Divon Pender has been named coordinator of student-athlete development at Kean University in Union, New Jersey. He most recently served as a graduate assistant for admissions and diversity initiatives at the University of Maryland. His other experience in higher education includes past positions with the New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education, GOMO Educational Services, and Rutgers University.
Pender received his bachelor’s degree in human resource management from Rutgers University and his master’s degree in higher education, student affairs, and international education policy from the University of Maryland.
Pamela Hopson has been appointed executive director of campus and community strategy at the University of Southern Indiana. A staff member with the university since 1979, she had been serving as interim vice president for student affairs since July 2024. Before that role, she was executive director of the Multicultural Center.
Dr. Hopson received her bachelor’s degree in public administration from Indiana University, her master’s degree in public administration from Indiana State University, and her doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Southern Indiana.
The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth has selected Chaz England as administrator of process improvement. England previously served as director of operations for the Center for Health Policy at UNT Health Fort Worth, where he advanced organizational effectiveness and led initiatives to strengthen strategic priorities. In his new role, he will focus on driving process innovation and operational excellence across the institution.
England holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Jackson State University in Mississippi.
Leigh N. Whitaker has been named vice president for government and community affairs at the University of Pennsylvania. Her appointment marks a return to the Ivy League university, where she previously served as director of city relations. More recently, she served as principal for Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, where she led the firm’s Philadelphia government relations practice.
Whitaker earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Clark Atlanta University in Georgia and her juris doctorate from Temple University in Philadelphia.
Ayanna Tweedy has been selected to serve as interim athletic director at Bakersfield College in California. She most recently served as director of athletics at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana. Earlier, she was associate director of athletics and campus wellness, as well as the senior woman administrator at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana.
A graduate of Bowie State University in Maryland, Tweedy holds a master’s degree in higher education and administration from Southern New Hampshire University.
Tyrone Jimmison has been named senior associate vice president for advancement at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. His background includes extensive experience in fundraising, strategic planning, and donor engagement. Previously, he held senior roles at the University of Houston, the University of Rochester, the University of Washington, the University of Texas, and Texas Christian University.
Jimmison holds a bachelor’s degree in exercise physiology from the University of Mount Union in Ohio and a master’s degree in educational administration from Texas Christian University.
