Samantha Shawn Earp
Samantha Shawn Earp was elected to serve on the Berea College Board of Trustees for a six-year term.
Earp is vice president of information technology and chief information officer at Smith College, where her responsibilities include oversight of the college’s IT environment and management of the central IT organization. She also serves as a member of the president’s cabinet.
“Berea College’s academic programs and labor experiences have been a powerful foundation for me and for generations of alumni as we pursue lives of learning, leadership, and service,” Earp said. “It is a tremendous honor to join the Board of Trustees and support the mission and great commitments of this wonderful institution.”
Earp has worked in higher education for more than 25 years, with significant experience in institutional strategic initiatives. At Smith, she is leading a multi-year program to transform the IT environment of the college across academic and administrative domains. She previously co-led the development and implementation of Harvard University’s HarvardX open online learning initiative.
Having taught at the community college, undergraduate and master’s levels (at posts in the U.S. and in France), Earp also has worked as a software developer and translator. She was director of academic services in the office of information technology at Duke University, Director of the Language Resource Center at UNC-Charlotte, and a senior lab facilitator and adjunct instructor at Central Piedmont Community College.
Earp earned a bachelor’s degree in French at Berea College. She earned a master’s degree in French linguistics from Indiana University, where she did further doctoral coursework in instructional systems technology and French/linguistics. Earp is a fellow of the Frye Leadership Institute, an alumna of the Educause Leadership Institute and the 2019 recipient of the Tambellini Group CIO of the Year award.
Earp resides in Florence, Massachusetts with her husband, David McMullen, and son, Iain McMullen.