Staff Biographies

 

Sibby Anderson-Thompkins, Ph.D.

Sibby Anderson-Thompkins brings fifteen years experience in higher education administration.  Prior to her current appointment, she served as Assistant Dean of Students and Assistant Dean in the Office of Student Counseling, College of Arts and Sciences, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In addition, she served as an associate dean of student affairs at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. Most recently, she has served as a clinical faculty member in education and as the Assistant Dean of the College at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia.

As a scholar, she has published articles in the Journal on Excellence in College Teaching and Teacher’s College Record, Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, and The High School Journal. Additionally, she is also the author of the book, (along with Marybeth Gasman) Fund raising from Black college alumni: Successful strategies for supporting alma mater. Washington DC: CASE Publications (2003).


Sibby completed her Ph.D. in Educational Policy Studies at Georgia State University.  Additionally, Sibby holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in speech communication/performance studies from UNC-CH and a master’s degree in ethnography/educational research from Georgia State University.

 

 

Dara Wilson-Grant 

Prior to joining OPS in July of 2006, Dara was the Assistant Director at UNC’s career services office and an instructor for a career exploration course taught through the School of Education. Dara has over 6 years career coaching and counseling experience and has worked with a diverse range of academic disciplines and career fields. Previous roles include MBA Career Counselor at Rutgers Business School and Academic Advisor at St. Francis College. Dara has a Master’s degree in Counseling from Fordham University, a BA in Business Administration from Goucher College, and is a National Certified Counselor. Before transitioning to a career in academia, Dara worked as an accountant.

 

 

Jennifer Pruitt 

Jennifer is the administrative assistant for OPA.  She brings enthusiam and a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, managing the development of OPA's new website, marketing materials, and coordinating orientation and other special events.

She completed her undergraduate studies in Interior Design and Art at Meredith College in Raleigh, NC.  She has worked with several companies along the east coast as a commercial interior designer, consultant, and project manager. She recently moved back to North Carolina from Florida where was real estate agent for luxury waterfront properties. In addition, Jennifer serves as the Executive Assistant to the Associate Vice Chancellor for Research, Robert Lowman.

 

 

Susan Walters

Susan serves as the HR Resource Liaison for the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs. In this capacity, Susan serves as the point-person for HR Facilitators who may have questions regarding hiring and promotions or other EPA Web actions related to postdocs.
 
In addition to OPA support as an HR resource liaison, Susan is Program Manager of the Carolina Postdoctoral Program for Faculty Diversity, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development (OVCRED) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In that role, she serves as HR Facilitator and business manager for CPPFD.   For OVCRED, she also manages the Phillip & Ruth Hettleman Prize for Young Faculty Award and supports special projects. Susan also serves as Executive Assistant to the Associate Vice Chancellor for Research, Neil Caudle.
 
Susan received a Master of Arts, Landscape Studies from Chatham University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as well as a Certificate in Landscape Design. Her undergraduate degree is a BS in Marketing from Ohio State University.