Provost/Dean of the Faculty

Daphne Lamothe
Provost and Dean of the Faculty
​413-585-3317

In her role as Provost & Dean of the Faculty, Daphne Lamothe ensures excellence and prosperity in teaching, learning and research at Smith, now and for the future. Lamothe creates and leads collaborative processes with all academic heads to advance a shared academic vision. She is a literary and cultural studies scholar with research and teaching interests in African American, Afro-Caribbean and Black migration and transnational literatures. Lamothe is currently working on a study of representations of black subjects in urban spaces whose experience of selfhood is shaped by the absence ofideals of home, origin and belonging.

Denise McKahn
Associate Provost
​413-585-3000

Denise McKahn ensures thriving academic programs at Smith, aligning resources with the curricular and co-curricular missions of the college in a sustainable and equitable way. Denise manages the academic budget of the college overseen by the provost. She chairs the Committee on Faculty Compensation and Development, the Classroom Committee, and the Committee on Study Abroad. She has responsibility for faculty development, and support in research and teaching, and in partnership with development and finance, advocates for grant proposal development that advances faculty research, instruction, and programmatic interests. Among her responsibilities are the Botanic Garden, the Clark Science Center, the Campus School, and non-tenure track faculty recruitment and hiring. Denise was hired as a faculty member in the Department of Engineering in 2008, and is a scholar, advocate, and Civil and Environmental Engineer.

Hélène Visentin
Associate Dean of the Faculty/Dean for Academic Development
413-585-3000

Hélène Visentin coordinates faculty professional development, oversees curricular operations and strategic planning, and directs Smith’s graduate and special programs. She aims to cultivate effective, equitable and inclusive partnerships with faculty and staff leaders around the college and with members of the president’s team. A Professor of French studies, Visentin has been teaching at Smith since 1999. Her research specializes in early modern literature and culture, with a focus on the history and aesthetics of the performing arts. Recently, her research and teaching interests have been focused on digital humanities, especially mapping and data visualization techniques.

Kayla Cheneba
Director of Academic Operations/Special Advisor to the Provost
​413-585-3011

As Director of Academic Operations, Kayla promotes and strengthens Smith's academic programs by facilitating relationships between the provost and internal/external constituencies; coordinating the deans, faculty and other college offices in major academic initiatives and special projects; and leads the development and execution of our office's business policies and practices. As Special Advisor to the Provost, she provides project management and organizational leadership for the Provost’s strategic initiatives. Acting as the Provost’s designee in various settings, Kayla partners with the Deans and all members of our team on the development and on-going improvements to our processes, supports key Provost area committees, and provides immediate and long-term administrative and organizational support to the Provost & Dean of the Faculty directly. Contact Kayla with questions about faculty meeting, chairs & directors, and other special projects under the Provost & Dean of the Faculty's purview.

Kelly DeForest
Associate Director of Curricular and Academic Administration
​413-585-3008

In close partnership with the Associate Dean of the Faculty & Dean for Academic Development, Kelly DeForest ensure successful courses of study through her support of the Committee on Academic Priorities in all aspects of curricular development, maintenance and review materials and workflows. Kelly also works closely with the ADOF/DAD and Chairs & Directors in the professional development of the academic administrative support staff. Contact Kelly for CAP policies and procedures; curricular approval guidelines for course proposals (new and revisions to existing), changes to the major or minor, and other curricular changes; catalog policies and procedures; and all other items related to the work of CAP.

Donna Ellithorpe
Executive Assistant to the Provost
​413-585-3017

Donna is responsible for providing a wide range of highly-skilled administrative and executive-level assistance to the provost and to her office. She anticipates the daily needs of the provost; manages the provost’s calendar, materials and correspondence; takes initiative; exercises good judgment; maintains confidentiality; and functions as an administrative generalist who also supports scheduling for the associate provost and associate dean of faculty.

Jayne Mercier
Associate Director for Faculty Analytics
​413-585-3006

As Associate Director for Faculty Analytics, she collaborates with institutional partners in stewarding faculty and instructional staff data in the service of academic business intelligence; designs, develops, and oversee the budget, reporting, and analytic processes that sustain Smith’s success in hiring, retention, and support of faculty and instructional staff throughout the lifecycle; and advises academic leadership on the strategic use of institutional resources in achieving Smith’s academic mission.

Josh Parad
Senior Academic Budget Manager
​413-585-3007

The Senior Academic Budget Manager develops sustainable academic budget models that advance Smith's educational mission, overseeing academic financial resources in close collaboration with the associate provost and the budget office. Contact the Senior Academic Budget Manager for departmental and program budget queries, inquiries regarding internal grants including CFCD and starters, the Lecture Committee, and financial modeling for new initiatives. 

Martha Potyrala
Graduate and Special Programs Operations Coordinator
​413-585-3053

Martha Potyrala promotes successful graduate study experiences at Smith by ensuring consistency in policies and completion of requirements. Contact Martha for graduate application questions, registration assistance, inquiries regarding curriculum requirements and requests for extensions.

Rachel Siegel
Senior Faculty Recruitment and Hiring Specialist
413-585-3004

The faculty recruitment and appointment specialist promotes a fair and inclusive faculty culture at Smith by working in close partnership with the Provost & Dean of the Faculty, Associate Provost, and Associate Dean of the Faculty to ensure consistent application of faculty search, recruitment and hiring policies. Contact Rachel for tenure-track and non-tenure track searches; faculty hiring appointment letters; research associate appointments; faculty visas; on-boarding of new faculty members and instructors; hiring Readers and UMass graduate student RAs; and information regarding visiting scholars.

Hayley Spizz
Senior Advisor of Faculty Policies, Development, and Equity
​413-585-3005

Hayley Spizz promotes fairness and equity through ensuring consistent application of Smith faculty policies by faculty, staff, and administration. In partnership with the associate dean of the faculty/dean for academic development, she advances faculty development initiatives to foster success at every career stage. Contact Hayley for reappointment, tenure, and promotion procedures and questions; sabbaticals and leaves; and faculty activity reporting.