Wisconsin - Madison Mayor Satya-Rhodes hired Linda Vakunta and Cameron McLay as deputy mayors May 30. Vakunta's primary responsibilities will be housing and human services. She previously held roles as the founder and executive director of a Wisconsin-based nonprofit and program director of a Chicago nonprofit. McLay will work to improve effectiveness in the city. Previously, he was a police captain with Madison Police Department and chief of police in Pittsburgh. He also served as a consultant for a neighborhood analytics initiative and the city of Seattle.
Maine - Former Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy has been appointed as the next chancellor of the University of Maine System. Malloy will begin his tenure on July 1 and replace retiring Chancellor James Page. Malloy served two terms as Connecticut's governor from 2010 to 2018. He also served as mayor of Stamford, Connecticut, for 14 years. Malloy is the Rappaport Distinguished Visiting Professor at Boston College Law School. He taught undergraduate political science as an adjunct professor at the University of Connecticut.
Washington, D.C. - The Smithsonian Institution's Board of Regents voted to select Lonnie Bunch III as its secretary over the Smithsonian's 19 museums, 21 libraries, and the National Zoo. On June 16, he will succeed outgoing secretary David Skorton who is leaving to become president and CEO of an association of American medical colleges. Previously, Bunch served as the founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture since its inception in 2005 and at the National Museum of American History.
Nebraska - Susan Fritz, a first-generation college student and former faculty member, will lead the University of Nebraska system as its interim president. The Board of Regents selected the Nebraska native on May 30 to replace outgoing President Hank Bounds. Fritz will begin her role Aug. 15 and remain in it until the next president and successor is hired. She began working at the university an instructor in 1989, earned tenure in 1998 and became head of the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication in 2000. She also has served in leadership positions in the university's agriculture and natural resources programs. Fritz became an associate vice president for academic affairs in 2011 and interim executive vice president and provost and dean of the graduate college in 2012, assuming the permanent position in 2014.
Georgia - Milledgeville City Manager Barry Jarrett announced his resignation May 28, effective July 5. Jarrett served in various positions for the city for 34 years, most recently as its city manager since 2010. Prior to that he led Milledgeville's water and wastewater department.