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June 5, 2024

Dear Wolf Pack Family,

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Heather Speed as our new Vice President of Student Affairs. Dr. Speed, who joins the University after serving as Vice President for Student Success at Pueblo Community College in Pueblo, Colorado for the past seven years, begins her appointment on August 1.

Dr. Speed’s experiences in the areas of student affairs and student success is long and impressive. Her tenure at Pueblo Community College included multi-campus strategic planning student affairs initiatives that helped to re-imagine key areas of the student experience that included growth in retention, financial stability and collaborative relationship-building. This included the development of numerous wraparound support services for her institution’s underrepresented and first-generation student population which led to increased persistence and graduation rates. In addition, her leadership further bolstered Pueblo’s standing as a federally designated Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), a designation the institution has held for more than 30 years.

Prior to her work at Pueblo Community College, Dr. Speed served from 1998-2016 in several leadership positions at Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas. Texas Woman’s University consists of a student body of about 15,000 students located at three campuses in Denton, Dallas and Houston, Texas. Her positions there included Dean of Students, Associate Vice President for Student Services and Senior Associate Vice President for Student Engagement.

Dr. Speed received her undergraduate degree from Sam Houston University, her master’s degree from North Texas University and her doctorate from North Texas University.

With her appointment, Dr. Speed ushers in a new era regarding student affairs on our campus. Her interview process demonstrated time and again that with more than 20 years of student affairs experience, she has consistently provided leadership in a broad range of responsibilities and activities that speak to strong communication, inclusion and team building. With a compelling strategic vision, Dr. Speed strives to create an environment that stresses space for all voices, opportunities for all personalities and learning styles to succeed, and for all individuals to feel welcome and heard.

I wish to thank Catherine Cardwell, also our Dean of Libraries, for ably serving as our interim Vice President for Student Affairs during this time of transition over the past several months.

Please join me in welcoming Dr. Speed to The Wolf Pack Family.

Go Pack!

Sincere regards,

Brian Sandoval
President