Meet the Vice Provost
Hikaru (Karu) Kozuma serves as the Vice Provost for University Life at the University of Pennsylvania. The University Life Division supports and nurtures the development of Penn’s diverse undergraduate and graduate/professional student communities, providing academic and career programming, campus and community engagement, and opportunities for personal and professional growth. Originally from New York City, Karu attended Middlebury College, majoring in English and minoring in American History. In 2001, he attended Harvard¹s Graduate School of Education and received his master of education in higher education administration. He earned his doctorate of education from Penn¹s Graduate School of Education in 2015, focusing his research on critical race theory, coalition building, and student engagement and empowerment. For 25 years, he has served in several roles in student affairs at Middlebury College, Columbia University, Amherst College, and the University of Pennsylvania. He has been highly involved in NASPA – National Association for Student Personnel Administrators – since 2005 and served as the National Co-Chair for the Asian Pacific Islander Knowledge Community from 2009–2011. He has taught graduate and undergraduate students, including a course about Asian American activism and organizing.
Leadership Team
for Student Affairs
Tamara Greenfield King serves as Senior Associate Vice Provost for Student Affairs. Her portfolio includes Career Services, Naval ROTC, Platt Student Performing Arts House, the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, and the Office of Student Affairs. She is a sough-after expert in student conduct and Title IX, serving as the first African American president of the Association for Student Conduct Administration and co-authoring the book, Reframing Campus Conflict: Student Conduct Practice Through the Lens of Inclusive Excellence. Prior to higher education, King worked at various law firms, opened her own firm, and served as the first African American Assistant District Attorney in Northampton County, Pennsylvania. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Penn State University and received her law degree from New York University.
for University Life
Sharon Smith serves as Associate Vice Provost for University Life, overseeing Penn Violence Prevention, Student Intervention Services, and the Weingarten Center, which houses Learning Resources, Tutoring Services, and Student Disability Services. Her areas work closely with Counseling and Psychology Services (CAPS), Student Health Service, International Student and Scholars Services, the Chaplain’s Office, and the 12 schools in a shared mission to serve students navigating Penn.
Smith came to Penn in 1987 serving in various leadership positions including PENNCAP, New Student Orientation, and Open Expression. She helped create the mission and framework of Student Intervention Services (SIS), which leads the University’s response to emergencies and critical incidents involving students. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Penn State University and a master’s in Counseling Psychology from Temple University.
Dr. Will Atkins serves as Associate Vice Provost for University Life for Student Success and Engagement. Within this role, he is responsible for overseeing the university’s Cultural Resource Centers and engaging with numerous student organizations across campus. Dr. Atkins is a native of Tampa, Florida, and has held roles supporting and amplifying the student experience at the University of Florida (UF), University of Michigan – Ann Arbor (UM – Ann Arbor), and Miami University in Ohio. His professional experiences include working with student activities, multicultural centers, first-generation student success, sorority and fraternity life, student government, service learning, and new student orientation. He earned his bachelor’s degree from UF, master’s degree in higher education administration from UM – Ann Arbor, and Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from UF.
Laurie A. Hall serves as Assistant Vice Provost for Strategic Planning and Operations with responsibility for the advancement of the strategic direction for the division. She has oversight of the creation of strategies focused on the continual improvement of the organization including professional development, staff engagement, cultivating an ethos of dignity, cultural humility, inclusion, and understanding of common divisional goals and institutional values. Her portfolio includes the functional areas of Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships, Communications, Design Strategies, and University Life Space and Events Management. Hall came to Penn in 2017 after seventeen years of progressive experience at Princeton University, most recently as Assistant Director for Administrative Planning in the Office of the Executive Vice President where she participated in enterprise level planning, financial stewardship, emergency planning, and organizational development. Preceding her roles with Princeton, she served as director of the Center for Volunteerism and Service Learning at Saint Elizabeth University. Hall spent her early career in the private, non-profit sector providing community reintegration and family programming for formerly incarcerated adults and managing undergraduate internships and field placements with the organization. Ms. Hall received her BA and Ed.M. in Education Theory, Policy, and Administration from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ.
Central Administration
Saleem Curry serves as the principal advisor for all of University Life event management needs as the Director of Space & Events. His core competencies include operations, logistics, talent management, team engagement, and organizational development. Prior to his role at Penn, Curry previously held positions at Princeton University in operations and talent development. He holds a B.A. from Rutgers University and a MPM from the University of Maryland.
Laurie McCaffrey drives divisional strategy and organizational effectiveness through collaborative planning and partnership. She oversees large-scale divisional projects, communications, staff engagement initiatives, funding priorities, and gift management for the division while leading special initiatives for the Vice Provost. McCaffrey brings over a decade of experience in non-profit leadership, operations, and executing strategies to cultivate affinity for organizations. Her past professional experience includes various roles at the Wharton School and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. She holds a B.A. in Public Communications & Art History from American University and a M.S. in Organizational Dynamics from the University of Pennsylvania.
Director
Robert Butler serves as the division’s Director of Technology Services, where he is responsible for managing a team supporting all aspects of technical services and information system processes. Butler has been with the University of Pennsylvania for over 19 years, with experience in related roles for the Division of Finance before coming to University Life in 2014.
Robert Butler’s expertise lies in managing projects and deploying resources. In 2021, he won a Model of Excellence Award for Sustaining Penn during the COVID-19 Pandemic and an honorable mention for his work with the Weingarten Testing Center. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Alvernia University.
Christine Brown-Lawrence serves as the Executive Assistant for University Life Central. She holds a B.A. in Business Administration and a M.S in Athletic Coaching from West Virginia University, and is currently pursuing an MBA at Temple University. Prior to working at University of Pennsylvania, she worked at Temple University for 8+ years supporting the President & CEO of Temple Hospital and Dean of Temple University Medical School.
University Life Organization Chart
Senior Associate Vice Provost
for Student Affairs
Tamara Greenfield King, J.D.
Career Services
Executive Director
Barbara Hewitt, Ed.D.
Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps
Director
Colonel Scott Gehris
Office of Student Affairs
Executive Director
Katie Bonner
Platt Student Performing Arts House
Director
Laurie McCall
Associate Vice Provost for
University Life
Sharon Smith
Community Care
Associate Director
Vacant
Penn Violence Prevention
Director
Elise Scioscia
Student Intervention Services
Director
Lauren Rudick
Weingarten Center
Executive Director
Jane Holahan, Ed.D.
Academic Support, Weingarten Center
Senior Director
Ryan Miller, Ed.D.
Associate Vice Provost for
Student Success & Engagement
Will Atkins, Ph.D.
Greenfield Intercultural Center
Director
Valerie De Cruz
Interpersonal Development & Engagement
Director
Malik Muhammad
La Casa Latina
Director
Krista Cortes, Ph.D.
Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center
Director
Eric Anglero
Makuu: The Black Cultural Center
Director
Brian Peterson, Ph.D.
Pan-Asian American Community House
Director
Xiumei (Mei) Long
Penn Women’s Center
Director
Elisa Foster
Assistant Vice Provost
for Strategic Planning and Operations
Laurie A. Hall
Space and Events Management
Director
Saleem M. Curry
Strategic Initiatives
Director
Laurie McCaffrey
IT Technical Director
Technology Services
Rob Butler