Provost Fellows for Academic Success Goals
Updated 9:37 a.m. February 10, 2026
Background
The Provost Fellows Program is designed to engage distinguished faculty and staff in advancing the University’s strategic imperatives and Academic Success Goals. Fellows will work directly with the Provost and campus leaders on on programs and initiatives that advance the university’s Academic Success Goals.
Fellows will:
- Contribute to strategic initiatives aligned with the University’s strategic imperatives and Academic Success Goals.
- Collaborate with Leads or Co-leads on Academic Success Goals projects that align with their expertise, interests, and long-term leadership aspirations.
- Collaborate with colleagues across academic and administrative units such as UAIR, Academic Affairs, Students Affairs, Faculty Affairs, and Enrollment Management.
- Participate in mentoring and professional development opportunities.
Provost Fellow for Success for Every Student
The fellows will collaborate with deans, team leaders, and campus partners to advance Academic Success Goals centered on student success. At the U of A the student is our North Star. We want our students to engage in experiential learning across the curriculum, know how to think critically, enjoy a sense of belonging, be resilient, articulate the skills they have learned, have decreased debt and be well prepared to meet the expectations of their future careers or an advanced education.
Provost Fellow for Research that Shapes the Future
The fellows will work with deans, research leaders, and campus partners to support Academic Success Goals focused on research and innovation. At the U of A we promote collaborative, transdisciplinary and interdependent scholarship with broad impact that engages students across degree levels and disciplines, recruit scholars who can contribute to the university’s strategic research priorities, communicate and celebrate the successes of our faculty, and maintain our success as an AAU and R1 institution.
Provost Fellow for Engagement with Our Communities to Create Opportunity
The fellows will collaborate with deans, team leaders, and community partners to advance Academic Success Goals focused on engagement and impact. The U of A promotes a culture of engagement with alumni, donors, the tribal community and industry partners, aligns our academic programs with regional and state workforce needs, leverages our statewide Cooperative Extension network, partners with state leaders to address needs, and educates our community as part of our commitment to lifelong learning.
2026 Provost Fellows for Academic Success Goals
In fall 2025, the university launched the Provost Fellows for Academic Success Goals (ASGs) program and received nearly 60 applications from faculty and staff across campus. From this strong pool, one senior fellow and six fellows were selected. Their appointments began in Spring 2026 and are for one calendar year, with the possibility of a one-year extension based on project needs and performance.
Applicants who were not selected were invited to remain engaged through the Academic Success Goals Community of Practice. Participants collaborate with the selected fellows on the strategic imperatives outlined in their applications, contributing ideas, expertise, and feedback to support the implementation and advancement of the ASGs.
In the news: Provost Fellows program taps campus expertise to drive the Academic Success Goals
Senior Provost Fellow
Melanie Hingle, PhD, MPH, RDN
Dr. Melanie Hingle is a Professor and Associate Director in the School of Nutritional Sciences and Wellness, College of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences. With more than 20 years of experience as a faculty member and community-engaged scholar at the University of Arizona, she is an internationally recognized leader in public health nutrition, food and nutrition security, and Food is Medicine initiatives. Dr. Hingle has held elected and appointed leadership roles across the university, including Assistant Dean for Strategic Implementation (CALES) and Vice Chair of the Faculty (2020-22), and she currently serves as Co-Chair of the University Strategic Planning and Budget Advisory Committee.
She has developed and led a number of health-focused, community-engaged cross-sector research and outreach initiatives in partnership with community health centers, Arizona Cooperative Extension, tribal organizations, and public agencies, and co-led the University of Arizona’s application to be recognized as a community-engaged institution. Her work focuses on translating nutrition research into practice to advance the health and wellness of people and communities.
"As Senior Provost Fellow assigned to advancing the University of Arizona’s Academic Success Goals, I will draw upon the expertise and enthusiasm of UA faculty, staff, students, and community partners to connect people, align initiatives, and identify structural and procedural barriers that slow or limit progress—so that teaching, research, and engagement efforts are more integrated and their impacts more visible. I am committed to helping the University of Arizona remain an inspiring place to learn and work and to become a stronger, more reciprocal partner to the communities we serve."
Provost Fellow for Success for Every Student
Amy C. Kimme Hea, PhD
Dr. Amy C. Kimme Hea is Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Student Success in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Professor in the English Department. In her current role in SBS, she oversees curriculum, assessment, enrollment, advising, and student engagement, retention, and completion. Dr. Kimme Hea and her team focus on student need, and they collaborate with a range of offices and initiatives at the university to improve the student experience.
A professor and graduate faculty member in the Department of English, she came to U of A in 2001 after completing her PhD in Rhetoric and Composition from Purdue University. Her scholarship explores composition studies, technology, and professional communication, with widely cited publications and editorial work. A dedicated educator and national leader, she has held executive roles with the Council of Writing Program Administrators and the Consortium of Doctoral Programs in Rhetoric and Composition.
"Placing student success at the heart of UA’s strategic priorities sends a clear message that UA believes in the transformational power of higher education. In pursuit of this mission, I am enthused to work with the UA community as a Provost Fellow for Success for Every Student. I am eager to help design efforts to support, retain, and graduate students. Through the Fellows program and partnerships across campus, we will fulfill our land-grant mission as we center student need and further deepen our existing commitment to all students."
Jameshia Granberry, PhD, MBA
Dr. Jameshia Granberry is a senior higher education leader with more than 25 years of experience advancing student success through strategic planning, systems transformation, and cross institutional collaboration. She serves as Executive Director of Administrative Operations and Chief of Staff at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson, and as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine. In these roles, she partners with academic and administrative leaders to design equitable, student centered, and outcomes driven structures across undergraduate, graduate, and professional education.
Dr. Granberry has led large scale initiatives that strengthen retention, persistence, and belonging, including integrated one stop student support models and degree specific transfer and access pathways. Her work emphasizes proactive advising, coordinated student services, and career integrated learning that supports students from entry to completion. Grounded in data informed decision making and an equity minded approach, she is committed to ensuring every student has a clear pathway, meaningful support, and the opportunity to succeed.
“My commitment to the Provost Fellows Program is grounded in the belief that student success depends on intentional, evidence informed structures that foster belonging, persistence, and degree completion. I will draw on my experience in strategic planning, cross unit collaboration, and student-centered systems design to advance the Academic Success Goals, with a focus on retention, graduation, and career readiness. My approach emphasizes partnership across campus leadership to strengthen degree specific advising, expand experiential learning, and create clear student pathways. Using data informed decision making and an equity minded lens, I will help translate institutional priorities into measurable outcomes that ensure every Wildcat is supported, engaged, and prepared for lifelong success.”
James Bond, MA
James Bond serves as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Foundational Studies within the College of Integrative Learning at the University of Arizona Global Campus. A U.S. Army veteran, Professor Bond brings more than fifteen years of experience supporting military-affiliated and nontraditional learners across community college, nonprofit, for-profit, and Research I institutions. His work has focused on student success, conflict resolution, leadership development, and designing systems that better support students navigating major life and career transitions.
Throughout his career, James has led cross-departmental initiatives that strengthen student support and institutional alignment, including serving as the inaugural Director of the Student Veteran Resource Center at UC San Diego, securing federal grant funding to establish veteran support services, and contributing to university-wide efforts in orientation design, emergency aid distribution, and student conduct resolution. As a UAGC Faculty Fellow, his current work explores how unmet student needs contribute to escalated classroom conflicts and how institutions can design high-impact practices tailored to online adult learners.
“I am excited to join the Provost’s Faculty Fellows for Success for Every Student (Online) community and to collaborate with colleagues across the University of Arizona. Through this fellowship, I hope to deepen our understanding of how culture, expectations, and unmet needs shape student experiences, and to help design learning environments that support growth, belonging, and long-term success for students across the university.”
Jessica Salata, M.Ed
Jessica Salata is a higher education leader with broad expertise spanning enrollment strategy, student success, digital engagement, and online education. She has held leadership roles across recruitment initiatives, student services, communications, and Arizona Online, developing an integrated understanding of the full student lifecycle across on-campus and online modalities. At the University of Arizona, she has led institution-wide initiatives that advance student engagement, retention, and persistence at scale, with particular emphasis on access, equity, and degree completion. Her work is characterized by strong cross-functional collaboration with academic leadership, student affairs, and system partners to align strategy with institutional priorities. Jessica brings deep experience in data-informed decision making and scalable program design, using analytics to improve outcomes, streamline complex processes, and reduce barriers to student success. She is committed to advancing institutional excellence while ensuring inclusive, student-centered pathways to success for all learners.
“As a Provost Fellow for Success for Every Student (Online), I am committed to advancing the University of Arizona’s academic success goals by ensuring online learners are included in the institution’s vision for excellence. As online education continues to expand access and impact, our responsibility is to design systems that foster belonging, remove barriers, and support persistence through degree completion. By aligning data, strategy, and cross-campus partnerships, we can create an online learning environment where every student, regardless of pathway or modality, has a clear, supported route to academic success.”
Provost Fellow for Research that Shapes the Future
Katharine Hunsdon Zeiders, PhD
Dr. Katharine Hunsdon Zeiders is a Professor in the Norton School of Human Ecology within the College of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences and serves as the elected Secretary of the Faculty. She is an Arizona native, born and raised in Willcox, Arizona. Her research—funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—draws on general stress process models and risk and resilience frameworks to identify challenges and strengths related to family and youth well-being, as well as the biological processes that underlie these developmental outcomes. She examines these research questions within individuals’ naturalistic environments using daily and weekly diary methods alongside longer-term developmental approaches. Dr. Zeiders teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in research methods, advanced statistical modeling, and developmental science.
As Secretary of the Faculty, Dr. Zeiders has advocated for and led initiatives focused on improving the lives of faculty and staff while centering the university’s land-grant mission. She has also previously served as a CALES Faculty Senator and as a member of the CALES Faculty Council, among other leadership roles.
“I am eager to collaborate with university leadership to better align our research operations with our land-grant mission, which is rooted in and responsive to the distinct needs and ambitions of our local and statewide communities. While many of these communities face growing challenges, they also demonstrate resilience and possess unique strengths that are essential to meaningful research partnerships. As a scholar from a rural background, I know firsthand the determination and community-centered mindsets rural communities bring to addressing our most pressing problems. I look forward to the opportunity to re-envision how we fulfill the public mission of a land-grant university.”
Danielle Barefoot, MA
Danielle Barefoot is an Associate for Research Development in the Office of Research & Partnerships, where she specializes in international funding and collaborations. She also serves as the University of Arizona’s Fulbright Scholar Liaison. She is passionate about supporting faculty pursuing international funding, including from the Department of State, the National Science Foundation, the Fogarty-National Institutes of Health, Horizon Europe, and more. She has extensive experience supporting international research proposals, developing global partnerships, and managing internal funding programs.
She is active in internal and external professional service. Currently, she is a Staff Council Representative and a Staff Senator on the Faculty Senate. Within the National Organization of Research Development Professionals (NORDP), she serves in leadership capacities on the Alliance for International Research Development (AIRD) and as a NORDP Strategic Liaison to the International Network of Research Management Societies (INORMS). She is a member of the Fulbright Association and served on the board of directors for the Arizona chapter from 2022-2024. She holds an M.A. in History, with an emphasis on Latin America, from the University of Arizona and a B.A. in History and Spanish from Georgia Southern University.
“As a Provost Fellow, I am most excited to apply my understanding of the research funding ecosystem to advance the university’s strategic imperatives and academic success goals for research and innovation. I want not only to help sustain the university’s $1 billion in research expenditures but also to support faculty, staff, and administrators in preparation of the next milestone. Ultimately, I hope my work will facilitate greater convergence of people, information, and systems and sustain our faculty, students, staff, and community partners as they pursue research that shapes the future.”
Provost Fellow for Engagement with Our Communities to Create Opportunity
Karina Salazar, PhD
Karina Salazar is an assistant professor in the College of Education whose work centers on expanding equitable access to higher education through community-engaged research, practice, and advocacy. Her scholarship examines how the enrollment management practices of public universities shape college pathways for historically underserved student populations.
Grounded in a deep commitment to her home community of Southside Tucson, Salazar’s research, teaching, and service are guided by the belief that universities must play an active role in advancing opportunity in local communities. Her work has also been part of collective efforts to initiate a partnership between the University of Arizona and the Sunnyside Unified School District (SUSD), resulting in transformative growth in applicants, admissions, and enrollments from SUSD. By anchoring her work in local communities while engaging national audiences, Salazar contributes to broader public and policy discourses about equity, access, and institutional accountability in higher education.
I hold a deep commitment to advancing the University of Arizona’s Academic Success Goals through meaningful, community-centered work. I look forward to bringing a lived understanding of local communities and a strong sense of accountability for their success to advancing the University of Arizona’s land-grant mission and upholding our institutional responsibility to meeting local needs, and doing so in ways that strengthen community partnerships and honor the cultural traditions and knowledges of local communities.
Chad Herzog
Chad Herzog serves as Associate Vice President of Arizona Arts and Executive & Artistic Director of Arizona Arts Live at the University of Arizona. Since 2019, he has led the transformation of UA Presents into Arizona Arts Live, a nationally recognized platform that advances the university’s public mission through bold programming, deep community partnerships, and accessible ticket initiatives. Under his leadership, Arizona Arts Live has expanded engagement across Southern Arizona and collaborated with hundreds of local, national, and international partners.
Chad provides strategic and creative oversight across programming, marketing, and engagement, developing initiatives that connect students, faculty, and communities through the arts. He previously held senior roles at the International Festival of Arts & Ideas and Juniata College. A frequent speaker and collaborator, Chad is committed to building interdisciplinary partnerships that support institutional goals, promote access, and foster belonging across the University of Arizona. Southern University.
"I am excited to help strengthen how the University engages with communities across Arizona. Through the fellowship, I hope to build on my experience working across units and alongside community partners to support partnerships that build trust, expand access, and create meaningful connections that benefit students, faculty, and the communities we serve. I look forward to collaborating with campus leaders and community partners to better align engagement efforts and deepen the University’s role as a trusted land-grant institution."