Trailblazers
The 2024 Trailblazers in Higher Education
Meet the Pennsylvanians influencing what happens next – and how – in this crucial Keystone State sector.
Dan Greenstein, Elizabeth Moy & Asa Lee Provided; Provided; Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
This is a challenging moment for academia, with enrollment broadly in decline, costs escalating and political tensions inflaming campuses. Yet the value of a degree remains strong – and the commonwealth’s much-lauded universities are collectively engines of social justice, economic mobility and transformative research.
The leaders in City & State’s 2024 Higher Education Trailblazers are responsible for this enduring legacy. They are scientists and linguists, attorneys and lobbyists, and dedicated administrators whose creativity and collaborative spirit is evident in the sector’s resilience.
Confronted with a changing economic, social and technological landscape, these leaders have responded with innovative programming, outreach both tangible and virtual and, in some cases, restructuring to accommodate the ambitions of a new generation.
This list was researched and written by Hilary Danailova.
Susan Aldridge
A self-proclaimed “strategist and futurist” for higher education, Susan Aldridge has dedicated her career to innovation. Since assuming the presidency last year, Aldridge has maintained Jefferson undergraduates’ 97% employment and graduate school success rate. Previously, as president of Drexel University Online, she expanded offerings to 100 online programs and guided award-winning research into technology-enhanced education. Her prior accomplishments also include doubling both enrollment and revenue at the University of Maryland Global Campus, leading it to become the nation’s largest public university.
Dave Argall
State Sen. Dave Argall brings real-world teaching experience as well as policy insights to his work chairing the chamber’s Education Committee. The Northeast Pennsylvania Republican has taught public policy for over 30 years at commonwealth colleges and universities, including Penn State, where he earned his doctorate in public administration. In the Senate, Argall is an author of Grow PA, a bicameral GOP initiative promoting postsecondary career education; he also serves on the board of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education.
Lorin Basden Arnold
Communications scholar Lorin Basden Arnold is a believer in the power of public universities, having herself been a first-generation student at a state school. Since 2021, she has been the provost and vice president for academic affairs at Kutztown University, part of the state education system, where she champions a diverse student population. She previously worked as the provost at SUNY New Paltz and, prior to that, as dean of the College of Communication at Rowan University, serving as a professor at both institutions as well.
Victoria L. Bastecki-Perez
President Victoria Bastecki-Perez draws on four decades in higher education – and the grit that took her from first-generation graduate to Ed.D. – to guide Montgomery County Community College. Her four-year tenure has seen $98 million in capital projects, including a new Wellness Center and an expanded hospitality institute. Under Bastecki-Perez’s leadership, MCCC has earned national recognition for improving student outcomes and promoting equity; the college has also been named among the Most Promising Places to Work by the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development.
Sydney Beeler
Over eight years at Westmoreland County Community College, enrollment management chief Sydney Beeler has capitalized on the attractiveness of community colleges in an inflationary era. Lauded for her outreach efforts to single parents, Beeler has also raised the profile of the college’s continuing education and workforce development divisions. She holds a doctorate in higher education from the University of Kansas and previously held leadership roles with Donnelly College and Metropolitan Community College in Kansas City.
Jeanette Britt
After graduating with an information systems degree from Mercyhurst University in 1997, Jeanette Britt stayed at the school as a programmer. She has remained on campus ever since, working her way up to leadership roles around advancement and strategic planning and technology, including a decade as the school’s chief information officer. As of 2022, Britt is the senior vice president for administration and chief operating officer, overseeing areas from IT and institutional research to facilities management. She also holds an MBA from Gannon University.
Malik Brown
For the adult learners he champions with Graduate! Philadelphia, CEO Malik Brown serves as an example of the power of education: He holds an MBA from Clark University and recently completed an executive education program in nonprofit management at Harvard Business School. With Graduate! Philadelphia, Brown leads a nonprofit that helps college students complete their degrees and progress to good jobs through a workforce development network. He previously led workforce and community relations efforts for adult learners at Peirce College.
Katherine Buck
After nearly 30 years with the College of St. Elizabeth – now St. Elizabeth University – Katherine Buck, a longtime vice president for student life, brought her talents in 2022 to Wilson College in Chambersburg, where she is dean of students. Buck, a social worker by training, has long prioritized the needs of diverse campus populations, with special attention paid to first-generation and low-income students. At Wilson, Buck supports a student body that includes adult learners, single parents and community members.
Thomas Burns
During his first year at York College of Pennsylvania, President Thomas Burns celebrated the openings of a new horticulture center and, in March, the UPMC Exercise Science Lab. He came to York from Nashville, where, over a decade as provost of Belmont University, he launched new academic programs, grew enrollment by 35% and managed the acquisition of two art colleges. Burns, a chemist, previously held administrative leadership positions with the Yale University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and at Millersville University of Pennsylvania.
Angela N. Campbell
In 2021, Angela N. Campbell returned to Cabrini University to serve as its inaugural vice president of Mission, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Student Engagement. Campbell, a DEI leader and education scholar, had previously served as founding co-director of Cabrini’s Center for Urban Education, Equity, and Improvement and led DEI initiatives at Carnegie Mellon University and Philadelphia’s Germantown Friends School. As a professor, she has also taught at Temple and Gwynedd Mercy universities and Morehouse College.
Mary Ellen Caro
Adult learners and students from underrepresented backgrounds come first for Mary Ellen Caro, who, as president of Peirce College, champions programs and cross-sector partnerships that bolster the Philadelphia workforce. Caro, a former telecommunications executive, was previously the founding dean of the School of Business at Thomas Edison State University and served as its vice president for enrollment management. She currently co-chairs the Regional College and University Presidents’ Alliance, and leads the research committee of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania.
Jim Cawley
After heading his regional United Way chapter, being elected Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor and serving as a vice president at Temple University, attorney Jim Cawley brought his rich leadership experience to Rosemont College, where he became president in 2022. During his tenure, Rosemont has increased undergraduate enrollment by 24%, while setting records for graduate enrollment and repeatedly surpassing philanthropic goals. Cawley has also rolled out a new theater program and, drawing on two decades of public service, announced plans for an initiative to promote civil discourse.
Robert Clothier
As vice president and general counsel for Ursinus College since 2015, Robert Clothier brings legal expertise honed as a partner at Saul Ewing, the Philadelphia law firm where he was a member of its higher education practice group. Clothier also has a long involvement with the National Association of College and University Attorneys, for which he is a sought-after speaker and seminar leader on higher-education legal matters. Clothier holds a law degree from the University of Chicago.
Julie Schumacher Cohen
A onetime dancer with the School of American Ballet, Julie Schumacher Cohen now choreographs community engagement and government affairs at the University of Scranton. She recently led “Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story,” a community-wide oral history project, and currently chairs the university’s Community-Based Learning Board and Political Dialogue Initiative. A social justice activist and political science doctoral student, Cohen is involved in Middle East peace efforts on campus, locally and nationally; She previously served as deputy director of Churches for Middle East Peace.
Ron Cole
Before assuming the presidency of Allegheny College in 2022, Ron Cole, a 1987 graduate of the school, served two decades as a geology professor, provost and dean – for which the Council of Independent Colleges lauded him with its 2021 Chief Academic Officer Award. His tenure has seen a record $70 million in donations to fund new academic programs linked to workforce needs. Off campus, Cole has taught martial arts at the American Black Belt Academy and lent his violin talents to the Allegheny College Civic Symphony.
Dorcas Colvin
After previously serving as the senior adviser to Lincoln University’s president, Dorcas Colvin returned to the school in 2022 as its vice president for student success. She is tasked with shepherding students to graduation and beyond at the nation’s first degree-granting HBCU. Colvin, who holds a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania, spent the majority of her career at Buffalo State College in human resources, policy and planning roles, and has held leadership positions at Winston-Salem State University and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.
Brian Costanzo
In a challenging era for small colleges, Brian Costanzo works to ensure that Lackawanna College remains a vibrant and relevant resource. He has devoted his quarter-century career to the Scranton institution, which enrolls nearly 2,000 students across more than a half-dozen locations and is known for its pre-professional programs. After joining as vice president for college advancement in 2001, Costanzo has headed government and external affairs since 2021.
David J. Dausey
Epidemiologist David Dausey is clearly an education enthusiast. He holds both a Ph.D. and an Ed.D. – and in addition to guiding 10 schools with 200 programs as Duquesne University’s provost, he teaches at both Duquesne, as a professor in the school of health sciences, and at Carnegie Mellon University, where he has an honorary appointment. A Pittsburgh native, Dausey has founded or expanded numerous schools and programs, most notably Duquesne’s College of Osteopathic Medicine, where he also teaches.
Roger Demareski
Three years ago, Roger Demareski’s career came full circle when he returned to his alma mater, Villanova University, as executive vice president for administration and operations. A 1991 civil engineering graduate of the school, Demareski also holds an MBA from Seton Hall University, where he was assistant vice president for administration. He has also held vice presidential roles overseeing facilities at Princeton and, most recently, finance and administration at Lafayette College, where he spearheaded a 10-year campus improvement plan.
Julie Dietrich
As executive director for external relations at West Chester University, Julie Dietrich heads government relations, advocating on behalf of the largest institution in Pennsylvania’s state higher education system. She maintains relationships with officials at all levels, from student government to local, state and federal representatives. Dietrich holds an Ed.D. from Widener University, where she previously led government relations, and has taught philosophy and business at West Chester as well.
Nichole Duffy
Nichole Duffy was a first-generation student at Susquehanna University. Now, as head of government relations for the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania, Duffy works to ensure similar opportunities for her fellow Pennsylvanians. She recently brought 150 students to the state Capitol to advocate with AICUP Day on the Hill, and she coordinates regional advocacy meetings for organization members. Prior to this role, Duffy worked in K-12 and higher education, the Governor’s Budget Office and the state House of Representatives.
Chip Edmonds
Lycoming College alum Chip Edmonds has served as his alma mater’s executive vice president since 2017, overseeing external affairs – including government and community relations – along with enrollment, communications and institutional projects. He most recently led the development of a campus facility plan with new athletics installations – including a baseball stadium – that reinvigorated Lycoming’s sports programs. Edmonds, who holds an Ed.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, previously oversaw philanthropy at Yale University and at Duke University Divinity School, from which he received a master’s degree.
Zev Eleff
When Zev Eleff was named president of Gratz College in 2021, he was just 35, making him one of America’s youngest higher education leaders. He was already an ordained rabbi, a prolific scholar of American Jewish studies, a two-time finalist for the National Jewish Book Award and, previously, one of the youngest Touro College faculty members promoted to full professor. At Gratz, Eleff has led efforts to digitize important American Jewish historical documents – including the Elie Wiesel archive – and debuted a first-of-its-kind master’s in antisemitism studies.
Jonathan Epstein
On the same day Larry Jameson was appointed interim president at the University of Pennsylvania, his colleague, physician Jonathan Epstein, was chosen to lead Penn’s health system and its Perelman School of Medicine. Epstein’s stabilizing influence guides the $12 billion outfit collectively known as Penn Medicine during a period of campus turmoil. Epstein has also served as a founding co-director of Penn’s Institute for Regenerative Medicine, scientific director of its Cardiovascular Institute and, most recently, chief scientific officer for the health system.
Nicole Eramo
After 20-some years at the University of Virginia, Nicole Eramo moved north last year to become chief of staff to Lafayette College President Nicole Hurd. In addition to managing day-to-day operations, Eramo is tasked with realizing the president’s goals around enrollment and diversity, community outreach and, this fall, hosting a vice presidential debate. She holds a doctorate in education from UVA, where she held various leadership roles, including as chief of staff to the vice president.
Joseph Evan
King’s College Provost Joseph Evan first joined the school’s mathematics faculty in 2000 and previously served as dean of faculty. Under his leadership, the college has boosted student retention by 10%, expanded its health sciences from two programs to nine and will launch the first doctoral program, in occupational therapy, this fall in a new state-of-the-art facility. Evan, a peer evaluator for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, has also maintained King’s College’s top accreditations in business, engineering and health sciences.
Jay S. Feldstein
For the past decade, physician Jay Feldstein has steered the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine through a period of notable growth – to more than 3,000 students across three campuses in two states. Under his leadership, annual revenues now exceed $177 million, while a fundraising campaign has surpassed $50 million. Feldstein, who has championed outreach with the school’s Community Wellness Initiative, recently announced a partnership with Philadelphia’s Wistar Institute that will allow students to do advanced cancer training, including a new Ph.D. program.
John M. Ferretti
More than three decades ago, physician John Ferretti laid the foundation of the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, which he has since helped become one of the nation’s premier medical schools. Ferretti now oversees an institution with an annual statewide economic impact of $1.2 billion, as well as the nation’s only osteopathic academic health center, LECOM Health. Under his leadership, LECOM opened a school of podiatric medicine in 2023 and recently announced plans for a fifth campus, in Jacksonville, Florida.
Thomas P. Foley
Thomas Foley leads the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, whose 90 members have a $24 billion impact on Pennsylvania’s economy. Having successfully advocated for a record funding increase for the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, Foley is emphasizing business efficiency initiatives in which member institutions pool resources. He previously served as the youngest-ever state secretary of Labor and Industry, as CEO of the United Way of Pennsylvania and the Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania, and as president of Mount Aloysius College.
Jeffrey A. Frick
Dean Jeffrey Frick is steering Washington & Jefferson College through a period of transition and opportunity as it welcomes both a new president and a $50 million gift, its largest ever. Since arriving in 2019, Frick, who holds a doctorate in chemistry from Loyola University Chicago, has expanded offerings, launching joint programs with other universities and announcing a STEM workforce-training initiative. In a similar, previous role at Wisconsin’s St. Norbert College, he reformed tenure, increased faculty diversity, implemented a core curriculum and launched new degree programs.
Randy Frye
Randy Frye is the founding dean of the Shields School of Business at Saint Francis University, where he is also professor of business administration. Among his initiatives are an executive-in-residence program that brings prominent alumni to campus, an international spring break exchange in London and the Enactus Program, which engages future business leaders in socially conscious enterprise. Frye earned his Ed.D. in management and policy studies from the University of Pittsburgh and has devoted his entire four-decade career to Saint Francis.
Frances Cortez Funk
Frances Cortez Funk leads the State College and University Professional Association, an affiliate of the state and national Education Associations. In her role as president of the association, she represents the interests of employees in admissions, financial aid, career and alumni services, and other non-instruction positions across the commonwealth’s public campuses. Funk, who has long been active with the educators’ unions, is the director of health promotion at Kutztown University, where she supervises the Health and Wellness Center and manages programs that address drugs and alcohol use.
Gail Gasparich
As provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Millersville University, Gail Gasparich chairs the Deans’ Council and supervises four colleges, an honors program and myriad support services. She recently announced Millersville’s affiliation with the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities – one of only two Pennsylvania members among four-year public institutions. Gasparich, a Penn State-trained microbiologist, previously held academic leadership roles at Salem State University and, prior to that, at Towson University, where she was a professor of biology.
Robert Goldberg
With its leader on sabbatical this year, Swarthmore College is in the capable hands of acting co-president Robert Goldberg. Since 2022, Goldberg has managed the school’s $200 million budget and $2.7 billion endowment as vice president for finance and administration. Goldberg previously supervised large budgets and capital projects as COO of Pomona and Barnard colleges. He also draws on a quarter-century in Washington, D.C., where he held leadership positions at the Department of State and the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.
Sharon Gramby-Sobukwe
Political scientist Sharon Gramby-Sobukwe brings a wealth of perspective and 30 years in higher education to Cheyney University, the nation’s first HBCU, where she is interim provost and chief academic officer. She joined Cheyney in 2022 after nearly two decades at Eastern University, where she directed the political science program and led the Campolo Institute for Applied Research in Social Justice. Gramby-Sobukwe holds an MPA from the University of Pennsylvania Fels Institute of Government, and a Ph.D. from Temple University.
Andrea Grannum-Mosley
Passionate about adult learning, Andrea Grannum-Mosley helps Lehigh Carbon Community College students study their way to a better life. As the dean of workforce, community engagement and technical education, she connects learners and employers through programs, including literacy, ESL and career training. Grannum-Mosley, who joined Lehigh Carbon as a career specialist in 2017, has a master’s in adult education from Penn State and a doctorate in the field from Capella University.
Chris Gray
A community college graduate himself, Chris Gray was honored to inaugurate Erie County Community College in 2021 as founding president. He led an Erie County coalition that, in barely three years, has built a solid infrastructure and partnerships across the region to develop programs leading to family-sustaining careers for its 600 students and counting. Gray, who serves on the Pennsylvania Commission on Community Colleges, previously served as vice president overseeing student affairs at Vincennes University and McHenry County College.
Dan Greenstein
Earlier this year, Chancellor Dan Greenstein went before the state legislature to request more money for the commonwealth’s public universities, a budget-season routine he has performed since assuming leadership of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education in 2018. Having masterminded a recent consolidation of six universities into two institutions, Greenstein hopes increased funding will extend a seven-year tuition freeze – further boosting enrollment, which, under his watch, has turned around after a long decline – and helping stabilize the system’s finances.
Angela T. Haddad
As provost of Allegheny College, sociologist Angela T. Haddad promotes an interdisciplinary liberal arts approach on campus and in the wider community. Haddad, who has held leadership roles at Hunter and Barnard colleges, gave Allegheny’s academic offerings a modern tweak with microcredentialing programs in fields like AI-driven content creation and health informatics. She also launched the Allegheny Lab for Innovation and Creativity at Bessemer, as well as the Community Partnership Hub – initiatives that engage college research to meet local workforce training needs.
Timothy Harte
Timothy Harte, a scholar of Russian literature, has served as provost at Bryn Mawr College since 2020, where he oversees academic and athletic programs, institutional operations, and research. Harte joined the faculty in 2002 and, in addition to chairing Bryn Mawr’s Russian department, has been an influential figure in shaping key aspects of the institution, from its evolving undergraduate curriculum and interdisciplinary collaborations to more recent efforts at advancing equity and inclusion on campus.
Nathan Hench
A longtime champion of and advocate for student financial aid, Nathan Hench is a senior vice president at the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, where he is responsible for the organization’s public relations, state legislative affairs, public service and human resources. He administers almost two dozen state-funded student aid programs and also works closely with the state legislature on related new aid initiatives – including, recently, student loan relief for nurses and support for student teachers. Hench, who holds an MBA from Penn State, is also a professor of graduate-level project management at Harrisburg University.
Katie Herschede
As chief of staff at Widener University, Katie Herschede works closely with campus leadership and serves as a liaison to city and state legislators. She is also vice president for strategic initiatives, leading the branding and community outreach efforts that have kept Widener vibrant. Herschede previously worked for a decade at Northern Kentucky University, where she held a variety of leadership roles, including overseeing government and community relations; she also received her doctorate in educational leadership from the school.
Lorna J. Hunter
Lorna J. Hunter oversees enrollment at East Stroudsburg University, a Pennsylvania state institution with nearly 5,500 undergraduate and graduate students. Under Hunter’s supervision are departments including admissions, records, the veterans center and, crucially, financial aid; Hunter manages $75 million in grant and loan funding for the three-quarters of ESU students who depend on it. She previously held similar roles at Washington College in Maryland, the College of Idaho and Bryant University, and holds a doctorate from the University of Massachusetts, Boston.
Said Ibrahim
The new dean of Jefferson’s Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Said Ibrahim, stands out in many ways. He’s a 6’8” Somali-born powerhouse who once played for his homeland’s national basketball team; now a much-lauded internist, Ibrahim also holds degrees in business and public health. Prior to joining Jefferson last year, Ibrahim chaired the department of medicine for Northwell Health on Long Island. He was recently inducted into the National Academy of Medicine – among the profession’s highest honors – for his research on health equity.
Jackie Irving
Over two decades at Eastern University, Jackie Irving has devoted her career to enhancing campus welfare and fostering an inclusive environment. Irving, whose purview is student development, has led initiatives aimed at modernizing the university’s student affairs policies, accommodating a more culturally diverse campus and promulgating resources around issues like sexual assault. Most recently, Irving won praise for shepherding Eastern’s population through the COVID-19 pandemic, keeping students informed and safe while mitigating academic disruption.
Amid Ismail
As dean of Temple University’s Kornberg School of Dentistry, Amid Ismail is widely credited with helping transform both dental education and clinical care in North Philadelphia. He has emphasized community engagement, recently opening the first children’s dental clinic at a Philadelphia public institution. Ismail, who is Kornberg’s Laura H. Carnell professor, also built a program to research the oral microbiome, behavioral sciences and community health. Ismail serves on the Hebrew University Hadassah School of Dental Medicine International Advisory Panel and the board of Oman Dental College.
Walter Iwanenko
As president of Gannon University, epidemiologist Walter Iwanenko has achieved record-high enrollment and grown academic programs – debuting an aviation offering, the Institute of Health and Cyber Knowledge and the Ruskin Florida Campus. Iwanenko has also expanded online learning, including a popular doctorate in occupational therapy – his original field – and initiated a collaboration with the Erie Technology Incubator. Formerly the school’s provost, he came to Gannon in 2016 from Hilbert College, where he was the founding dean of graduate studies and a public administration professor.
Ryan Jensema
Amid a wave of Free Application for Federal Student Aid changes, Ryan Jensema serves as a guide and resource for the members of the Pennsylvania Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, where he is vice president. Jensema also chairs the government relations committee; his advocacy includes a recent successful collaborative effort to secure an extended state grant deadline. A one-time grade-school history teacher who transitioned into the financial aid field, he currently serves as the associate director of financial aid at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.
Gerard Joyce
In July, Gerard Joyce will take over leadership of Mount St Mary’s, America’s oldest independent Catholic university. Joyce, who holds a doctorate in education and policy from the Catholic University of America, is finishing his tenure as executive vice president at DeSales University, the Catholic institution to which he has devoted his 32-year career. In his new role at Mount St. Mary’s, which is preparing to open a School of Health Professions, he will draw on his experience expanding DeSales’ academic portfolio and growing enrollment.
Ken Kaiser
Ken Kaiser’s life and career have been defined by Temple. He holds three degrees from the university, including an MBA and another master’s in management information systems, and has worked at Temple in a variety of roles over 33 years. He is currently senior vice president and COO, and it’s safe to say that few people are as well informed about Temple’s operations; Kaiser was also most recently the university’s CFO and treasurer, managing its $1.2 billion budget and $800 million endowment.
Jeff Kegolis
Jeff Kegolis is passionate about supporting college students – most recently, as vice president for the student experience at Marywood University in Scranton. Since arriving last year, Kegolis has championed a new, counselor-staffed mental health support hotline and rolled out The Hub, a space for academic, career and veterans’ services at the campus learning commons. He holds a Ph.D. in higher education administration from Bowling Green University, where he was the assistant dean of students before coming to Marywood.
Karen Kim
In 2023, the appointment of Dean Karen Kim brought a new kind of leadership to Penn State’s College of Medicine. Kim, a cancer expert who founded and directs the Center for Asian Health Equity, is the college’s first female dean and the only Korean American to hold such a position nationally. In addition to serving as physician-in-chief, she holds the Huck Chair in Rural Health Research and has prioritized interdisciplinary collaboration.
Youngmoo Kim
Youngmoo Kim, a Drexel professor of electrical and computer engineering, was appointed vice provost for university and community partnerships last year, a key role as the university expands its geographic and entrepreneurial footprint. Kim is the founding director of Drexel’s Expressive and Creative Interaction Technologies Center, an innovation hub where he has orchestrated community partnerships to promote digital equity through inclusive programming. His 20-year Drexel career has yielded teaching and inclusion awards, as well as $16 million in research funding.
Ramayya Krishnan
As dean of Carnegie Mellon’s Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy – where he also directs the Block Center for Technology and Society – Ramayya Krishnan is helping shape the future with his work on AI, e-commerce and information risk management. Krishnan, a faculty member since 1988, is known as much for his entrepreneurship as for his research: He founded graduate programs in information systems and management as well as decision analytics and systems, and established four research centers that have raised $100 million over 10 years.
John Lapinski
Election-watchers will turn to John Lapinski this fall, as he projects races and produces commentary as director of NBC News’ elections unit. Lipinski, a political scientist, is the Robert Fox professor at the University of Pennsylvania and faculty director for the high-profile MPA program at Penn’s Fels Institute of Government. He joined Penn in 2006 and also directs its Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies – a role that dovetails nicely with his exit-poll tracking for NBC and its affiliates.
Asa Lee
At the helm of the storied Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, President Asa Lee occupies an unusual space: He’s a Baptist minister leading a Presbyterian seminary, and the first African American to hold the role. A former music teacher, he spent 14 years in leadership roles at Wesley Theological Seminary, where he earned his master’s; his doctorate, in educational leadership, is from the Virginia Theological Seminary. Since joining PTS in 2021, Lee has initiated academic partnerships with Saint Vincent College and the Association of Presbyterian Colleges and Universities.
Karen Lightman
At Carnegie Mellon University, Karen Lightman is a consistent presence at the intersection of higher education, government and socially responsible innovation. She directs the university’s Metro21: Smart Cities Institute, where she orchestrates inclusive, real-world connections between the emerging technologies for which CMU is known and communities in Pittsburgh and beyond. Last year, Lightman was also appointed interim executive director of CMU’s U.S. DOT National University Transportation Center, Safety21.
Christine Mahan
Christine Mahan brings three decades of higher education experience to her role as chief of staff at Eastern University, where she is also vice president for planning and effectiveness. Mahan supports a university that, bucking pervasive trends, has doubled its enrollment over the past four years, to more than 6,000 students. She joined Eastern in 2010 as associate provost after holding posts at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Maryland, where she earned her Ph.D.
Patrick Marty
As chief government and international relations officer for the Pennsylvania College of Technology, Patrick Marty advances the institution’s applied technology and workforce mission through advocacy, outreach and community and industry partnerships. Since joining PCT in 2017, he has secured a nearly 50% increase in state appropriations, served as PCT’s inaugural chief of staff, and led its presidential and provost searches and its rebranding initiative. He is a former Williamsport City Council member and currently serves on the Pennsylvania State Planning Board.
Cheryl McConnell
Cheryl A. McConnell is Saint Joseph’s University’s 29th president – and the first woman in the role. She recently led the university’s integration of University of the Sciences and its merger with the Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences, adding dozens of health and science programs; she has also spearheaded new athletics facilities and student housing. An accountant by training and a first-generation graduate, McConnell holds leadership roles with several national higher education organizations, including the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities.
John McKnight
As Haverford College’s dean of students and a crusader for social justice, John McKnight has led campus engagement during a particularly fraught moment for university expression. Most recently, McKnight has supported both Palestinian and Jewish students affected by the Israel-Hamas war, leading dialogue across differences and helping students find common ground. McKnight previously worked at Lafayette College, Lehigh University and, most recently, Connecticut College, where he was the founding dean of institutional equity and inclusion.
Charlie McLaughlin
For nearly a quarter-century, the University of Pittsburgh’s advocate in Harrisburg has been Charlie McLaughlin. Most recently, he successfully lobbied for state legislation that led to Pitt’s new chiropractic doctoral program, and secured funding for the university’s programs in regenerative medicine, health policy and autism outreach. The Duquesne graduate is also a familiar face in Western Pennsylvania politics, having served as an elected committee member in Allegheny County and having volunteered on numerous state, local and judicial campaigns.
Paul McNulty
Look no further than Paul McNulty for proof that Grove City College launches world-class careers. McNulty became president in 2015 after three decades in Washington, including serving as deputy U.S. attorney general and as a senior congressional attorney. He brought that ambition to his Christian alma mater, opening a business school and rolling out new academic programs. Most recently, McNulty welcomed another Washington figure, former Vice President Mike Pence, to campus as an inaugural fellow at Grove City’s new Center for Faith & Public Life.
James Mohr II
Over 20 years as chaplain at Westminster College, James Mohr has guided the ministry’s evolution to meet contemporary campus needs. He helped develop a student food pantry in response to food insecurity – leading Westminster to be named a PA Hunger-Free Campus – and a lending library to help with rising book costs, along with a student emergency fund. Mohr, a longtime Presbyterian Church pulpit minister, is also known for leading students on experiential service trips in the U.S. and abroad.
Juliana Mosley-Williams
Juliana Mosley-Williams wanted to be a teacher from age 6. She went on to earn a Ph.D. in educational leadership and is currently the inaugural special assistant for diversity, equity and inclusion at Salus University, where she executes the president’s inclusivity agenda. Mosley-Williams previously created a similar role at Chestnut Hill College and has presented a TEDx Talk on DEI frameworks. With the Philly-based Consortium of DEI Health Educators, she has helped organize the 2023 and 2024 Equity in Medical Education Summits.
Elizabeth Moy
As chief of staff at Salus University, Beth Moy is helping lead the school’s merger with Drexel University while overseeing day-to-day operations, strategic planning and special projects. She recently led the renovation effort to upgrade dining and student life facilities, and undertook a salary survey to ensure competitive compensation for Salus’ staff. Prior to joining Salus, Moy directed the Southeastern Pennsylvania Consortium for Higher Education, an organization of independent colleges and universities. She is currently a Whitemarsh Township supervisor and secretary for the Montgomery County Industrial Development Authority Board.
Khalid N. Mumin
Khalid Mumin is the commonwealth’s educator-in-chief, having been chosen by Gov. Josh Shapiro to lead the state’s Department of Education. Mumin, a Philadelphia native and former high school English teacher, holds a Ph.D. in educational leadership from the University of Pennsylvania and most recently was superintendent of the Lower Merion School District. Prior to that, he led the Reading School District, where his successful turnaround effort led to his being named as the 2021 Superintendent of the Year by the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators.
L. Marvin Overby
Having worked as far afield as China, Hungary and Belgium, political scientist L. Marvin Overby brings a cosmopolitan outlook to the School of Public Affairs at Penn State Harrisburg, which he has led since 2020. He supervises a budget of $1.1 million and five divisions. Additionally, he serves as the interim director of the school’s Homeland Security program. Overby previously chaired the political science department at the University of Missouri and was founding co-director of the Social Science Research Laboratory at the University of Mississippi.
Donna Partin
Donna Partin’s daughter, Demi, has Down Syndrome – but she nevertheless dreamed of attending college, just as her mother and brother had. In 2012, mother and daughter founded D.R.E.A.M. Partnership, a nonprofit that has raised $1 million for scholarships and organized over a dozen post-secondary programs on behalf of Pennsylvanians with intellectual disabilities. Partin is an entrepreneur who owns a Merry Maids professional cleaning franchise; she is also a leading advocate for disabled people, small businesses and educational opportunities throughout the commonwealth.
Charles Patterson
Enrollment and retention are both up at Shippensburg University, thanks in no small part to Charles Patterson, who became president in 2019. Under his leadership, the school secured a $275,000 federal grant for career training and raised $10 million, a single-year record, for the Shippensburg University Foundation. Patterson previously led Mansfield University, another state institution, and held leadership positions with the University System of Georgia and the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid.
Rhonda Phillips
Since becoming president of Chatham University last year, Rhonda Phillips has reorganized the school’s leadership and administrative team and launched a two-year strategic plan. Phillips came to Pittsburgh from Purdue University’s John Martinson Honors College, where, as inaugural dean, she achieved a ranking among America’s Top 20 Honors Colleges. Her three-decade career in higher education also includes numerous roles at Arizona State University, the University of Florida and the University of Southern Mississippi.
Radha Pyati
Radha Pyati, a chemist and noted environmentalist, was appointed chancellor of Penn State Berks last year. Prior to that, she was dean of the College of Sciences and Mathematics at West Chester University, where she oversaw a $37 million budget, raised $3.4 million for scholarships and programming, and guided the $130 million science and engineering complex. Pyati is known as a champion of campus diversity and of STEM education, priorities she has brought to her new role.
Dave Ramsaran
Sociologist Dave Ramsaran is provost and dean of the faculty at Susquehanna University, where he has taught since 2000. Born and raised in Trinidad, Ramsaran studies the social implications of economic development – a perspective that doubtless informs his work guiding academic programs at the university where he has built his career. Ramsaran, who has chaired Susquehanna’s sociology department, won a Caribbean Studies Association Book Prize in 2019 for his publication, “Caribbean Masala.”
Kelly Repinski
Kelly Repinski has helped guide first California University, and now Pennsylvania Western University, through a period of challenges and change. Appointed as the president’s inaugural chief of staff in 2017, Repinski helped lead the university’s COVID-19 task force, then served as project manager for the integration of California, Clarion, and Edinboro universities into PennWest. In her current role overseeing university affairs, Repinski heads external relations, collaborating with local and state-level stakeholders – including the PA Chamber Higher Education Council and the PASSHE Public Affairs Senior Leadership Group.
Betty Rider
A psychologist by training, Betty Rider has a thorough understanding of the human minds at Elizabethtown College, having worked there for nearly 40 years, the last two as president. Rider, also a longtime professor, previously made an impact as provost and senior vice president of academic affairs by reorganizing Elizabethtown’s academic structure, expanding its popular occupational therapy program and launching a new physician assistant credential. Under her leadership, the school is celebrating records for both enrollment and its endowment, which recently crossed the $100 million threshold.
Karen Riley
Karen Riley became president of Slippery Rock University in 2023, leading a 130-year-old public institution with more than 150 academic programs. She previously served as provost and chief academic officer at Regis University in Denver; prior to that, she had a two-decade career at the University of Denver, where, as dean of its College of Education, she raised nearly $30 million and boosted enrollment and faculty recruitment. Riley holds a doctorate in educational psychology and is an expert in neurodevelopmental disorders, including Down Syndrome.
Pedro Rivera
A former Pennsylvania secretary of education whose initiatives have been recognized by the White House, Pedro Rivera is currently president of the Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, where he champions equitable access through comprehensive financial and career support. Those goals are on display this year, thanks to efforts like Rivera’s help creating a campus community center that offers early childhood and applied career exploration programs. The Philadelphia native and first-generation college graduate was appointed to the state Board of Education in 2022 and currently chairs its Council of Higher Education.
Carlo Robustelli
Carlo Robustelli is currently leading a $75 million scholarship initiative at Dickinson College, where he is vice president for advancement. Since 2020, he has more than doubled alumni engagement – to 57% – set new giving records and designed a predictive giving model that has become a professional standard. Robustelli also spearheads philanthropic partnerships to achieve projects like the John M. Paz ’78 Alumni & Family Center, opening this year, and co-directs the Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium research project, which promotes cooperation between academic and advancement departments.
Diana Rogers-Adkinson
As the provost at Bloomsburg University, Diana Rogers-Adkinson helped steer that state institution’s 2022 integration into the newly merged Commonwealth University, where she subsequently served as senior vice president and provost. This July, Rogers-Adkinson is bringing her campus insights to a statewide role – as vice chancellor and chief academic officer for Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education, for which she has served on the DEI Committee. A Ph.D. in special education and counseling, she previously led the College of Education at Southeast Missouri State University.
Shannon McLaughlin Rooney
After years of enrollment decline at the Community College of Philadelphia, Shannon Rooney stepped into her current role in 2021 to lead the comprehensive rebranding and revamped admissions that turned the numbers around – and have yielded continuous growth ever since. As chief of enrollment management and strategic communications, Rooney established the college’s first office of institutional effectiveness, emphasizing data-informed decision-making to boost student registration. Rooney, who holds a doctorate from Temple University, is also a journalism scholar who is active with Philadelphia media and academic organizations.
Marc Rowan
Marc Rowan doesn’t work at the University of Pennsylvania, but the Wharton graduate is arguably among the most influential figures on campus right now. The New York-based investor and chair of the Wharton board led this past winter’s successful campaign to oust Penn’s then-president, Liz Magill, over what he called her ongoing failure to protect Jewish students from antisemitism. Outraged by a series of high-profile scandals, Rowan led a revolt among moneyed Penn graduates – and amplified a debate over the role of donors in academics.
Megan Ryan
As Muhlenberg College’s enrollment management chief, Vice President Megan Ryan achieved the school’s largest single-year application increase by adding an early action initiative and guaranteeing four years of financial aid as a bulwark against FAFSA turmoil. She emphasizes financial transparency to yield a 20% Pell-eligible first-year class, employing a data-informed approach honed in admissions roles at Allegheny College and Carnegie Mellon University (Ryan’s graduate alma mater). A longtime leader with the Pennsylvania Association for College Admission Counselors, she currently directs its Summer Institute for professional development.
Peter Schweyer
As majority chair of the Pennsylvania House Education Committee, Democratic state Rep. Peter Schweyer champions equity for the commonwealth’s schoolchildren. He recently served on the Basic Education Funding Commission, helping produce a report that advocates for increased school investment to fund equitable facilities and learning opportunities statewide. Schweyer, an Allentown public school parent, has represented the Lehigh Valley in the legislature since 2014 and also sits on the board of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency.
Robert Smith
A longtime devotee of the advancement of carpentry education, Robert Smith is the training director overseeing the Eastern Atlantic States Carpenters Technical Centers, which includes 17 state-of-the-art union training facilities across six states. In 2023, Smith secured prestigious accreditations whose breadth is unequaled at U.S. peer institutions, including for commercial diver training, offshore wind construction and occupational education. Having graduated from his own apprenticeship in 1997, he held leadership roles at the Carpenters Joint Apprentice Committee of Philadelphia before assuming his current post.
Susan Snelick
Under Susan Snelick’s leadership, Northern Pennsylvania Regional College is becoming more visible. (Tune in to see Snelick, president since 2021, representing community colleges on the series, “Viewpoint with Dennis Quaid.”) Thanks to an ARC Grant, the school’s mobile vans will soon extend education across a rural 10-county region. Snelick, who previously headed Workforce Solutions for North Central PA, is an inaugural board member at NPRC and serves on the boards of the Center for Rural Pennsylvania and the Rural Community College Alliance.
Michael Stefan
After seven years of notching state funding and policy wins for Penn State University, lobbyist Michael Stefan was promoted this year to vice president for government and community relations. The Harrisburg-based lobbyist previously served as assistant vice president for state relations, helping secure Penn State’s $400 million in annual state funding. Stefan, a Penn State business graduate, holds a law degree from Widener University and honed his political knowledge working for the House Democratic Campaign Committee and the state attorney general’s office.
Paul Taylor
Active in worlds both spiritual and secular, Father Paul Taylor, a priest and mathematics scholar, serves as president of Saint Vincent College, America’s first Benedictine post-secondary institution. His long tenure in college leadership is distinguished by prodigious fundraising – a recent campaign exceeded its target by 20%, raising $118 million – and by campus upgrades. Taylor, a Saint Vincent alum, serves on the board for the Association of Independent Colleges and the University of Pennsylvania, and is also the longtime priest chaplain for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Jesse Topper
Republican state Rep. Jesse Topper serves as minority chair of the Pennsylvania House Education Committee. He is part of the bicameral coalition behind GrowPA, a higher-education workforce development initiative, and recently sponsored legislation that encourages career education. Topper, who was elected in 2014 to represent Bedford and Fulton counties, is also currently a representative on the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency board and the state Board of Education.
Carol Traupman-Carr
Carol Traupman-Carr has devoted her career to Moravian University, her alma mater, where she became provost in 2022 and has been recognized with numerous awards for her administrative leadership. Partnering with a consortium of five other institutions, Traupman-Carr co-created a higher education leadership program; she also spearheaded Alpha Alpha Alpha, a national honor society for fellow first-generation college students. The Allentown native holds a Ph.D. in musicology, was a member of Moravian’s music faculty and currently serves on the Moravian Music Foundation board.
Erin Wachter
Harrisburg veteran Erin Wachter joined Penn State as director of state relations in 2023, lobbying for $450 million in annual state funding. She also leads outreach to alumni, community stakeholders and elected officials with the Penn State Network. Wachter recently guided a new partnership with the governor’s office in which Penn State experts will advise the commonwealth on artificial intelligence. Prior to joining the university, she held leadership roles with Pennsylvania’s Broadband Development Authority and the state Department of Agriculture.
Kevin Washo
A key senior leader at the University of Pittsburgh, Kevin Washo has served as the chancellor’s chief of staff since 2017, with responsibilities that include community engagement and government relations. Two years ago, he also took over university relations, promoting the university as a global higher-education leader and building partnerships with local and statewide stakeholders. A Scranton native and Pitt alum, Washo worked in civic roles across Pennsylvania and in Washington, D.C., before returning to Pittsburgh, where he also serves on the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce board.
Jim Watt
Jim Watt is the chief of advancement and new strategic initiatives at Juniata College, where he raised $128 million in the institution’s most successful campaign to date – roughly half his career total fundraising haul for nonprofits. He also secured a major federal grant to bolster Juniata’s business incubator, which generates jobs in high-demand fields, and cultivates business partnerships to launch graduates’ careers. A first-generation college graduate, Watt is currently a Ph.D. candidate in organizational leadership at Eastern University, where he teaches in the MBA program.
Lindsey Williams
State Sen. Lindsey Williams, a second-term Democrat from Allegheny County, brings a progressive stance to her role as minority chair of the state Senate Education Committee. A former director with the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers, she was the only policymaker to vote against both recent reports from Pennsylvania’s Basic Education Funding Commission, citing the inadequacy of its recommendations to combat pervasive financial inequities across commonwealth schools. She has also fought against proposed book bans and, this year, argued for a moratorium on cyber charter schools.
Daniel Wubah
Mindful of inflation, President Daniel Wubah reduced the cost of attending Millersville University by 9% for next year’s commuter students and raised more than a half-million dollars for scholarships in a recent single-day giving event. Wubah, a Ghana-born microbiologist and former Washington and Lee University provost, is known for his global vision – forging new partnerships between Millersville and institutions in Africa and India, as well as chairing the Committee on International Education for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.
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