Bill Christy ’79

Interim President

The President serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the College with responsibility for ensuring the success of the institution’s mission, enrollment growth and management, academic integrity, fiscal stability, fundraising, personnel, and physical plant management. The President provides vision and strategic leadership to college operations and engages the governing board, faculty, staff, and students in realizing the future of the College’s extraordinary potential. The President acts as a mentor for vice presidents, faculty, and staff, collaborates on strategic issues impacting the college, and serves as the decision-maker for all aspects of campus operations, policies, practices, and activities.

Bill Christy ’79 is currently serving as interim president while the Board of Trustees conducts a search for the next president. He assumed the presidency May 15, 2022, following Dr. Lynn Morton’s retirement. Christy is a passionate alum and supporter of Warren Wilson who has served for many years on the Board of Trustees and was chair of the Board during the last presidential search in 2016-17.

Jay Roberts, Ph.D.

Provost & Dean of the Faculty

The Provost and Dean of the Faculty has oversight over Academic Affairs (all academic programs and degrees, faculty recruitment and evaluation, faculty development, curriculum standards and accreditation, student success offices, the library, careers and internships, land resources, and international education); Student Life (WIDE – Wilson Inclusion, Diversity and Equity, all Counseling and Wellness Centers, the Chaplain and Center for Spiritual Life), the Work Program, International Education, Career Services, and Land Resources. The combination of Provost and Dean signifies a special responsibility and relationship with the academic faculty and the academic mission. This role is responsible for strategic planning and implementation of initiatives to further integrate the principal components of a Warren Wilson education (academic, community engagement, and work) in both design and function.

Roberts joined Warren Wilson College in June 2020 as Vice President of Academic Affairs and, as of July 1, 2021, transitioned to Provost and Dean of the Faculty. Previously, Roberts spent 20 years at Earlham College as a Professor of Education and Environmental Studies, serving 7 years as the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs. Roberts was also a 2019-20 American Council on Education [ACE] Fellow with the Great Lakes College Association. Roberts is a noted authority on experiential learning, publishing multiple articles and books on the subject. He holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Miami University, a Master of Education from University of Virginia, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology and Environmental Studies from Lawrence University.

Belinda Burke

Vice President for Administration & Finance / CFO

The Vice President for Administration and Finance/CFO is responsible for the overall budget and expenditures of the College. In addition, this position has direct oversight for the following units: Finance and Accounting, Facilities Management, Public Safety, Risk Management, Human Resources, Financial Aid, Information Technology, Student Store, Auxiliary Rentals, Swannanoa Gathering (summer music program), and Dining Services. This position manages facilities needs for all events on campus, as well as contract management and legal services as needed by the College. The Vice President for Administration and Finance/CFO is also responsible for strategic planning and implementation of all operational initiatives.

Burke came to Warren Wilson College in July of 2019 from Wesley College in Delaware, where she was the Vice President of Finance and Administration/CFO responsible for Human Resources, Business Office, Financial Aid, Public Safety, Dining Services, and Facilities Management. Burke possesses extensive financial experience in a variety of executive level financial roles, from banking to higher education. Burke earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Virginia Tech University and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Management Account (CMA). Additionally, she has earned the designation of Certified Chief Executive (CCE) in a three-year graduate program that dealt with strategic planning, organizational effectiveness, and strategic leadership development.

Tacci Smith

Interim Dean of Students

The Interim Dean of Students reports to the Provost and is responsible for all aspects of Student Affairs and also serves as the College’s Title IX Coordinator. This position has oversight over the following units: Student Activities, Residence Life, Spiritual Life, Health and Wellness, the Counseling Center, the Queer Resource Center, as well as the Wilson Inclusion, Diversity and Equity [WIDE] department. The Interim Dean of Students serves on both the Provost Leadership Team and Cabinet to ensure careful coordination, collaboration, and representation of student life issues within the senior leadership of the College.

Smith joined Warren Wilson College in 2016 as Director of Student Activities and has since served in a variety of student-focused positions. Smith recently served as the Associate Dean of Student Life Engagement where her work focused on student communication and advocacy.

Prior to her work at the College, Smith was the Associate Dean of Students and Director of New Student Orientation at Kenyon College in Ohio. She received her B.A. in Communications/ Broadcasting and Psychology from Otterbein College and her M.A. in College Student Personnel from Bowling Green State University.

M. Z. Yehudah, Ph.D.

Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiatives

Dr. Yehudah joined Warren Wilson in May of 2021 as Director of the Office of Inclusion, Diversity, & Equity (WIDE) within the Student Life division. In July of 2022 he was appointed to his current role and joined the Cabinet to bring his leadership and expertise in DEI to the College as whole.

Dr. Yehudah holds a B.A. in Communication and a M.A. in Africana Studies from the State University of New York at Albany as well as a Ph.D. of African-American Studies from Temple University. Dr. Yehudah’s career in higher education has included more than 17 years of experience and leadership in teaching, researching, mentoring, and practicing in the fields of multicultural affairs, diversity, and social justice.