Dr. Maria Hammett Appointed as Interim Senior Vice President for Enrollment Management at Mercer
Friday, January 9th, 2026
Mercer University President Dr. Penny L. Elkins has appointed Dr. Maria Hammett, who has almost three decades of experience at Mercer in the Office of Student Financial Planning, as interim senior vice president for enrollment management, effective immediately.
“I greatly appreciate Dr. Hammett stepping into this role,” Dr. Elkins said. “She is highly respected across the University, has deep knowledge of all facets of enrollment management, and is a national leader in her field. I am confident she will provide effective leadership of this important unit at the University.”
Dr. Hammett will serve as a member of the President’s Executive Cabinet, which also includes Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Dr. Lisa Murphey Lundquist; Senior Vice President for Strategic Initiatives Kellie R. Appel; Senior Vice President for Marketing Communications and Chief of Staff Larry D. Brumley: Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration Julia T. Davis; Senior Vice President and General Counsel Matthew E. Hall; Vice Provost Dr. Keith E. Howard; Senior Vice President for University Advancement John A. Patterson; and Vice President and Dean of Students Dr. Douglas Pearson.
Dr. Hammett has served as associate vice president for financial planning since 2013. She also has served as senior associate director of financial planning and as the financial aid compliance liaison to athletics. She joined the University in 1996 as the office manager for financial planning.
“I have a great love for Mercer, and it is a privilege to serve as interim senior vice president for enrollment management,” Dr. Hammett said. “We have strong teams doing important work, and my goal is to bring alignment, clarity and momentum so we can better serve students from their first inquiry through graduation and beyond.”
As the interim senior vice president for enrollment management, Dr. Hammett will oversee undergraduate admissions, undergraduate student success, adult student admissions and success, student financial planning, regional academic center operations, student employment and international student recruitment and success.
Dr. Hammett has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and earned her MBA and Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Mercer. She is a Certified Financial Aid Administrator and is currently enrolled in the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) Executive Leadership Collective.
She is a past president and has held a number of other elected offices with the Georgia Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. She has also served in various roles with NASFAA. Dr. Hammett is a frequent presenter at state and regional financial planning conferences.
Raised in a U.S. Air Force family, Dr. Hammett is a graduate of Warner Robins High School, as is her husband, Robert. Their son, Spencer, is on the verge of becoming a Triple Bear, having earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Mercer and is scheduled to complete his Doctor of Medicine degree in the Mercer School of Medicine next May.
