PLU Officers

Joanna Gregson, Ph.D., serves as the Executive Vice President of University Strategy and Effectiveness at Pacific Lutheran University. Drawing on nearly three decades of dedicated service as both a classroom educator and senior administrator at PLU, she oversees the overarching strategic direction, institutional growth, and external engagement for the university.

To proactively navigate the evolving higher-education landscape, Dr. Gregson leads a division that unifies Admission, Financial Aid, Athletics, and Marketing & Communications with Advancement, Alumni & Student Connections, Sponsored Programs, and Institutional Research. Grounded in her background as a sociologist, her leadership leverages data-informed insights and deep stakeholder engagement to align university resources with institutional mission and effectiveness. Prior to this appointment, she served for nine years as PLU’s Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and 19 years as a faculty member in PLU’s Department of Sociology. In these roles, she established a strong legacy of cross-constituent collaboration, strategic institutional planning, and deep familiarity with the university’s distinctive academic programs.

Dr. Gregson earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology from Western Washington University and her Ph.D. from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Joanna Royce-Davis, Ph.D, has been a cornerstone of Pacific Lutheran University’s senior leadership team since 2014, when she joined our community as the Vice President for Student Life. Dr. Royce-Davis’s career is defined by a deep-seated commitment to student learning and academic mission, including a decade of service as a graduate program director and foundational work as a faculty member teaching across the academic spectrum, from first year requirements to doctoral seminars. Her background uniquely positions Dr. Royce-Davis to understand and foster a holistic educational experience for all students, connecting classroom learning with co-curricular engagement and applied learning.

Dr. Royce-Davis is known for her collaborative approach to bridging the university’s academic mission and overall student experience, driving initiatives that support student success, well-being, and a vibrant campus community. With an educational background spanning Indiana University (B.A.), San Jose State University (M.A.), and Syracuse University (Ph.D.), Joanna possesses a sophisticated understanding of the diverse strengths of public and private higher education. She is a recognized expert in inclusive and active pedagogy, a focus honed during her time in Syracuse University’s prestigious Future Professoriate Project. This intensive preparation for university teaching informs her holistic view of the university as a unified learning environment. Similarly, Dr. Royce-Davis’s start as a middle and high school teacher in a tribally-run school system grounds her approach to learning as relational, interdependent, and rooted in place. Her career trajectory reflects a rare breadth of expertise, including curricular innovation, instructional excellence, and sustaining a rigorous research agenda focused on equity-minded educational systems, social-emotional learning, integrative wellbeing approaches, and leadership development.

Dr. Royce-Davis understands that the cores of student experience are not siloed, but rather an interaction between student experiences in their academic programs and in their related opportunities for reflection, engagement, and application in co-curricular settings. In collaboration with faculty partners, Dr. Royce-Davis co-founded and co-designed Pacific’s First-Year Experience, applying an equity-focused lens to modernize the university’s foundational curriculum. She has contributed insights from that nationally recognized program to the evolution of PLU’s General Education course, PLUS 100.

Dr. Royce-Davis’s executive leadership is underpinned by a sustained commitment to academic scholarship and the advancement of collective knowledge. Her research portfolio includes such focal areas as equity-centered systems, leadership learning, and integrated wellbeing, all of which shape her data-informed approach to institutional excellence. By consistently presenting collaborative research within her broader higher education network, she remains at the forefront of national trends in student success. Her standing as a distinguished educator and scholar is reflected in numerous honors, including her recognition as a NASPA Pillar of the Profession.

As the Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for University Finance & Operations, Shalita Myrick leads the Division of University Finance & Operations which includes; Facilities Management & Housing Operations, Dining, Events, I&TS, Risk Services, Human Resources, Business Office, and Campus Safety. She also plays a critical role in the continued development of the Partnership for Health Innovation and many other strategic initiatives.

Myrick previously served as the principal project manager at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. She’s also held leadership roles at Texas Children’s Hospital, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Kaiser Permanente, and AT&T.

Shalita holds a master’s degree in facilities management from The University of Texas at San Antonio and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Spelman College. She is also a graduate of the Los Angeles African American Women’s Public Policy Institute and serves the International Facilities Management Association’s Academic Facilities Council as the chair for young professionals.

As Associate Vice President and Chief Institutional Effectiveness Officer, Karen McConnell, Ph.D. works closely with all divisions of the university to guide key strategic efforts and to measure and report on achievements and outcomes as they relate to accreditation, the strategic plan and fulfillment of the university mission. In addition to her role as CIEO, McConnell serves as the university’s Accreditation Liaison Officer with the Northwest Commission of Colleges and Universities and is the senior administrator for the Office of Institutional Research and Analytics as well as Information and Technology Services.

Dr. McConnell joined PLU in 1998 as a faculty member in the Department of Kinesiology where she retains her faculty status as a Professor. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sport Medicine from the University of the Pacific; a Master’s degree in Exercise Science also from UOP and a Ph.D in Curriculum and Instruction in Exercise and Wellness Education from Arizona State University. During her tenure at PLU McConnell served 14 years as Associate Dean for Kinesiology and four years as Dean for the School of Education and Kinesiology. In addition, she was the Director of Assessment for five years prior to becoming the Chief Institutional Effectiveness Officer.

McConnell has a long record of service to the University including the Educational Policies Committee, Faculty Affairs Committee, Faculty Executive Committee, First Year Experience Committee, Benefits Committee and three different General Education reform and oversight committees. In addition, McConnell remains active as a scholar and author having published five k-12 health textbooks. McConnell regularly consults in areas of curricular design, program review and assessment development.