Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Timeline
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Lorna Vakian

La Crescenta,CA

Summary

Seasoned academic affairs professional with over a decade of experience supporting faculty advancement and institutional excellence in medical school environments. Demonstrated expertise in faculty appointments, promotions, compliance, and policy interpretation across tenure and non-tenure lines. Adept at managing complex administrative processes, mentoring staff, and implementing strategic improvements. Proven ability to foster collaborative relationships, maintain policy integrity, and support leadership decision-making through critical analysis and high-level communication.

Overview

10
10
years of professional experience

Work History

Faculty Affairs Administrator 2

Stanford School of Medicine, Pathology
07.2023 - Current
  • Foster a collaborative and respectful team environment by cultivating strong working relationships with colleagues, faculty, and direct reports, contributing to a cohesive departmental culture.
  • Effectively manage and serve as a key resource in academic personnel matters, ensuring policy compliance across University Medical Line (UML), University Tenure Line (UTL), and Clinician Educator (CE) appointments and actions.
  • Lead mentoring and development for direct reports, improving workflow efficiency, communication, and leave management for sabbaticals, professional development, and visiting faculty.
  • Implement weekly tracking and communications protocols to maintain accountability and adherence to institutional timelines.
  • Collaborate with departmental leadership to streamline processes and improve quality of deliverables across faculty affairs functions.
  • Contribute to internal process reviews and redesigns, driving continuous improvement during team restructuring.

Senior Faculty Affairs Coordinator, Appointments and Promotions Coordinator

USC Keck School of Medicine
08.2017 - 06.2023
  • Prepared dossiers for new chairs of departments and institute directors to ensure compliance with institutional guidelines and standards.
  • Oversaw the processing of 115+ senior faculty appointments and promotions annually—more than doubling the previous volume.
  • Critically evaluated over 670 dossiers, including 33 Clinical Scholars and 100+ tenure track cases, ensuring quality and policy compliance.
  • Created and delivered training for A&P Coordinators across 26 departments and 7 institutions; developed guides for dossier preparation across all faculty lines.
  • Coordinated 36 Appointments and Promotions Committee meetings per year; reviewed readiness of cases and supported decision-making.
  • Managed sabbaticals, emeritus requests, dual/joint appointments, and endowed chair actions; monitored tenure timelines and mid-probationary reviews.
  • Drafted communications and facilitated surveys (e.g., Qualtrics) for referee input in CE and Practitioner tracks.
  • Maintained collaborative relationships with chairs, faculty, and central offices to support institutional goals.

Faculty Services Specialist

USC Keck School of Medicine
11.2015 - 08.2017
  • Developed and maintained a checklist for Recruitment Requests for new appointments, ensuring completeness and accuracy of documentation.
  • Received and processed new appointments, reappointments, and deletion requests for over 2000 Voluntary Faculty in adherence to institutional guidelines.
  • Organized and followed up with all departments to update and maintain accurate files for all voluntary faculty members.
  • Assisted in drafting salary and compensation letters to ensure accuracy and delivery in a timely manner.
  • Efficiently scanned and organized appropriate documents into Laserfiche.
  • Conducted Fair Market Value Analysis for new appointments utilizing the MGMA and AAMC national databases.
  • Accepted Postdoctoral Scholar Applications, created letters of offer, submit for all signatures and approval by Provost Office.
  • Communicated with Legal Counsel, Risk Management, and Office of Finance and Budget at Keck, when needed, during recruitment process.
  • Assisted in facilitating relocation for faculty when offered in hiring package.

Home Department Personal Tech

USC Keck School of Medicine
05.2015 - 11.2015
  • Managed in-coming mail, general phone calls, and scheduling for the Vice Dean of Faculty Affairs calendar as well as the calendar for the Associate Dean for Faculty Diversity.
  • Coordinated travel itineraries for the Vice Dean of Faculty Affairs and other important guests and recruits.
  • Managed the ordering and receiving of office supplies, always ensuring adequate inventory.
  • Scheduled and prepared for workshops facilitated by the Office for Faculty Affairs.
  • Assisted in reviewing and processing faculty requests for changing academic tracks when the new track for Clinician Educator and Practitioner was implemented, ensuring compliance with institutional guidelines.

Education

Bachelor of Science - Communications

Skills

  • Customer service
  • Attention to detail
  • Administrative support
  • Faculty Appointments & Promotions
  • Policy Interpretation & Compliance
  • Academic Affairs Operations
  • Training & Process Improvement
  • Project & File Management
  • Collaborative Leadership
  • Institutional Coordination

Timeline

Faculty Affairs Administrator 2

Stanford School of Medicine, Pathology
07.2023 - Current

Senior Faculty Affairs Coordinator, Appointments and Promotions Coordinator

USC Keck School of Medicine
08.2017 - 06.2023

Faculty Services Specialist

USC Keck School of Medicine
11.2015 - 08.2017

Home Department Personal Tech

USC Keck School of Medicine
05.2015 - 11.2015

Bachelor of Science - Communications

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Lorna Vakian