Summer 2012:

2013 – Cohort 11

Melanie Corn has been named Provost of California College of the Arts, where she currently serves as Associate Provost.  Mel has been with CCA since 2003. 

2012 – Cohort 10

Kent MacDonald has been named the seventh president of Algonquin College in Ottawa, Ontario.  Kent has been with Algonquin College since 1998, and most recently served as the Vice President, Academic.

2010 – Cohort 8

Gary Fraser is joining the USC Marshall School of Business as Assistant Dean and Executive Director of the Keenan MBA Career Service Center.  Gary joins USC from NYU Stern, where he currently serves as the Dean of Students and Associate Dean of MBA Student Affairs.

Diane Eynon has joined Penn's Exec Doc team as Senior Fellow and Director of International Higher Education Initiatives.  Diane joins Exec Doc from Wharton, where she served as the director of Partnerships for Social Impact for seven years.

2009 – Cohort 7

Pat Leahy has been named the president of Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.  Pat has been at the University of Scranton since 2004, most recently serving as Executive Vice President.

2007 – Cohort 5

Joi Lewis has been appointed Vice President of Student Affairs and Chief Diversity Officer at Minneapolis Community and Technical College.  Joi joins MCTC from Mills College, where she served as Dean of Student Life. 

Spring 2012:

2008 – Cohort 6

Peter Jordan has been appointed as the President of Tarrant County College - South Campus in Fort Worth, TX.  He joins TCC from LaGuardia Community College in Queens, NY, where he most recently served as Vice President for Student Affairs.

Kelly Thompson has been named one of the 2011 Women Extraordinaire of the South by Business Leader Magazine.  Kelly currently serves as the Vice President for External Relations at Barton College in Wilson, NC.

Byron White has been appointed to the newly created position of Vice President for University Engagement at Cleveland State University.  He joins CSU from the Ohio Board of Regents, where he served as the Vice Chancellor for Economic Advancement. 

2006 – Cohort 4

Jim Johnsen joined Alaska Communication as the Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Process Transformation.  He arrives at AC from Doyon, Ltd, where he was Vice President of Administration.

Meg McKeon has been appointed Vice President for Student Affairs & Dean of Students at Buena Vista University.  She joins BVU from the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, where she was Assistant Vice President for Student Development.

2005 – Cohort 3

Mary DiStanislao has been appointed the Executive Vice President at Marquette University.  She joins Marquette from her most recent position at the University of Pennsylvania, Senior Associate Director of Athletics.

Dorcas Colvin has joined the American Association of State Colleges and Universities as the Vice President of Leadership Development and Membership Services.  She joins AASCU from Winston-Salem State University, where she was the Executive Vice Chancellor for Management and Strategic Initiatives.

2004 – Cohort 2

Avis Hinkson, Dean of the College at Barnard University, received the Beacon Award for Outstanding Achievement in Education, presented by the New York Coalition of One Hundred Black Women, Inc. 

John LaBrie, has been named Vice President for Professional Education and Dean of the College of Professional Studies at Northeastern University.  He has been serving as Interim Dean since May 2010

Greg Vincent received the DeWitty/Overton Freedom Award from the Austin chapter of the NAACP in December.  Greg currently serves as the Vice President for the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement at The University of Texas at Austin.  

Cathy Dove recently moved from her position at Cornell as Associate Dean of the College of Engineering to Vice President of CornellNYC Tech.  In her new role, she will be overseeing the development of Cornell's new tech school to be built on Roosevelt Island in New York City. 

2003 – Cohort 1

Larry Schall's work at Oglethorpe University was highlighted in the December Atlanta Business Chronicle.

Fall 2011:

2012 – Cohort 10

Peter Folan was awarded a $5,000 grant to support his dissertation research from the Tom and Elena Matlack Foundation.  His dissertation is entitled "The Conceptualization of Masculinities with which Male Student Graduates of Single-sex High Schools Enter Co-Educational Postsecondary Institutions."

2010 - Cohort 8

Julie Amon was named the Associate Chancellor for Academic Services at Rutgers University - Camden.  She joins Rutgers from Case Western Reserve University, where she served as assistant dean for first-year students.

2008 – Cohort 6

After serving for 15 years at Le Moyne College, Anne Herron has taken on the role of Vice President for Academic Affairs and Student Development/Dean of the Faculty at Cayuga Community College in upstate New York.  In her new role, Anne serves as Cayuga’s chief academic and student development officer, and provides leadership in the planning, development, implementation, and assessment of College educational offerings, academic programs, and supports student services.

2007 – Cohort 5

Jim Garvey has been appointed as the Associate Dean for Development and Alumni Relations at the Villanova University School of Law. Dr. Garvey will join Villanova Law from New England College, where he served as Vice President for Strategic Priorities and Advancement.

2005 - Cohort 3

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the National Security Education Program, Dr. Clifford Stanley, Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, together with Senator David L. Boren, President of the University of Oklahoma and author of the David L. Boren National Security Education Act of 1991, addressed Boren Fellows, Scholars, members of the National Security Education Board, and colleagues in the international education arena. Both speakers highlighted the importance of language skills and cultural understanding to developing international partnerships an improving U.S. national security, praising NSEP for its commitment to provide linguistic and cultural training for American students through the Boren Scholarships and Fellowships.  You can view photos and video from the event by visiting http://www.borenawards.org/nsep20thanniversary.html

2003 - Cohort 1

Lee Nunery was named Acting CEO & Superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia.  Lee has served the last three years as Deputy CEO and Superintendent of the district, which serves over 150,000 students.

Summer 2011:

2012 – Cohort 10

Stefanie Niles has joined Hollins University in Roanoke, VA, as the Vice President of Enrollment.  Prior to this appointment, Stefanie served as the Dean of Enrollment at Bryn Athyn College in Bryn Athyn, PA, for two years and in various roles over her ten-year tenure with DePauw University in Greencastle, IN. 

2011 – Cohort 9

Anthony Rini was appointed to Vice Provost for Budget, Planning, and Administration at Northeastern University in Boston, MA.  Anthony will join fellow Exec Doc alumni John LaBrie and John Caron at Northeastern at the end of June after serving as the University Executive Director of Academic Financial Affairs & Planning in the Office of Academic Affairs at the City University of New York (CUNY).  

Kevin Creagh was appointed to Associate Vice President of Campus Ministry at Niagara University in Niagara Falls, NY, and will assume this leadership role effective August 1, 2011.  Kevin will be leaving St. John’s University in Queens, NY, where he has served most recently as the Associate Vice President of Global Sites & Assistant to Vice President for Institutional Advancement.  

Lou Mayer and Peggy Plympton are presenting at the NACUBO 2011 Annual Meeting being held July 9th-12th in Tampa, FL.  Lou is participating on a panel hosted by Standard & Poor's on the topic of “Financial Management & Debt Management Best Practices” on Tuesday, July 12th.  Peggy is participating in three pre-conference sessions for the New Business Officers program:  1) "Understanding Your Impact -- what you need to know about the "internal" role you play at your institution", 2) "Critical Relationships -- collaborations between the CBO and the Chief Development Officers, CIO and University Counsel", and 3) "Building Your Team".  She is also on a panel on Sunday, July 10th representing a smaller research university.

2010 – Cohort 8

Amy Benedict-Augustine was interviewed for Cornell University’s “Staff Notes” Series to share her experience working with students as the Academic Programs Officer in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS).  She also highlights her own academic achievements and gives a great plus for the Exec Doc program.  Thanks, Amy!

Glenn Cummings, President and Executive Director of the Hinckley Foundation, recently received state funding to create a new “magnet school” at the historic Goodwill-Hinckley School campus outside of Fairfield, ME.  Prior to his appointment last year, Glenn served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. 

Lori Hurvitz’s dissertation, “Building a Culture of Student Philanthropy: A Study of the Ivy-Plus Institutions’ Philanthropy Education Initiatives”, has been chosen as the Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation winner for the 2011 CASE John Grenzebach Awards for Outstanding Research in Philanthropy for Educational Advancement.  Penn GSE Professor Marybeth Gasman nominated Lori’s dissertation for this award.  Lori is currently the Assistant Dean of the College and Director of the College Programming Office at the University of Chicago.  

2009 - Cohort 7 

David Hanson has started a blog to share his experiences with the Fulbright Specialist Program working as a “Fulbrighter” in Pakistan in the field of higher education management, strategy, and financial governance.  

David has been named Vice President for Finance and Administration at Virginia Commonwealth University. Prior to this role, David was the CFO and COO for Seychelles Development LLC. Previously, Hanson served as the Associate Vice President for Administration and as Special Assistant, Chief of Staff, to the Executive Vice President at Emory University from 2004-2010.

Joel Seligman has joined Maguire Associates, a Boston-based consulting firm providing strategic guidance to leaders of colleges and universities in 10 specific practice areas.  As Vice President, Joel will be part of the executive team of the firm, working primarily within Maguire's marketing and branding, alumni engagement, and executive leadership development practices, and will be based in Boston for 2011 and then permanently stationed in Washington, DC afterward.  Prior to taking this position, Joel was Assistant Vice President for Strategic Communications at the University of Chicago.  

Roger Ward has been named Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of Maryland - Baltimore.  Roger joined the University of Maryland in 2009 as the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs overseeing an administrative portfolio that includes all the centralized student services and programs. 

2006 - Cohort 4

Dione Somerville has been selected as the new Vice President for Student Affairs at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania.  Prior to this role, Dione served as the Dean of Students at Iowa State University for more than four years.

2005 – Cohort 3 

JoAnn Rooney was nominated by President Obama in the fall of 2010 and officially sworn in on June 2, 2011, as Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness.  JoAnn is joining fellow Cohort 3 alumnus Cliff Stanley.  Prior to this appointment, JoAnn served as President of Mount Ida College in Newton, MA.  

Sarah Steinberg has been named as the Vice Provost for Student Affairs at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, after serving admirably in an interim role over the past nine months.  As the permanent vice provost, she will continue to oversee areas related to student life, enrollment and academic services.  Sarah has been with Johns Hopkins University since 1993 in increasingly responsible roles in, first, the Whiting School of Engineering and, for the past six years, as Senior Associate Dean of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences. 

2004 – Cohort 2

 Jeanne Arnold has co-authored an article accepted for publication in the academic journal Innovative Higher Education (Volume 37, Number 1). Drawing from her dissertation as well as her experiences as Grand Valley State University's first Vice President for Inclusion and Equity, the article, "The Journey to an Inaugural Chief Diversity Officer: Preparation, Implementation and Beyond," details the process of starting a university division for inclusion.  Jeanne is the Vice President for Inclusion and Equity at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, MI. 

2003 – Cohort 1

Larry Schall authored an Op-Ed in The Chronicle of Higher Education entitled “A College President Puts Down His Pencil for a Water Balloon” on May 22, 2011.  Larry is currently the President of Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, GA.  Oglethorpe has partnered with Gray Matters Capital of Atlanta to establish the IDEX Fellowship in Social Enterprise, a nine-month development program for post-graduates interested in the field of social enterprise.

Spring 2011:

2011 – Cohort 9

Anthony Bailey joined the University of Southern California as Associate Provost for Global Initiatives.  Prior to joining USC, Anthony was serving as the President of Kaplan Latin American Ventures and led the development of Kaplan business in the Latin America region.

Damon Cates has returned to the University of Chicago, where he is now the Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations and Annual Giving and Executive Director of the Alumni Association.  After five years of working in senior advancement positions at Stanford University and the University of Pennsylvania, Damon will join fellow Exec Doc alumnus, Tom Farrell (Cohort 3), Chicago’s Vice President for Alumni Relations and Development, in leading the alumni relations and annual giving programs for the university. 

2010 – Cohort 8

Julie Amon was nominated by the National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition and Cengage Learning’s annual campaign to recognize Outstanding First-Year Student Advocates.  The NRC honored Julie and nine other award recipients at the 30th Annual Conference on The First-Year Experience in Atlanta, Georgia on February 6, 2011.  She will also be presenting on her dissertation, Faculty Advising in STEM Disciplines: Implications for Creating a Supportive Campus Environment, at the NACADA Annual Conference in Denver, Colorado this October. 

Wally Boston’s paper based on his dissertation research, “Student Retention in Online Learning Environments: A Systematic Analysis," will be presented at the 2011 American Education Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting – much to the delight of fellow Cohort 8 member, Phoebe Stevenson, who is the Deputy Executive Director of AERA.  The AERA received over 11,000 submissions this year for consideration at their Annual Meeting in New Orleans, LA, from April 8th-12th, 2011. Wally’s paper will be included in a Paper Session entitled, “Community of Inquiry Research”.  Wally is getting much mileage from his dissertation, presenting portions of his work at a number of conferences over the past several months.

Gale Etschmaier has accepted a position as Dean of the Library and Information Access at San Diego State University beginning this summer.  This position carries tenure and will enable Gale to make a real contribution to the students and faculty through leadership of the Library.  Gale will be leaving George Washington University, where she has served as the Associate University Librarian for Public Services for the Gelman Library System.

Eric Kaplan was appointed to Senior Director of Development and Alumni Relations for International Institutional Initiatives at Penn.  In this new role created by the Office of Development and Alumni Relations, Eric will work closely with the President’s and Provost’s Offices, the Office of International Programs, and the schools and centers to leverage DAR programs for the benefit of the University.

2009 – Cohort 7

David Hanson was named as a Fulbright Specialist Candidate.  He is anxiously awaiting word from the Council of International Exchange of Scholars about with which program he will “match” and where he will head overseas.

Roger Ward delivered a presentation titled "Answering to Two Masters:  Strategies for Designing a Self-Study When Both Professional and Regional Accreditation Standards Exists on Campus" at the Middles States Commission on Higher Education annual conference in December.  Roger will also present his paper, "Seeking an Understanding of how Faculty Perceive Their Role in Dealing the Student Mental Health Problem", based on his dissertation research at the 2011 conference of the American College Personnel Association in Baltimore. 

Karen Weaver turned her dissertation into a front-page article for Change Magazine entitled, A Game Change: Paying for Big-Time College Sports.  On February 25th, Karen also made a TV appearance on PBS Newsmagazine show “Need to Know” to discuss sports and higher education and offer her expertise on the question, “Who pays for college sports and at what cost?” 

2008 – Cohort 6

Paul Marthers, Vice President for Enrollment & Dean of Undergraduate and Graduate Admissions at Rensselear Polytechnic Institute, published a book entitled “Eighth Sister No More: The Origins and Evolution of Connecticut College” .  The book was based on his dissertation, which revealed how Connecticut College's founding to provide educational opportunity for women has been altered by coeducation.

Marc Nivet was featured in the October 28, 2010 issue of Diverse Issues in Higher Education.  In his role as Chief Diversity Officer of the Association of American Medical Colleges, Marc discusses the benefit of health care reform to communities of color and his plans to work with historically Black medical schools to improve diversity in medical education.

Amir Rahnamay-Azar has traversed the country to join Georgia Tech as Senior Vice President for Administration and Finance.  Prior to this, Amir served as Associate Senior Vice President for Operations at the University of Southern California (USC).

Kelly Thompson has been selected for participation in the Council of Independent Colleges 2011–2012 Presidential Vocation and Institutional Mission program for prospective college and university presidents.  Kelly is currently the Vice President for External Relations at Barton College. 

2007 – Cohort 5

Jim Garvey was appointed Vice President for Strategic Priorities and Advancement at New England College.  Jim will continue the role he has held as Special Assistant to the President and will assume responsibility for the offices of Institutional Advancement and Public Information.  Jim also published The Role of Presidential Leadership: In Market Adaptation and Evolution of Mission, a book based on his dissertation about the dramatic change and institutional turnaround that occurred at Philadelphia University between 1984 and 2006. 

Bill Kiehl published his third book entitled “The Eagle and the Elephant: Thai American Relations Since 1833.” Bill’s consulting company (PDWorldwide) wrote and designed the book for the Royal Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs in honor of the 175th anniversary of diplomatic relations.  The printing of the book in Thailand was held up for almost two years by all the turmoil there, but it finally saw the light of day.  Although this version will not be sold commercially, it is possible that a future trade paperback may be available one day.  

Alan Robertson joined Prairie State College as the Vice President of Finance and Administration.  Prior to this, Alan was the Vice Chancellor of Administration and Finance at North Carolina Central University. 

2006 – Cohort 4

Jim Pellow was named CEO and President of the Council on International Education Exchange (CIEE) and will be assuming this leadership role effective June 1, 2011.  Jim will be leaving St. John’s University after 20 years of serving in a variety of capacities, most recently as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the institution.

2005 – Cohort 3

Paul Olson has joined the Board of Trustees of his alma mater, Macalester College.  Paul is currently the CEO of nuBridges, Inc. headquartered in Atlanta, GA. 

Jeff Cromarty has been appointed Vice President for Administration and Chief Operating Officer at Philadelphia University.  Jeff joined Philadelphia University in 2002 and most recently has served as Vice President of Institutional Research & Planning.  As COO, Jeff will add the areas of safety and security, facilities and physical plant, human resources, summer programs/conferences, legal affairs and risk management to his responsibilities.

2004 – Cohort 2

Avis Hinkson has returned to her alma mater, Barnard College.  She assumed her role as the Dean of the College on February 14, 2011 and will oversee the Offices of the Dean of Studies, Admissions and Financial Aid, Registrar, Residential Life, Student Life, and Health Services.  She was most recently at the University of California-Berkeley serving as the Director of Undergraduate Advising. 

Greg Vincent will receive an honorary Prairie View Interscholastic League Coaches Association (PVILCA) Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding work in helping to preserve the history of the organization and its members.  Greg’s Division of Diversity and Community Engagement at the University of Texas at Austin recently published its third annual report, the 2010-2011 Impact Report, about their collaboration with UT Austin academic departments, colleges, and schools.  As a result of their work, they have developed many innovative programs, projects, and partnerships that have resulted in a more robust, intellectually and culturally diverse campus.

2003 – Cohort 1

We look forward to more updates from Cohort 1 for our next newsletter!

Did we miss something? Want to share an update?

Send news to Ginger at gingero@gse.upenn.edu.

We want to hear what you have been up to!

EXEC DOC ALUMNI NEWS ARCHIVE