Trinity University President Danny Anderson has appointed Kara Larkan-Skinner, Ed.D., to the role of executive director for institutional research and effectiveness. She succeeds Diane Saphire, who will retire in early August after 35 years of service to the University. Larkan-Skinner will begin her new role on Aug. 16.
Larkan-Skinner will work with internal and external stakeholders to share the data-driven side of Trinity's story from supporting strategy development to assuring Trinity's continued accreditation through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). The position reports to President Danny Anderson, who emphasized the critical role Larkan-Skinner will play going forward.
"Kara demonstrates a unique ability to mine data for the stories behind the numbers," Anderson says. "Coupled with her appreciation for shared governance, I am confident she will cultivate strong faculty-staff partnerships focused on student and University success that will position us for the future."
Most recently, Larkan-Skinner served as assistant vice president of institutional effectiveness and accreditation for Our Lady of the Lake University. She is credited with creating a 21st-century approach to the office, where she helped build a data-driven approach to decision making. She contributed to and led strategic planning, efforts surrounding the Quality Enhancements Plan, assessments, and more. She also collaborated with stakeholders across the organization to build a cohesive approach to a challenging accreditation process, which she joined late in the process.
She is a recent past president of the Texas Association of Institutional Research (TAIR) and continues to serve on the board and on special committees for both TAIR and the Association for Institutional Research.
Larkan-Skinner received her Ed.D. in higher education administration from Texas Tech University, as well as a bachelor's and master's in psychology from the University of Louisville.
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