Princeton University

People

Spotlight

Name: Karla Vecchia.

Position: Administrative assistant in the Office of the Dean of the College. Coordinates all aspects of the day-to-day administration of the Study Abroad Program and the International Internship Program. Advising students on the non-academic aspects of study abroad. Producing publications and Web sites. Serving as the administrator for the Fulbright Scholarship Program.

Quote: “I enjoy talking to the students when they come back from study abroad. They may be a little nervous before they leave, but they come back glowing. Seeing that transformation—and having them thank the office for our help—is very rewarding.”

Other interests: Rock climbing at the gym and outdoors. Painting and installing a new floor at her house. Xeriscape gardening, which emphasizes water conservation.

Appointments

Marion Carty, a Princeton staff member since 1983, has been promoted to director of the University’s printing and mailing department.

She will lead the full-service operation, which offers University clients assistance with projects ranging from offset and digital printing to bindery to bulk mailing.

Carty joined the printing and mailing staff in 1983 as a graphic designer. She was named associate director in 1984 and acting director in 2004. A graduate of the College of New Jersey, she succeeds Skip Plank, who has retired after 24 years.

Cass Cliatt, a Princeton alumna who has worked in journalism and public relations, has been named the University’s media relations manager. She will serve as the primary spokesperson and coordinate external coverage of the University.

For the past two years, Cliatt has been deputy director of communications/policy for the Cook County clerk’s office in Chicago. She was a reporter between 1999 and 2003 for Illinois’ third largest newspaper, the Daily Herald based in Arlington Heights.

She worked at the Battle Creek (Mich.) Enquirer from 1997 to 1999. In addition to reporting, she led a community diversity program that brought together reporters and members of civic, nonprofit and municipal groups to develop priorities for news coverage.

She has received awards from the Michigan Press Association, Gannett, the Chicago Headline Club and the Northern Illinois Newspaper Association for her reporting.

Cliatt earned her A.B. in English with a certificate in Spanish from Princeton in 1996. She completed an M.S. in journalism as a Brown Fellowship recipient at Northwestern University in 1997.

Cliatt succeeds Patty Allen, who has relocated to Ohio. Eric Quiñones, who has been serving as interim media relations manager, has been named a senior writer on the communications staff, working primarily on the Princeton Weekly Bulletin and other internal communications vehicles.

Maureen McWhirter, a senior internal auditor at Princeton since 2002, has been named associate director of academic administration. Located in the Office of Administration and Compliance, the position will serve as the primary administrative liaison for academic department and program managers.

“Maureen’s experiences as an auditor and running the financial operations of a nonprofit organization, plus her knowledge of the University, will allow her to make a smooth transition to her new responsibilities,” said Laurel Harvey, general manager of administration and compliance, to whom McWhirter reports. “Academic administrators who do not yet know Maureen will quickly recognize her willingness and ability to help them improve the effectiveness of their administrative operations.”

McWhirter’s first project will be to lead a team effort in two academic departments to customize and improve departmental financial and administrative processes and reports to take maximum advantage of recent upgrades of central computer systems.

Prior to coming to Princeton, McWhirter was finance director for Young Audiences of New Jersey Inc. She graduated summa cum laude from Villanova University and earned her CPA working as an auditor for KPMG Peat Marwick.

Mike Mills, a 20-year member of the Princeton staff, has been promoted to manager of media services.

Mills began his work at Princeton in 1985 as a media technician and was named assistant manager of media services in 1998. The acting manager of media services for the past several months, he succeeds Donald Albury, who died May 22.

Mills will be responsible for classroom media at the University, including overseeing equipment, advising the University on media design and providing media support for academic and administrative activities. He holds an associate’s degree from Bucks County Community College.