Faculty Appointments
Danielle Certa, Director of Faculty Appointments
Pronouns: she/her
Danielle Certa serves as the Director of Faculty Appointments for the Office of Faculty Affairs in the Office of the Provost. Danielle came to Vanderbilt in 2009 after 10 years in the advertising and entertainment industries, relocating to Nashville from Los Angeles. She worked for former Interim Chancellor and Provost Susan Wente from 2010 to 2014 when Wente served as Associate Vice Chancellor for Research at VUMC. Danielle accepted a position in the Office of Faculty Affairs in 2015 working for then Vice Provost for Academic and Strategic Initiatives John Geer. In her role as Director, Danielle provides expert analysis and guidance on behalf of the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and Professional Education Tracey George regarding faculty appointments, reappointments, and promotions; search processes; review processes; faculty data collection as it pertains to federal compliance requirements; as well as ensures compliance with university policies and procedures. Reporting directly to the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and Professional Education Tracey George, Danielle also works closely with the Office of the Chancellor (including the Director of Board Affairs for the Board of Trust), the Office of the Provost, the Office of General Counsel, Human Resources, all school deans’ offices, the School of Medicine Office of Faculty Affairs, and the Academic Affairs Process Solutions and Implementation group. In 2019, Danielle was named to the Staff Steering Committee for Women’s Initiatives, serving as co-chair of the Professional Development subcommittee before serving as co-chair of the renamed StaffWAVE council beginning mid-2021.
Danielle received her undergraduate degree in Film from Emerson College and is currently a student in the Masters of Liberal Arts and Sciences program in the College of Arts and Science.
Megan Cole, Senior Program Coordinator
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Megan Cole is the Senior Program Coordinator for the Office of Faculty Affairs and Professional Education.
Megan is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and a Tennessee native. She previously worked in finance and faculty support at Vanderbilt Law School. As senior program coordinator, she oversees a variety of tasks, including website execution, faculty action processes, and data management.
When she isn’t at Vanderbilt, she enjoys cooking, playing trivia, and scouring thrift stores for hidden gems.
Mary Pizzullo, Program Coordinator
mary.b.pizzullo@vanderbilt.edu
Pronouns: she/her
Mary Pizzullo serves as the program coordinator for faculty appointments within the Office of Faculty Affairs. A Philadelphia native, she comes to Vanderbilt University with 12 years of nonprofit administration and leadership. Prior to Vanderbilt, she worked in Meharry Medical College’s Pediatric Department as administrative support. In her role at Vanderbilt, Pizzullo focuses on faculty appointments, reappointments, promotions and search processes, manages the faculty affairs social media accounts and assists with other special projects and events. She is part of the University Staff and Advisory Committee (USAC). When not at work, you can find her curled up with a book, volunteering in the community or out enjoying Nashville’s arts scene.
Sonya Hubbard, Executive Assistant to the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs
615.322.7044
Pronouns: she/her
Sonya Hubbard is Executive Assistant to Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs Tracey George. In addition to supporting the Vice Provost, Sonya also provides support to the various teams in Faculty Affairs. Sonya relocated to Nashville from Michigan to be closer to family. She has been at Vanderbilt since 2017. Sonya holds a BS in Financial Markets and Investments from Wayne State University in Detroit, MI, and in her spare time, she loves to read, draw, take nature walks, and organize.