Celena Mondie-Milner was named director of new student services at the University of Texas at Austin. For the past eight years, she has been the director of orientation and new student programs at Clayton State University in Morrow, Georgia.
A former world champion in track and field, Mondie-Milner holds a bachelor’s degree in speech communication and a master’s degree in leadership and organizational development from the University of Illinois. This spring she will receive a doctorate in educational leadership from Mercer University in Macon, Georgia.
Shana Lassiter is the inaugural assistant provost for faculty diversity and inclusion at Columbia University in New York City. She is the former associate director in the Office of Diversity for the university’s College of Dental Medicine.
Dr. Lassiter is a graduate of Binghamton University of the State University of New York System. She holds a master’s degree in clinical and community psychology from Georgia State University in Atlanta and a doctorate in health education from Columbia Teachers College.
Greg Drane was named the sixth director of the Blue Band at Pennsylvania State University. Since 2005, he has been the assistant director of athletic bands and an instructor in the department of music at Penn State.
Drane is a graduate of Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida. He holds a master’s degree in music education from Pennsylvania State University.
D. Jason DeSousa was appointed vice president for student affairs and enrollment management at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in Princess Anne. Since 2012, he has served as assistant vice chancellor for student retention at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina.
Dr. DeSousa is a graduate of Morgan State University in Baltimore. He holds a master’s degree from Bowling Green State University in Ohio and a doctorate in higher education administration from Indiana University in Bloomington.
Dr. Celena Mondie-Milner is my niece. I am very proud of her accomplishments. We will miss her in Georgia but I know that The University of Texas at Austin will benefit from her expertise.