Linda Timm will serve as Saint Mary’s interim vice president of student affairs following current vice president of student affairs Karen Johnson’s retirement at the end of the fall semester, Interim President Nancy Nekvasil announced in a campus-wide email Wednesday. Timm previously filled this office from 1995 to 2006, and has also held positions at Illinois State University and Mount Mary College.
“Timm’s wealth [of] experience in student affairs and extensive knowledge of Saint Mary’s will provide a smooth transition upon [Johnson’s] retirement in early January,” Nekvasil said in the email. “Her decades of work in student affairs inspired her collaboration with other professionals to form the Association for Student Affairs at Catholic Colleges and Universities where she later served as president.”
Nekvasil thanked Johnson for her 13 years of service at Saint Mary’s.
“[Johnson] was instrumental in securing a $300,000 grant from the Department of Justice to establish the Belles Against Violence Office in 2012,” she said in the email. “She was a tireless advocate for the expansion and construction of the Angela Athletic and Wellness Complex and the Patricia Wiedner Purcell ’69 Athletic Fields.”
Johnson also served as the administration’s point person on the College’s parent Facebook pages, Nekvasil said.
“Regardless of where I am in the country, I’ve had parents express gratitude for [Johnson’s] commitment to keeping them informed on campus events and happenings,” Nekvasil said.
The farewell reception for Johnson is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 17, from 3:30 - 5 p.m. in the Reignbeaux Lounge.
