University Life Leadership Team

Meet the Vice Provost

Karu Kozuma headshot
Hikaru (Karu) Kozuma, Ed.D. he/him
Vice Provost for University Life
Karu Kozuma headshot
Hikaru (Karu) Kozuma, Ed.D. he/him
Vice Provost for University Life
Hikaru (Karu) Kozuma serves as the Vice Provost for University Life at the University of Pennsylvania. The University Life Division supports and nurtures the development of Penn’s diverse undergraduate and graduate/professional student communities, providing academic and career programming, campus and community engagement, and opportunities for personal and professional growth. Originally from New York City, Karu attended Middlebury College, majoring in English and minoring in American History. In 2001, he attended Harvard¹s Graduate School of Education and received his master of education in higher education administration. He earned his doctorate of education from Penn¹s Graduate School of Education in 2015, focusing his research on critical race theory, coalition building, and student engagement and empowerment. For 25 years, he has served in several roles in student affairs at Middlebury College, Columbia University, Amherst College, and the University of Pennsylvania. He has been highly involved in NASPA – National Association for Student Personnel Administrators – since 2005 and served as the National Co-Chair for the Asian Pacific Islander Knowledge Community from 2009–2011. He has taught graduate and undergraduate students, including a course about Asian American activism and organizing.

Meet the Team

Tamara Greenfield King stands in front of Locust Walk on a Fall day
Tamara Greenfield King, J.D. she/her
Senior Associate Vice Provost
for Student Affairs

Tamara Greenfield King serves as Senior Associate Vice Provost for Student Affairs. Her portfolio includes Career Services, Naval ROTC, Platt Student Performing Arts House, the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, and the Office of Student Affairs. She is a sough-after expert in student conduct and Title IX, serving as the first African American president of the Association for Student Conduct Administration and co-authoring the book, Reframing Campus Conflict: Student Conduct Practice Through the Lens of Inclusive Excellence. Prior to higher education, King worked at various law firms, opened her own firm, and served as the first African American Assistant District Attorney in Northampton County, Pennsylvania. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Penn State University and received her law degree from New York University.

Sharon Smith
Sharon Smith she/her
Associate Vice Provost
for University Life

Sharon Smith serves as Associate Vice Provost for University Life, overseeing Penn Violence Prevention, Student Intervention Services, and the Weingarten Center, which houses Learning Resources, Tutoring Services, and Student Disability Services. Her areas work closely with Counseling and Psychology Services (CAPS), Student Health Service, International Student and Scholars Services, the Chaplain’s Office, and the 12 schools in a shared mission to serve students navigating Penn.

Smith came to Penn in 1987 serving in various leadership positions including PENNCAP, New Student Orientation, and Open Expression. She helped create the mission and framework of Student Intervention Services (SIS), which leads the University’s response to emergencies and critical incidents involving students. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Penn State University and a master’s in Counseling Psychology from Temple University.

Will Atkins stands outside on Penn's campus
Will Atkins, Ph.D. he/him
Associate Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging

Will Atkins serves as Associate Vice Provost for University Life – Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging. Within this role, he is responsible for supporting DEIB efforts for students, specifically overseeing the university’s outstanding Cultural Resource Centers and engaging with numerous student organizations across campus. The six Cultural Resource Centers include: The Albert M. Greenfield Intercultural Center, The Center for Hispanic Excellence: LaCasa Latina, The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Center, Makuu: The Black Cultural Center; The Pan-Asian American Community House, and the Penn Women’s Center. He also serves as University Life’s point of contact for university-wide DEIB efforts, in collaboration with various campus stakeholders. Will is a native of Tampa, Florida and came to Penn after serving as Assistant Vice President for Student Life at the University of Florida (UF). His professional experiences include working with multicultural centers/social justice education, first-generation student success, sorority and fraternity life, student activities, student government, service learning, and new student orientation. He earned his bachelor’s degree from UF, master’s degree in higher education administration from the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, and Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from UF.

Laurie Hall outside on campus copy
Laurie A. Hall she/her
Assistant Vice Provost for Strategic Planning and Operations

Laurie A. Hall serves as Assistant Vice Provost for Strategic Planning and Operations with responsibility for the advancement of the strategic direction for the division. She has oversight of the creation of strategies focused on the continual improvement of the organization including professional development, staff engagement, cultivating an ethos of dignity, cultural humility, inclusion, and understanding of common divisional goals and institutional values. Her portfolio includes the functional areas of Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships, Communications, Design Strategies, and University Life Space and Events Management. Hall came to Penn in 2017 after seventeen years of progressive experience at Princeton University, most recently as Assistant Director for Administrative Planning in the Office of the Executive Vice President where she participated in enterprise level planning, financial stewardship, emergency planning, and organizational development. Preceding her roles with Princeton, she served as director of the Center for Volunteerism and Service Learning at Saint Elizabeth University. Hall spent her early career in the private, non-profit sector providing community reintegration and family programming for formerly incarcerated adults and managing undergraduate internships and field placements with the organization. Ms. Hall received her BA and Ed.M. in Education Theory, Policy, and Administration from  Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ.

Christine Brown Lawrence headshot
Christine Brown-Lawrence she/her
Executive Assistant to the Vice Provost for University Life

Christine Brown-Lawrence serves as the Executive Assistant for University Life Central. She holds a B.A. in Business Administration and a M.S in Athletic Coaching from West Virginia University, and is currently pursuing an MBA at Temple University. Prior to working at University of Pennsylvania, she worked at Temple University for 8+ years supporting the President & CEO of Temple Hospital and Dean of Temple University Medical School.

Rob Butler outdoors stands against a brick wall.
Rob Butler he/him
University Life Technology Services
Director

Rob Butler serves as University Life Technology Services Director. He has been at the University for seventeen years – nine of those years with the Division of Finance IT and eight with University Life Technology Services.

University Life Organization Chart

Executive
Assistant

Christine Brown-Lawrence

Associate Vice Provost for
University Life

Sharon Smith

Community Care
Associate Director

Emily Giffin

Associate Vice Provost for
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging

Will Atkins, Ph.D.

Inclusion Initiatives and Social Justice Education
Director

Malik Muhammad

La Casa Latina
Director

Krista Cortes, Ph.D.

Assistant Vice Provost
for Strategic Planning and Operations

Laurie A. Hall