ACE Women's Network Executive Council

Who We Are

​The ACE Women's Network Executive Council (WNEC) supports state networks through mentorship, leadership development and as a liaison between the network and the American Council on Education (ACE). The Council advises ACE on issues pertaining to the overall functioning of the ACE Women's Network and women's leadership needs in higher education. Members also serve as speakers and facilitators at ACE and state network events.

The Women's Executive Council stands in front of a backdrop for a group photo in 2023

2023 Women's Network Executive Council | left-to-right: Jann Joseph, Luoluo Hong, Marsha Krotseng, Maria Gallo, Madlyn Hanes, Mary Churchill, Ardis Eschenberg, and Gailda Davis (ACE).

Our Regions


​

History

The name of the WNEC has changed, however they have largely functioned under the same mission. The WNEC started out in 1979 as the Senior Associates of National Identification Program (NIP). Associates were past presidents and served as mentors for women within the NIP program. The group was originally funded by the Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education. In 1991 they were named the National Executive Board of NIP and their mission was established to “promote cross fertilization among the state programs and increase the available support of their efforts" (Shavlik, 1991). The leadership of the WNEC helped to establish initiatives such as Moving the Needle and the Women's Leadership Legacy Fund.

Members

Mary Churchill
Associate Dean of Strategic Initiatives and Community Engagement in the Wheelock College of Education and Human Development
Boston University
617-353-2128 | machurch@bu.edu

Ardis Eschenberg
Chancellor
Windward Community College
 808-235-7402 | ardise@hawaii.edu
Assistant: Christine Pang (cmlpang@hawaii.edu)

Maria Gallo (Chair)
Chancellor
University of Wisconsin-River Falls
715-425-3201| chancellor@uwrf.edu
Assistant: Jenna Lindseth (jenna.lindseth@uwrf.edu)

Lily Hsu
President
Laboure College
617-322-3500 | lily_hsu@laboure.edu
Assistant: Megan Currivan (megan_currivan@laboure.edu )

Jann Joseph (Vice Chair)
President
Georgia Gwinnett College
678-407-5009 | jljoseph@ggc.edu
Assistant: Cheryl Casimir (ccasimir@ggc.edu)

Michelle Marks
Chancellor
University of Colorado, Denver
 303-315-2500 | michelle.marks@ucdenver.edu
Assistant: Brighty Melton (bright.melton@ucdenver.edu)

Mirta Martin
President
Fairmont State University
304-367-4151| mmartin82@comcast.net
Assistant: Serena Scully (Serena.Scully@fairmontstate.edu)

Judy Miner
Chancellor
Foothill-De Anza Community College District
650-949-6100 | minerjudy@fhda.edu
Assistant: Paula Norsell (norsellpaula@fhda.edu)

Sheila Amin Gutiérrez de Piñeres
Dean of the Burnett Honors College and Professor of Public Administration
University of Central Florida
407-823-2076 | sheila@ucf.edu
Assistant: Joey Asti (Joey.Asti@ucf.edu)

Judy K. Sakaki (Past-Chair)
President Emeritus
Sonoma State University 
judy.sakaki@sonoma.edu

Nicole Stokes
Division Head (Dean) and Professor of Sociology, Social Sciences Division
Penn State Abington
nks5344@psu.edu

Eileen Strempel
Dean of UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music and Professor in Education and Information Studies
UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music
310-825-4761 | strempel@schoolofmusic.ucla.edu
Assistant: Robert Pekic (ropekic@schoolofmusic.ucla.edu)

Falecia Williams
President
Prince George's Community College
301-546-7422 | president@pgcc.edu

Jewell Winn
Executive Director/Senior International Officer/Chief Diversity Officer
Tennessee State University
615-963-7406 | jwinn@tnstate.edu

Madlyn Hanes
Vice President for Commonwealth Campuses and Chancellor, University College
The Pennsylvania State University
814-863-0327 | Mqh3@psu.edu
Assistant: Melanie Ekdahl (mse1@psu.edu)

Luoluo Hong
Vice President of Student Engagement and Well-Being
Georgia Institute of Technology
404-894-2000 | luoluo.hong@gatech.edu

Marsha V. Krotseng
Trustee
HACC, Central Pennsylvania's Community College
717.254.6293 | mkrotseng@comcast.net

Karen Schuster Webb
President 
Union Institute and University 
513-784-1217 | karen.webb@myunion.edu
Assistant: Susan Grace (susan.grace@myunion.edu)​

Nominate

​The Women's Network Executive Council serves in an advisory capacity to the American Council on Education (ACE) on issues pertaining to the ACE Women's Network and women's leadership in higher education. The WNEC supports the state networks by serving as liaisons to the state network chairs and by providing guidance and advice for strengthening state planning boards and the overall vitality of the state network.

​Nominate Someone Now
 
 
​Return to the
ACE Women's Network

Women's Network Executive Council Bylaws

Bylaws and governance​ upheld by ACE Women's Network and WNEC.

WNEC Byla​ws (PDF)​

Connecting with Your State Network

ACE encourages faculty and women administrators from across the country to join and participate in their respective state network events. ​

State Networks Directory

 Related
Press Release
November 16, 2023
ACE and IIE announced a new partnership to co-design programmatic offerings that will address escalating challenges in higher education internationalization and serve the evolving internationalization needs of diverse higher education institutions.
Read More
ACE, IIE Announce New Partnership to Co-Design and Scale International Education Programming
Press Release
November 16, 2023
ACE, IIE Announce New Partnership to Co-Design and Scale International Education Programming
Video
November 8, 2023
What are the barriers encountered by women of the global majority who are seeking a higher ed presidency, and what are effective strategies to mitigate them? Join us on November 8 as our expert panel addresses these questions.
Read More
Women of the Global Majority and Their Pathways to the Presidency
Video
November 8, 2023
Women of the Global Majority and Their Pathways to the Presidency
Podcast
November 2, 2023
SJSU President Cynthia Teniente-Matson joins the podcast to talk about her first year at the California campus in the heart of Silicon Valley, particularly how to create equitable spaces at public institutions.
Read More
Equity and Inclusion in Silicon Valley and Beyond
Podcast
November 2, 2023
Equity and Inclusion in Silicon Valley and Beyond
Video
October 5, 2023
How do women campus leaders maintain a healthy work-life balance when they are required to have constant availability? ACE hosts a dialogue on women in higher ed leadership and their well-being.
Read More
Women in Leadership and Their Well-Being
Video
October 5, 2023
Women in Leadership and Their Well-Being
News
August 11, 2023
The population of current presidents throughout U.S. higher education is still not representative of the students served.
Read More
Higher Ed Stakeholders Begin Work to Address Equity and Parity in College Presidency
News
August 11, 2023
Higher Ed Stakeholders Begin Work to Address Equity and Parity in College Presidency
News
July 24, 2023
A new infographic and brief on gender disparities in the college presidency, particularly women of color, highlight the continued need to examine women’s educational and professional pathways and their experiences in efforts to diversify the presidency.
Read More
New Resources Help Higher Ed Sector Diversify the Presidency
News
July 24, 2023
New Resources Help Higher Ed Sector Diversify the Presidency
Podcast
July 13, 2023
Hosts Jon Fansmith and Sarah Spreitzer are once again joined by NASFAA president Justin Draeger to talk about financial aid in the wake of the Supreme Court's decisions striking down race-conscious admissions and student loan forgiveness.
Read More
Biden’s Loan Forgiveness Program Fails Supreme Court Test. What Now?
Podcast
July 13, 2023
Biden’s Loan Forgiveness Program Fails Supreme Court Test. What Now?
News
July 7, 2023
In the immediate aftermath of the Supreme Court’s race in admissions ruling, a panel of experts offers reflections in a new issue brief about the challenges and implications that colleges and universities and their students will face in the coming months.
Read More
ACE Issue Brief Explores Implications of Supreme Court Race in Admissions Ruling
News
July 7, 2023
ACE Issue Brief Explores Implications of Supreme Court Race in Admissions Ruling
Podcast
July 7, 2023
Madelyn Wessel and Peter McDonough join Mushtaq Gunja to offer initial thoughts about the ruling and potential implications while considering what all of this means for the future of diversity, access, and opportunity on campus and beyond.
Read More
dotEDU Live: The Supreme Court’s Ruling on Race and Admissions
Podcast
July 7, 2023
dotEDU Live: The Supreme Court’s Ruling on Race and Admissions
News
June 30, 2023
​The U.S. Supreme Court Thursday tossed aside more than four decades of precedent that has allowed colleges and universities to pursue the critical interest of a diverse student body through the consideration of race and ethnicity in admissions.
Read More
Supreme Court Strikes Down Race in Admissions Policies
News
June 30, 2023
Supreme Court Strikes Down Race in Admissions Policies
News
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston ruled on Nov. 12, 2020, that Harvard does not discriminate against Asian-American applicants, reaffirming the importance of race-conscious admissions in helping construct diverse campuses.
Read More
Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard in the Lower Courts
News
Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard in the Lower Courts
Statement
June 29, 2023
In a 6-3 ruling, the Supreme Court has tossed aside more than four decades of precedent that has allowed colleges and universities to pursue the critical interest of a diverse student body.
Read More
Statement by ACE President Ted Mitchell on the Supreme Court's Race in Admissions Ruling
Statement
June 29, 2023
Statement by ACE President Ted Mitchell on the Supreme Court's Race in Admissions Ruling
Blog Post
June 26, 2023
Ashley L. Gray writes that it’s time to reimagine the current pipeline to the presidency and eliminate the pitfalls historically marginalized people face.
Read More
Renaissance: The Role of Succession Planning in Diversifying the American College Presidency
Blog Post
June 26, 2023
Renaissance: The Role of Succession Planning in Diversifying the American College Presidency
Video
June 15, 2023
Hear reflections on Emotional Labor in Shared Equity Leadership Environments: Creating Emotionally Supportive Spaces. Learn about emotional labor when diversity, equity, and inclusion leadership is broadly distributed.
Read More
Creating Emotionally Supportive Spaces Through Shared Equity Leadership
Video
June 15, 2023
Creating Emotionally Supportive Spaces Through Shared Equity Leadership
News
June 12, 2023
In a new brief, researchers explore how the impact of emotional labor on college and university leaders can be lessened when responsibility for DEI leadership is broadly distributed and shared across multiple campus stakeholders.
Read More
New Report on Supporting the Emotions of Equity Leaders and Beyond
News
June 12, 2023
New Report on Supporting the Emotions of Equity Leaders and Beyond
News
May 22, 2023
For students of color and other historically minoritized students, mentoring has been shown to be especially promising in encouraging their pursuit of graduate education, according to a new brief published by ACE.
Read More
New ACE Brief, Search Tool Outline Effective Mentoring Programs and Practices for Graduate Education
News
May 22, 2023
New ACE Brief, Search Tool Outline Effective Mentoring Programs and Practices for Graduate Education
Podcast
May 11, 2023
Recorded live at the American Council on Education’s recent annual meeting, this episode features Bill Pink and Leslie Gonzales in a conversation about how we can continue to diversify the presidency and why it’s essential.
Read More
Diversifying the College Presidency Is Essential
Podcast
May 11, 2023
Diversifying the College Presidency Is Essential
Podcast
April 26, 2023
Recorded live at ACE2023, this is the first of two episodes unpacking results from ACE’s new report, The American College President: 2023 Edition.
Read More
Where Are All the Women College Presidents?
Podcast
April 26, 2023
Where Are All the Women College Presidents?
Member Spotlight
April 24, 2023
When deciding where to live, University of Minnesota Twin Cities (UMN) students can opt for housing where they will speak primarily in a Native American language.
Read More
University of Minnesota Sustains Endangered Indigenous Languages Through Immersion Housing
Member Spotlight
April 24, 2023
University of Minnesota Sustains Endangered Indigenous Languages Through Immersion Housing
News
April 21, 2023
As higher education institutions wait for the U.S. Supreme Court to release its decision on two race in admissions cases, ACE is sharing a transcript of the session held at ACE2023 that was aimed at helping campus leaders prepare for the cases’ outcome.
Read More
Preparing for the Supreme Court’s Race in Admissions Ruling
News
April 21, 2023
Preparing for the Supreme Court’s Race in Admissions Ruling
Audio
April 19, 2023
Transcript to the ACE2023 session on preparing for the upcoming U.S. Supreme Court decisions on the use of race in college admissions.
Read More
Transcript: Contingency Planning and Prep for a Post–Supreme Court Decision Landscape
Audio
April 19, 2023
Transcript: Contingency Planning and Prep for a Post–Supreme Court Decision Landscape