As the executive vice president for A&F and chief business officer, Bolton will serve as a member of the Institute’s executive leadership team and lead in developing administrative and operational strategies across the enterprise in support of Georgia Tech’s strategic plan. She will provide leadership, oversight, and direction for A&F, which includes fiscal management and reporting; budgeting; human resources; business services; campus sustainability; facilities planning, design, construction, maintenance, and operations; campus safety; information systems and technology; and real estate development.  

More than 1,500 staff report through A&F. Bolton will begin her new role on Aug. 14 and report to President Ángel Cabrera. 

“Shantay’s leadership and operational experience in higher education will serve us well at Georgia Tech as we continue to grow and implement our strategic plan,” Cabrera said. “Her commitment to strengthening the employee experience and developing strategies that advance sustainability and workplace diversity will greatly enhance Tech’s ability to achieve our academic, research, and service missions.” 

At Washington University, Bolton provides strategic counsel to university leadership and serves as the key point person for university operations. Bolton is responsible for spearheading effective strategies in administration, including information technology, human resources, public safety, procurement, supplier diversity, and the Danforth Campus operations and facilities.  

Prior to joining Washington University, she served as vice president and deputy chief operating officer at Tulane University and founding director of the Tulane Leadership Institute. Bolton has served as a board member for the American Association of Blacks in Higher Education; as a faculty member of the Leadership and Mentoring Institute; and as a reviewer for the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychologist Anti-Racism Grant Subcommittee. She is the creator of E3©: Engage, Educate, Empower, which seeks to empower individuals and teams to achieve organizational goals. She is also an active member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority and currently serves as an international director for Zeta Organizational Leadership, which provides professional development opportunities for its members.  

She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s in counseling psychology from Alabama A&M University. She holds a Ph.D. in organizational psychology with a concentration in industrial psychology from Walden University and an MBA in corporate business from Florida International University. 

Her achievements at Washington University include the establishment of the Institute for Leadership Excellence; overseeing the university joining the St. Louis Anchor Action Network; Kulture City training for university officers to implement an inclusive safety intervention framework; and launching the IT strategic plan. Additionally, she oversaw the electrification of the university’s shuttle fleet and the transition to a new dining services partnership. 

Bolton also made an impact within the St. Louis area — including philanthropic support for the March of Dimes, service as a founding donor and advisory board member of the Easter Seals Midwest Women’s Giving Collective, and serving on the city of Clayton, Missouri, municipal judge selection panel. She was named a 2023 St. Louis Titan 100, for which she also serves as a board member. Bolton is an alumna of the AGB Institute for Leadership & Governance in Higher Education.  

“It is a privilege to lead Administration and Finance at Georgia Tech, as I believe so deeply in both the impact of public education and how excellence can be achieved by the collective power of people within organizations," said Bolton. "I am eager to work with the leadership team under President Cabrera to achieve institutional goals and to continue the forward momentum of this world-renowned institution by learning from and growing with my new team members."  

Current interim leadership for Administration and Finance will remain in place until Bolton joins in August. 

“As we welcome Shantay, I also extend my gratitude to the interim A&F leadership team, who have helped the Institute successfully navigate this transitional period and advance many of the Institute’s strategic initiatives,” Cabrera said.