Sweet Briar College Magazine - Spring 2016

Nicole Whitehead, director
of HR and community
engagement
The year began with a new director
of human resources and community
engagement — Nicole Whitehead, who
replaced interim human resources manager
Barb Watts.
Whitehead was previously a human resources training and organizational
development officer, as well as a corporate education
consultant and trainer at Catawba Valley Community College
in Hickory, N.C. She also taught courses in business and human
resources at Catawba, and online human resources certification
courses for Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho.
“Nicole brings to Sweet Briar twenty years in human resources,
consulting and operations, and overall business leadership, as well
as teaching. This breadth of experience will be invaluable to us
going forward,” said President Stone.
Whitehead completed a B.S. in business and an MBA with a
human resources concentration and executive leadership certification
at Lewis University in Romeoville, Ill. She is completing
her Ed.D. in higher education and organizational change at
Benedictine University in Lisle, Ill.
A native of Joliet, Ill., Whitehead is a Senior Certified Professional
and a Senior Professional in Human Resources. She sees her education
and experiences as “tools to aid in supporting a ‘community
of excellence’ where individuals and differences are valued.”
Whitehead volunteers at the Safe Harbor Rescue mission, her
church and in her community, serving as a mentor to women who
seek to become leaders and global citizens.
Joelle Ziemian, director
of media, marketing and
communications
Joelle Ziemian replaced Monica Dean
as director of media, marketing and
communications in February.
Ziemian brings to Sweet Briar nearly
30 years of strategic communications
experience in the corporate, nonprofit, international development
and government sectors. She spent seven years at Lipman Hearne,
a national firm known for its expertise in higher education. There
she partnered with colleges, universities and foundations throughout
the U.S. to deepen brand awareness and spur growth. Her
most recent communications role was at Burson-Marsteller, where
she helped multinational companies change their conversation
with important audiences.
“Joelle Ziemian has built, defined and enhanced the reputation
of organizations ranging from colleges to startups to Fortune 50
companies,” President Stone said. “Her ideas and experience will
help to drive communications with every one of our audiences.”
Ziemian holds a B.A. from Goucher College and an M.F.A. in
writing for children and young adults from the Vermont College
of Fine Arts. She began her career as a TV reporter before moving
to state and federal government, served as press secretary in the
Pennsylvania Senate and in the U.S. House of Representatives and
in the executive branch of President George H.W. Bush. In the
private sector, she lobbied and managed public affairs campaigns
for energy clients and later at Edelman and Burson-Marsteller for
global and national entities.
As a consultant in Romania for a U.S. Agency for International
Development project, Ziemian helped nongovernmental organizations
get their message out to key audiences and impact policy.
“I feel like everything I have done has prepared me for this role
at Sweet Briar,” Ziemian said. “It will be a thrill to help young
women in the U.S. and overseas see the life-changing value of an
education at this very special place.”
Marie Grée, director of
JYF in Paris
Sweet Briar College has named a
French woman director of its renowned
JYF in Paris coeducational program —
a first for the College since its administration
of the academic program began
in 1948.
After serving as permanent resident director of the intensive
immersion program for 11 years, Marie Grée will manage the
semester and academic year program, effective July 1. John
Lambeth has served as interim director since July 2015.
“The Junior Year in France program has long embodied Sweet Briar’s
core values: international education and the opportunity it provides
students to attain a deeper understanding of economic, political and
cultural issues from a global perspective,” said Pamela DeWeese,
interim academic dean and vice president for academic affairs.
“Dr. Marie Grée brings to the position the experience of having
been an international student herself, since she completed her
Ph.D. at New York University. Her long association with JYF
ensures that she will provide both needed continuity and an intimate
knowledge of the program, as well as her expertise in international
education.
Grée, who resides in the vibrant 11th Arrondissement of Paris with
her husband and daughter, studied at Université Paris X and at
Middlebury College. She received her M.A. and Ph.D. in French
literature from New York University. She has taught at Tufts
University, Stanford, New York University, Middlebury College
and Hamilton College in Paris. Prior to joining JYF, she was resident
director for SUNY-Stony Brook College in Paris.
“I love working with our students here in Paris,” Grée said.
“Watching even the best French speakers become absolutely fluent
over the course of their time here never fails to amaze me. And
beyond the language skills, they change as people — they come to
Paris as Americans and leave as citizens of the world.”
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