution (PWI) were distinct from those who attended a comparative HBCU from the waning days of the Civil Rights Movement through the county’s political turn to the right under the Reagan presidency. Her second book, Transforming the Academy: Faculty Perspectives on Diversity and Pedagogy, is a collection of essays to which she has contributed and which she edited. It focuses on the challenges faced by faculty who were previously underrepresented on campuses, including people of color, queer people, neurodivergent people, and people who immigrated to the United States. It explores their experiences as they become participants in dominant spaces within the American Academy.

Willie-LeBreton considers herself an applied sociologist, and she has worked with a broad range of groups and organizations to understand social dynamics and develop strategies to move toward organizational self-awareness, transformation, compassion, and inclusivity. She is a member of and has been active in the Eastern Sociological Society, Sociologists for Women in Society, the Association of Black Sociologists, and the American Sociological Association (ASA). For several years, she reviewed sociology and affiliated departments as a member of the ASA’s Departmental Resources Group. Her board service has included the Executive Office and Budget of the ASA, Pendle Hill Quaker Center, Haverford College, Benchmark School, the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation, and she sits on the advisory board of IIG (Integrated Impact Group) which offers consulting for the educational sector.

Floyd Cheung

Vice President for Equity and Inclusion
Floyd Cheung guides the development and administration of all equity- and inclusion-related initiatives and programs at Smith. Among his responsibilities are multicultural affairs, religious and spiritual life, equal opportunity and Title IX compliance, and the recruitment and retention of a diverse faculty, staff and student body. A professor of English language and literature and American studies, Cheung was the founding chair of the Five College Asian/Pacific/American Studies Certificate Program. He most recently served as faculty director of the Sherrerd Center for Teaching and Learning.

David DeSwert

Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration
David DeSwert is responsible for all matters related to the financial operation of the college, including budget, financial planning and accounting. In addition, he has responsibility for facilities, space planning, construction and capital projects; human resources; dining and catering services; campus safety; executive education programs; and environmental sustainability.
 

Samantha Earp

Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer
Samantha Earp is responsible for leading the college’s core information technology, operations and services and oversees the Information Technology Services group. She is responsible for the effectiveness and efficiency of services, the delivery of critical initiatives, and the development and implementation of a vision for IT that aligns resources and priorities with the college’s current and emerging goals. Earp came to Smith in September 2016 from Harvard University, where she was executive director of HarvardX, a university-wide strategic initiative that creates open online learning experiences for residential and online learners.

Lisa Howie

Chief Investment Officer
Lisa Howie oversees the investment of Smith’s endowment, with the goals of providing significant support to the college’s annual operating budget and supporting Smith’s future activities. Howie came to Smith in 2021 from Yale University, where she served as a director of investments. She holds a B.S. and an M.B.A. from Yale University.

Alexandra Keller

Interim Dean of the College and Vice President for Campus Life
Alexandra Keller was appointed interim dean of the college and vice president for campus life in July 2022. Her areas of responsibility include the class deans office; the Ada Comstock Scholars Program; the dean of students office, which includes student affairs, student engagement and residential life; athletics; disability services; health and counseling services; the Lazarus Center for Career Development; and the Jandon Center for Community Engagement.

Denise Wingate Materre ’74

Vice President for Alumnae Relations
Denise Wingate Materre is responsible for engaging alumnae through compelling programs that reinforce Smith’s standing as a thought leader on global women’s issues. She works with administrative and academic offices across the college, as well as with the Alumnae Association of Smith College board of directors, to align alumnae programming with the college’s strategic objectives and to enhance alumnae professional and volunteer networks. A member of the Smith class of ’74, Materre serves as an ex officio member of the AASC board.

Joanna May

Vice President for Enrollment
Joanna May is responsible for all aspects of undergraduate student recruitment, selection, enrollment and financial aid for the college. She oversees the admission and Student Financial Services offices, and provides institutional leadership in developing and implementing student recruitment and financial aid strategies. Her responsibilities include articulating annual and long-term admission goals, developing strategies to meet financial aid and revenue goals, ensuring compliance in the areas of billing and financial aid for the college and School for Social Work, and supporting the college’s priorities of excellence and diversity in its student body. May came to Smith in 2021 from Columbia University, where she served as Associate Dean and Director of Undergraduate Admissions. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Delaware and a master’s degree from New York University.

Joanna Olin

Chief of Staff and Senior Adviser to the President
As chief of staff, Joanna Olin serves as a strategic adviser to President McCartney and works to advance her institutional goals by managing office staff and protocols, supporting presidential committees and meetings, overseeing presidential correspondence and events and coordinating special projects. She is responsible for ensuring that the president is scheduled, briefed and staffed effectively, in order to use her time and attention in the most strategic ways. In addition, Olin works with other cabinet members to advance key college initiatives. Olin came to Smith in 2018 from a similar role at Hampshire College. She holds a B.A. from St. Michael’s College and a J.D. from Western New England University School of Law.

Elena Palladino

Secretary of the Board of Trustees and Secretary of the College
Elena Palladino supports the operations of Smith’s board and serves as an adviser to the president and board chair on matters of institutional governance. She acts as liaison between the board and the college. As an officer of the college, she maintains all official board documents and records. Elena is a graduate of Simmons College and holds an M.A. in literary and cultural studies from Carnegie Mellon University and an Ed.M. in higher education from Harvard University. 

Beth Balmuth Raffeld

Senior Vice President for Alumnae Relations and Development
Beth Balmuth Raffeld came to Smith in 2013 having previously served MIT as the executive director of the Office of Philanthropic Partnerships. Beth manages all Smith development programs—major and principal gifts, The Smith Fund, international development, corporate and foundation relations and planned giving. She serves as an adviser to the president and the Board of Trustees on issues related to development. Beth began her development career in the early 1980s serving Smith College as a major gift officer during President Mary Maples Dunn’s tenure.

Michael Thurston

Provost and Dean of the Faculty
Michael Thurston serves as Smith’s chief academic officer and is responsible for the curriculum and for support for faculty teaching and research. He chairs the Committee on Academic Priorities and oversees the long-term composition of the faculty. A member of the Smith faculty since 2000, Thurston is the college’s Helen Means Professor of English Language and Literature and an authority on American literature and American studies, with a primary research interest in modern and contemporary poetry. The recipient of Smith’s Sherrerd Prize for Distinguished Teaching in 2010, Thurston has contributed substantially to faculty governance at Smith. He has served as chair of Faculty Council, served on the Committee on Tenure and Promotion, directed the American Studies Program and chaired the English department.

Julia Yager

Vice President for College Relations and Communications
Julia Yager serves as the chief communications officer of the college. She oversees the Office of College Relations, which is responsible for campus communications, media relations, alumnae and development communications, publications, digital communications and social media, community relations and government relations. In her cabinet role, she provides strategic thought leadership to the college and leads its communications strategies to inform and inspire people about the impact Smith students, alumnae and faculty are having around the world.