Dear Tulane Community:

We are very pleased to announce that Christa Payne has been appointed to the position of interim dean of the Tulane School of Professional Advancement (SoPA), effective May 16, 2026.

Christa, who joined Tulane University in 2016, will replace Amelia Manning, the current dean of SoPA, who is stepping down to serve as president of Chamberlain University in Chicago, Illinois.

Christa is an accomplished administrator with more than 25 years of experience in education and non-profits. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Sewanee: The University of the South and graduated with a Master of Business Administration from Tulane’s A. B. Freeman School of Business.

As interim dean, Christa will continue the school’s goal of serving more working adults while also strengthening SoPA’s mission to provide affordable, flexible and industry-relevant degrees and certificates that support career mobility and meet workforce needs. 

Christa is currently SoPA’s Chief Business Officer and oversees the school’s marketing, finance, operations and technology. Over the last year, she has played a central role in helping lead SoPA through a major academic and operational transformation. This included the development of a new financial model for tuition, five online degrees and multiple courses this fall. This interim period will not bring about any pause in SoPA’s growth and momentum. Christa brings a strategic, data-informed approach that will serve SoPA well during this time of transition.

Since 1942, SoPA has been a vital part of Tulane, our city and region as it carries out its mission of helping working adults achieve their goals in education, in their careers and in their lives through the completion of bachelor’s degrees, graduate studies and certificates in a wide array of programs and fields. We are proud that Tulane is one of the only major national research universities in the country with such a long and robust commitment to the working members of its community. 

As we conduct a national search for a permanent dean of SoPA, please join us in thanking Christa for her willingness to take on this demanding and essential leadership position.

Michael A. Fitts, President
Robin Forman, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost