Congratulations to Steve Smith, Chief Information Technology Officer for the University of Alaska, for accepting the position of Associate Vice President/Deputy Chief Information Officer for the University of Hawaii system.

In a memorandum sent to President Gamble on March 10, Smith stated that he simply could not let this opportunity pass and that his resignation from the University of Alaska in no way reflects any dissatisfaction with his current position. Smith said that he's enjoyed his tenure here and the he believes the UA system is in great shape and under strong leadership.

Smith has been asked to start his new duties at University of Hawaii on June 1 and will continue to provide service to UA until then. He said he will focus on developing a blueprint for IT for the UA System that may assist in the new strategic plan.

On behalf of all of us at Statewide we'd like to extend our gratitude to Steve Smith for his leadership and expertise, and everything he has done for the university as Chief IT Officer.

Start date: March 1, 2011

Associate Vice President
Academic Affairs

Longtime UAA faculty adjunct instructor Paula Donson joined the university’s statewide Academic Affairs office as an associate vice president on March 1. In her position, Donson is assisting with implementation of the Academic Master Plan, participating in the University of Alaska’s Strategic Planning, and overseeing the university’s growing e-learning program (formerly called distance delivery education). She is based in Anchorage at the Bragaw Office Building.

Since 2001, Donson has been adjunct faculty at UAA’s College of Business and Public Policy as well as the College of Engineering’s Project Management Program.� In fact, Donson helped launch the Master of Science program in project management at UAA.

Donson earned a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction from Pennsylvania State University and a post-doctorate diploma in Management at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. Other post-doctorate credentials include an executive certificate in the Advanced Human Resource Executive Program at the University of Michigan. She earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Communications at Clarion University in Pennsylvania.

In addition to her adjunct work at UAA, Donson has had a long business career in Alaska. She most recently served as director of Workforce & Organization Development for the Alaska Railroad Corp., overseeing employee professional development.� While with ARRC, Paula was part of a national committee that developed a Railway Management Program for Michigan State University.� She came to Alaska in 1995 to help launch the state’s first wireless phone company, Mactel Inc. She also worked as Vice President for Alaska Seafood International and Alaska USA Federal Credit Union.

Prior to her career in Alaska, Donson worked for Wakefern Food Corporation, managing a $1 million budget to support staff development. Wakefern is the largest retailer-owned food cooperative in the United States. She began her corporate career with Unisys, where she designed and implemented a range of executive development programs at their Worldwide Education Center in Princeton, NJ.� While at Unisys, she earned several Corporate Excellence Awards for her service to Unisys’ Computer Operations and Defense Systems Groups.���

Donson was named an Alumni Fellow by Penn State Alumni Association in 2010 and is active in numerous professional and civic organizations inside and outside Alaska. She also enjoys reading, adventure travel, and Alaska native ivory carving.
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Started January 31, 2011

Administrative Specialist
Student and Enrollment Services

Leslee Kimbleton is the new Administrative Specialist for Student and Enrollment Services. In addition to serving the SES department, she provides staff support for the research and outreach that further supports SES’s mission.

Kimbleton was born in Columbus, OH.� She received a B.A. in English from Ohio State University. Kimbleton moved to Fairbanks in 2007.

Before moving to Alaska, Kimbleton was the Office Manager for the Department of History of Art at The Ohio State University. She was the Administrative Assistant for Student Support Services at UAF before coming to Statewide.

She lives with her partner, Zac Carlson, her three children and one dog. She loves reading, both for learning and pleasure and writes fiction in her spare time.
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