Tracey Cameron named associate vice president and dean of students

Dr. Tracey Cameron, a student life professional with more than 20 years of experience in higher education administration, has joined the Salve Regina community as associate vice president and dean of students. She comes to Salve Regina from Bard College at Simon’s Rock, where she has served as dean of students since 2020.

“I have a great appreciation for Salve Regina’s mission, rich history and tradition of service,” Cameron said. “I am excited about the intentional work being done with the Strategic Compass and look forward to contributing to this effort and others in my role as AVP/dean of students.”

Throughout Cameron’s career in higher education, which also includes 10 years in leadership positions at Wellesley College, she has emphasized cultivating healthy campus climates that foster a sense of belonging for all students. Focused on equity and inclusion, she designed new programs, services and co-curricular learning opportunities to promote retention, persistence and satisfaction of diverse learners.

“What I love most about working with college students is the opportunity to be a collaborative partner along their educational journey,” she said. “I feel extremely fortunate to be joining an institution like Salve Regina that is values and mission driven.”

For the last two years, Cameron worked closely with the Bard College at Simon’s Rock community to critically examine student services and to foster engagement in the overall campus experience. She led efforts to form a student success and transitions unit within the campus life department, to create a credit-bearing first-year experience seminar, and to develop a co-curricular framework centering student learning outside of the classroom.

At Wellesley College, Cameron served as assistant dean of intercultural education and director of Harambee House, a space that provides social, emotional and academic support for Black students on campus. She also was program director of the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program, which was founded to increase diversity among minority faculty scholars in higher education.

“I’m excited to have Tracey join our Student Affairs team,” said Dr. Letizia Gambrell-Boone, vice president for student affairs. “Her extensive experience in student development will add value to our team as we provide meaningful, engaging and enjoyable experiences for our students.”

Cameron has a B.A. in journalism from Georgia State University, a M.Ed in college student personnel from Ohio University and a Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy studies from Virginia Tech. Additionally, she holds graduate certificates in women’s and gender studies and in preparing the future professoriate from Virginia Tech.

She said in her first few weeks at Salve Regina, she hopes to conduct a listening tour to get a better sense of the campus, its culture and its people. “I also intend to gain a better understanding of our strengths, challenges and opportunities for success,” Cameron said. “These meetings will be critical to shaping our path forward. I invite students, staff, faculty, alumni, parents and other key stakeholders to join me in these very important conversations.”