Dr. Rice joined the Ohio Department of Higher Education in August 2016 with sixteen years of higher education experience with Stark State College.   During this tenure, Dr. Rice served as Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, Student Services, and Enrollment Management.  Dr. Rice also served as the College’s liaison for team discussions, reviews, and strategic planning with the University System of Ohio and played an integral part in the development of the State’s strategic plan metrics and the implementation of the degree offerings which includes the support, diversity, and service needs of all students.  Dr. Rice was the administrative lead with the planning and implementation of Completion by Design which focuses on initiatives to assist students to completion and graduation in community colleges in Ohio.

In addition to her role at the Ohio Department of Higher Education, Dr. Rice serves as Chair of the Ohio Cybersecurity Collaborative (OC3) Education and Workforce Development Committee and oversees a number of grant programs and initiatives including Choose Ohio First Scholarship, Short Term Certificate, Regional Aligned Priorities in Delivering Skills (RAPIDS), National Skills Coalition Credential Collaborative, and Credential Engine. Dr. Rice also oversees the ODHE collaborative with the Ohio’s TechCred program, the technology focused upskilling opportunity for the education and business communities.

Prior to joining Stark State College, Ms. Rice had a long and distinguished career in the health care field serving as part of hospital administration and as the Quality Improvement and Program Evaluation Manager for Hillcrest Healthcare Systems in Tulsa, Oklahoma.