Comes to Bennington from University of the Arts in Philadelphia
Vermont Business Magazine Bennington College President Laura Walker announced that Shelton Walker (no relation) has been appointed to the inaugural role of Chief of Staff & Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at the College. Shelton, who will assume the position on January 18, 2022, comes to Bennington from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where she serves as Chief of Staff & Associate Vice President for Strategic Initiatives.
“Shelton brings with her years of experience and a passion for higher education,” said Bennington College President Laura Walker. “In this new role, Shelton will serve as a member of the cabinet, and will be responsible for creating and operationalizing the systems, processes, and infrastructure necessary for meeting the College’s strategic imperatives and goals, among other duties. She has the breadth and depth of experience and personality that will lend itself well to this new role, and we are so thrilled to welcome her to the Bennington community.”
Shelton Walker expressed her excitement to be joining Bennington in the new year, stating “At Bennington, you can feel the propensity for looking widely and purposefully. I am truly excited to join such an extraordinary institution and become part of the creative community that will imagine together a continued, radical future.”
At the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Shelton’s work centers on furthering the mission to advance human creativity by providing integral leadership, strategy and oversight across a broad range of university priorities. During her tenure, she co-chaired a community-driven strategic planning process, and played a vital role in overseeing critical institutional communications, including most recently, the university’s COVID response planning. She has also stewarded a number of university centers and special projects, including the acquisition relaunch of both the historic Philadelphia Art Alliance - the nation’s oldest multidisciplinary art center - and Lightbox Film Center, an experimental and international cinema house. She also oversaw the ongoing work of the university’s long-standing Rosenwald-Wolf Gallery, and the creation and launch of the Center for Immersive Media, a research center devoted to the exploration and understanding of new and emerging technologies. Shelton advocated for and oversaw the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and related cross-divisional initiatives.
Prior to her appointment as Chief of Staff & Associate Vice President for Strategic Initiatives, Shelton served the University of the Arts as Assistant Vice President for Special Projects, Assistant Provost and Director of Communications, among other critical appointments. Prior to joining the University of the Arts, Shelton worked and taught at Montserrat College of Art. Shelton holds a Master of Fine Arts from Glasgow School of Art and Bachelor of Fine Arts from Pratt Institute.
Source: Bennington, VT: Bennington College 12.16.2021