Dr. Christina Drale has been named interim executive vice chancellor and provost at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, effective Nov. 1.

Drale has served in administrative roles at UA Little Rock since 2006, first as associate dean of the College of Professional Studies and most recently as associate vice chancellor for faculty relations and administration. She currently serves on several strategic committees including the Higher Learning Commission Accreditation Steering Team, the Institutional Effectiveness Committee, and the UA Little Rock Diversity Council.

Drale has a Ph.D. in sociology, a Master of Arts in sociology, and a Bachelor of Arts in communications, all from the University of California, San Diego.

She replaces Dr. Velmer Burton, who has served as provost since July 2017. Burton will transition to a new campus leadership role of senior vice chancellor for university strategy and performance.

“This move will better utilize his senior administrative experiences and skills to help the university meet our strategic goals while tightening our budget,” Chancellor Andrew Rogerson said.

Burton will also work to improve program offerings and student enrollment at the UA Little Rock Benton campus, an area with much untapped potential for growth.