Division of Student Life

Staff Bios

Dr. Joi D. Lewis, Dean of Students and Vice Provost
Division of Student Life
Joi Lewis has served as the dean of student life at Mills College, in Oakland, California since August 13, 2007. A social entrepreneur, practitioner-scholar, global leader, and activist, Lewis brings to Mills significant experience related to issues of race, social justice, and student development in higher education.

Dr. Joi, as students fondly call her, is responsible for leading the Division of Student Life, serving as a primary advocate for approximately 1,400 undergraduate and graduate students. She leads the campus-wide effort to strengthen community within the diverse campus population, and ensure that all students are positively impacted by the Division of Student Life's mission and vision to provide students with a "transformative student learning experience."

With more than 15 years of experience in student and academic affairs administration in public and private higher education, she came to Mills having recently completed her Doctorate in higher education management at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2006-07 she was also an Archibald Bush Leadership Fellow and a visiting scholar at the Spencer Foundation in Chicago, Illinois.

Lewis spent seven years at Macalester College in St Paul, Minnesota, where she became the first dean of multicultural life 2002, serving in that role until May 2006. In that position, she led faculty, staff, and students to successfully build what is now the Department of Multicultural Life. Under Lewis' leadership, the percentage of students of color increased from 11% to 17%, and the retention rate rose from 65% to 97%, the highest to date in the college's history.

Before becoming dean of multicultural life, she also served as Macalester's associate dean of students, and as a student affairs administrator at the University of Minnesota and Iowa State University. She has experience in working with a wide range of students and their families, and in creating community around the ways in which race and ethnicity intersect with identities based on gender, social class, religion, national origin, sexuality, and physical ability.

Lewis' work focuses on transforming organizational structures and incorporating the values and ethos of historically underrepresented peoples, discourses, and ideas into the fabric of educational institutions and local and global communities.

Lewis' doctoral research at the University of Pennsylvania focused on assessing and developing models and strategies for shifting organizational culture in education, as well as access, retention and completion for women and people of color to the professorate and senior administration. Her main interest lies in comparing educational systems in the United States and South Africa, in an effort to increase accountability of higher education systems, to increase not only access but also completion in higher education. As part of this research, she examined the legacies of Jim Crow and Apartheid as they affect access and success to (in) higher education and impact organizational structure. Her dissertation is entitled: From Mammies, Maids, and Martyrs to Agents, Activist and Authors: The Roles That Black Women Play in Transforming the Academy, in the US and South Africa.

Lewis earned her BS in business administration from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville and her MS in higher education management from Iowa State University. Her sense of community, as well as her vocational and research interest, were shaped by three critical life experiences: growing up in East St. Louis, Illinois, an administrative sabbatical in Cape Town, South Africa, and living in the Selby-Dale neighborhood of St. Paul, Minnesota. All of Lewis' experiences are grounded in her commitment to her family, her faith and her community.

Kennedy Friede Golden
Associate Director of Operations
Advisor to International Students
As Associate Dean of Operations, Kennedy Golden works closely with students, faculty, staff, alumnae and friends of the College to support all students' transformative academic and personal experiences while at Mills. Students can work with Kennedy on issues ranging from International Student VISA status, academic concerns, discussion of possible time away from Mills on Leave of Absence or even when considering a Withdraw from the College. While the answer is not always obvious, students, staff, families and faculty members can count on finding an answer or a path toward a solution for nearly any problem.

Tonia Blackwell
Assistant Dean of Students, Student Services
As the Assistant Dean of Students, Toni supervises Counseling and Psychological Services, Services for Students with Disabilities, Health Services, Career Services, and Religious and Spiritual Life. She also assists in educating the Mills Community around conflict mediation and the College's grievance process. In addition, Toni serves as the advisor to ASMC (Student Government) where she assists students in developing a strong voice in their community.

Amy Brown
Administrative Assistant, Division of Student Life
Amy Brown is a member of the Administrative Support Team (AST) in the Division of Student Life. As a member of the AST, Amy's job responsibilities include support for all departments in the Division of Student Life. With the growth of the Mills student population as well as the ever changing needs of the Mills Community, Amy's responsibilities continue to shift. She is a vital resource to the Division of Student Life and to Mills students.

Maureen McGee
Receptionist, Division of Student Life
Maureen McGee is the receptionist for the Division of Student Life and in this role she is usually the first person you meet as you enter the Cowell Building. She is responsible for the smooth operation of the front reception area. If you have a question about the Division, Maureen will find the answer! Maureen does much more than make appointments or direct you to the correct staff member or department on campus. She is also quick to lend a supportive voice in times of stress and can be trusted to handle student's needs with caring, confidence, and confidentiality. Maureen is loved and trusted on campus by students, staff and faculty. She has become a mentor to many students during her time at Mills and is a true symbol of the nurturing environment provided by the Mills community.