Residence Life to begin academic year with new leadership
By Samantha Watson : August 14th, 2012
For the upcoming academic year, Residence Life will have a new interim director, Virginia Speight, and interim associate director, Katrina Nottke, both chosen for their track records in student-centeredness.
Speight, who was promoted to interim director from associate director, brings to the table years of experience in residence life and management. She was an assistant director for the Office of Residence Life and Housing for Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Va., for three years before coming to The University of Toledo. She also held residence life and housing positions at Old Dominion University, Ambling Management Co. and Hampton University.
At UT, Speight was the associate director for eight months before temporarily taking over the interim director position in July and now officially has been named to the acting post.
Speight plans to collaborate with key offices that focus on student services to improve overall living for students on campus. She also serves as a member of the vice president’s senior leadership team and crisis intervention response team, and provides representation and direction on various University initiatives.
“I am extremely excited and honored to serve as the interim director of Residence Life at UT,” Speight said. “My goal is to continue to work with staff and students in creating residence halls that promote learning outside of the classroom and enhance the student experience. Students are the reason we exist, and providing exemplary customer service is our goal.”
Nottke, the new associate director, brings more of a business background with her, having worked in the health-care industry for 15 years — 11 years in career-growth roles at HCR ManorCare and four years at Health-Care Real Estate Investment Trust. She will handle the business operations side of Residence Life during her time in office.
In February, Nottke became the interim senior financial analyst in the UT Finance Office. In that position, she worked on special projects, which included work related to Residence Life and student-centeredness. She also served on several committees, including the Student Engagement & Retention Committee, Semester Prep Committee and the Staff Ambassadors Committee.
“I very much enjoyed working on student-centered and Residence Life-related projects in my role as interim senior financial analyst and excelled in these areas,” Nottke said. “Naturally, I wanted to continue on a path related to these areas where I can continue to make a positive impact on our student experience here at UT.”
Nottke and Speight, along with three assistant directors, a project manager and a large supporting staff, hope to create an atmosphere built on the mission and vision of Residence Life: to foster academic and social success for students by providing a safe and healthy community, excellent housing facilities, education, a culture of respect and the formation of lifelong relationships.