Following Felicia A. Washington’s decision to leave the university earlier this summer, USC has appointed Stacy Giwa as the interim vice president of human resources. Her term will begin on October 1.
Washington is one of three senior staff members who recently resigned, along with Dornsife Dean Amber Miller and Vice President of Enrollment Management Kedra Ishop. She was hired in 2019, the first year of President Carol Folt’s term, and was the first individual to hold the title of senior vice president of human resources at USC. Washington left the university to serve in the same role at the University of Pennsylvania, and her departure came after significant backlash against the university for its handling of pro-Palestinian encampment protests and the cancellation of Valedictorian Asna Tabassum’s speech.
Giwa has served as USC’s vice president of culture, ethics, and compliance and chief compliance officer since 2018, where she notably led the USC Culture Journey. As Human Resources lead she will oversee this department, the Office for Equity, Equal Opportunity, and Title IX and the Office of Professionalism and Ethics.
Before USC, Giwa was a principal at Ernst & Young and a labor and employment attorney at Southern California Edison.
“Please join me in thanking Stacy for taking on this essential role at USC, and wishing Felicia Washington well as she brings her transformational leadership to the University of Pennsylvania,” wrote Folt in the press release announcing Giwa’s new position.