Admissions Team Welcomes New Leadership

Sweet Briar College has named Cynthia Peterson as the new assistant vice president for admissions. Her appointment follows a nationwide search by a committee of Sweet Briar board members, administrators and alumnae. Peterson begins her new role on August 23rd.

Cindy Peterson is a veteran of higher education with more than 20 years of experience in admissions, recruitment and enrollment, most recently at Piedmont University, a private, liberal arts university in Demorest, Georgia. She was Piedmont’s vice president for enrollment management for undergraduate and graduate admissions. Previously, she was associate vice president for undergraduate enrollment where she developed the university’s undergraduate strategic recruitment strategy for first-year, transfer, international and targeted audience students, including effective DEI initiatives.

“We are thrilled to have someone as experienced and successful as Cindy leading our admissions team at Sweet Briar College,” says Mary Pope Hutson, interim president. “She understands the needs and expectations of prospective students and their families and how to build a successful team to share the message of Sweet Briar. As a former coach, Cindy knows how to motivate those around her to get excited about challenges and to reach ambitious goals. Cindy will be an integral part of our plans to reintroduce Sweet Briar to the nation as a college where young women are inspired to become ethical leaders with the skill, compassion and vision to create a more just and sustainable world.”

Cindy is a lifelong athlete and former director of sports and recreation ministry at Northside United Methodist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, and director of athletics at Agnes Scott College. She has a Master of Education from Auburn University and a BS from James Madison University, where she was an NCAA Division I basketball player. She has extensive experience working with leaders in academic programs, student life, financial aid, and athletics to drive enrollment goals through creative, data-driven strategies.

“The Sweet Briar community is impacting women’s lives on a local, national and global scale” says Cindy. “I look forward to joining the dynamic enrollment leaders across campus to embrace the challenges ahead and help inspire our team to reach ambitious enrollment goals.”