Associate Dean Selected for Leadership Program

Maria Tapias, associate dean of Grinnell College, is one of 28 midlevel administrators in higher education nationwide selected by the Council of Independent Colleges to participate in a yearlong Senior Leadership Academy.

The program, which is for administrators in higher education who are nominated by their institutions, is designed to prepare prospective leaders to assume positions as the chief officers in higher education. As a program participant, Tapias will hone her campus leadership skills by developing a professional experience plan and attending two seminars held in the Washington, D.C., area.

Tapias, who holds a doctorate in cultural anthropology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, serves in several capacities at Grinnell. She serves as associate dean of the College and the president’s senior adviser for diversity. She is also associate professor of anthropology and has taught in the anthropology department at Grinnell since 2001.