Melvin Thompson was named associate vice president of student development and institutional compliance at Polk State College in Florida. In this role, Thompson will oversee student life, student and wellness center operations, first-year experience, My Brother’s Keeper holistic services, the college ombudsman office, and institutional compliance functions, including Title IX and civil rights. Thompson previously served as director of student development and Title IX coordinator.
A graduate of Florida State University, Thompson earned his bachelor’s degree in American studies. He holds a master’s degree in instruction and curriculum from National Louis University.
Dawn Osborne-Adams was named the inaugural university ombudsperson at Yale University. Since 2018, Osborne-Adams has served as university ombuds at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Earlier in her career, she led the ombuds office at Binghamton University in New York. Osborne-Adams has also held roles in the federal judiciary and has prior experience teaching as an adjunct faculty member.
Osborne-Adams is a graduate of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and the University of North Carolina School of Law.
Jason Frierson was appointed vice chancellor of government relations for the Nevada System of Higher Education. Frierson has nearly two decades of experience in public service and legislative affairs at the local, state, and federal levels. Most recently, he was counsel at Cornerstone Government Affairs, a bipartisan consulting firm specializing in government relations, public affairs, and strategic communications.
Frierson is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno, where he majored in health science. He earned his juris doctorate from the William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Yulander Wells Jr. has been named deputy director of athletics and chief operating officer for athletics at Syracuse University in New York. Wells comes to his new role from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, where he most recently served as deputy athletics director for athletics strategy. Earlier, he held key leadership roles in athletics at Harvard University and the University of South Florida.
Wells holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and an MBA in operations from North Central College in Naperville, Illinois.
