Board of Directors (2019 - 2020)

Brontè Burleigh-Jones, Ph.D.

Vice President for Finance and Administration
Dickinson College
Carlisle, PA
HERS Board Chair

Brontè Burleigh-Jones serves as the vice president for finance and administration at Dickinson College where she oversees all areas of finance and campus operations, including Facilities Management, Dining Services, Human Resource Services, Financial Operations, Conferences and Special Events, Bookstore, Mail Center and Children’s Center.  Burleigh-Jones was recently presented with the 2017 Professional Development Award from the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) at its annual meeting in Minneapolis. She received the award for extensive volunteer service to the association’s professional development activities and publications programs. Dr. Burleigh-Jones is a frequent presenter on a variety of topics, including finance, accreditation, communication, leadership and diversity at NACUBO, American Council of Education (ACE) and Association of Governing Boards (AGB) conferences. She is a frequent author for NACUBO’s Business Officer magazine and, in 2015, presented the “CBO Speaks” podcast, which remains the most downloaded from NACUBO’s website. In addition, Burleigh-Jones recently completed her second term as a member of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education where she served on the finance committee and as a finance evaluator. Dr. Burleigh-Jones has more than 25 years of experience in financial and facilities management in higher education in addition to project management and auditing experience in the state government and nonprofit sectors. Before joining Dickinson in 2013, she served as treasurer of St. John’s College. Previous leadership positions also include vice president for administration and finance at Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, Texas, as well as roles there as dean of enrollment management and assistant dean of financial services. She holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and an MBA from American University and a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Texas, Austin. She also is a graduate of the Harvard Institute for Higher Education and our HERS Institute at Wellesley College.

Mary Kennard Smith, J.D.

Vice President and General Counsel (Retired)
American University
Washington, D.C.
Chair of Nomination and Governance Committee

Mary E. Kennard served as the vice president and chief legal counsel for American University for 23 years. She has over 30 years of experience in university administration and legal affairs. Ms. Kennard has served as a senior administrator at both public and private colleges and universities. In addition, Ms. Kennard has served as the chief development officer for both the University of Rhode Island and American University, planning and kicking off two successful capital campaigns. She has taught at the University of Pittsburgh – College of General Studies, University of Rhode Island – College of Business Administration, and the Washington College of Law at American University. In May of 2013, Kennard received an honorary Doctor of Law from the University of Rhode Island in recognition of her commitment to diversity in U.S. higher education. Kennard was the first African American Vice President of the University of Rhode Island, and the first African American to serve as legal counsel for an entire state system of higher education in the United States. Ms. Kennard attended Boston University and received her undergraduate degree in applied science. After earning her Juris Doctorate from Temple University, Beasley School of Law in 1980, and Master of Laws in international and comparative law from The George Washington University, National Law Center, she served as counsel to the University of Pittsburgh, Howard University, the University of Rhode Island, the Community College of Rhode Island, and Rhode Island College, before joining American University in 1995. She currently serves on the boards of HERS and The National Student Clearing House. In 2018 she will begin her term as a Commissioner for the Middle States Accreditation Commission.

Debra K. DeMeis, Ph.D.

Senior Fellow
Cambridge Hill Partners
Cambridge, MA
HERS Board Secretary

Debra DeMeis recently became a Senior Fellow at Cambridge Hill Partners after retiring from a long career in higher education. Since joining the firm as a part-time consultant, she has worked with higher education institutions to help them achieve institutional change, particularly around diversity and inclusion. Debra DeMeis served as a faculty member in the Department of Psychology at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and has extensive experience as a senior administrator serving for almost 20 years first as dean of William Smith College at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and then as dean of students at Wellesley College. Her interest in understanding and promoting women’s development has been the core of both her research on maternal employment and her work in higher education. She earned her undergraduate degree from Bowling Green State University and her masters and doctorate from West Virginia University.

Cynthia Teniente-Matson, Ph.D.

President
Texas A&M University – San Antonio
San Antonio, TX
HERS Board Treasurer, Chair of Finance and Investment Committee

Dr. Cynthia Teniente-Matson is the second president of Texas A&M University-San Antonio (A&M-SA), one of the fastest growing universities in Texas and the only Texas A&M System university located in a major metropolitan city. Since becoming president in 2015, Dr. Teniente-Matson has forged an audacious strategic plan for the University to fulfill its mission and bring to life its core values while achieving several important goals, including becoming a national model for student and academic success. Among her many accomplishments at A&M-SA, Dr. Teniente-Matson led the successful transformation to becoming a designated Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and a comprehensive four-year university, welcoming the University’s first freshman class in 2016. She also led several new strategic initiatives, including the creation of the Mays Center for Experiential Learning and Community Engagement through private funding in addition to securing the Chancellor’s Research funding for the Institute of Water Resource Science and Technology fulfilling vital components of A&M-SA’s newly revised Master and Academic Plans. Under her leadership, the University has strategically positioned itself to implement deliberate practices designed to improve and enhance student learning and degree attainment, especially for first-generation students. These include new academic programming such as Jaguar Tracks and High-Impact Practices (HIP) integrated into the curricula for all students. Diversity, inclusion and equity are at the forefront of her leadership philosophies. In 2017, she orchestrated the President’s Commission on Equity (PCOE), which is charged with building a culture of excellence that values equity and inclusion on campus. Through Dr. Teniente-Matson’s copius efforts, A&M-SA is providing equitable opportunity and support for all its members. Dr. Teniente-Matson has more than 25 years of experience in higher education with a track record of achievement that supports campus growth, including faculty and student success, economic development, financial stewardship and broad-based entrepreneurial leadership. Prior to her appointment at A&M-SA, she worked as Vice President for Administration and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of California State University Fresno. Dr. Teniente-Matson has been recognized for her leadership and service in the field of education, including receiving the Making a Mark on the World Innovation Award from the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber and the Women’s Leadership Award from the San Antonio Business Journal. She is also a sought-after speaker and mentor on contemporary issues in higher education leadership. A San Antonio native, Dr. Teniente-Matson is deeply committed to giving back to the community that has given so much to her. She currently serves as President of the San Antonio Tricentennial Commission, and she is on the boards of the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Chamber of Commerce. She is also a national thought leader on higher education issues, serving on the board of directors for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and on the board for Higher Education Resource Services (HERS). An advocate of continuing education, Dr. Teniente-Matson earned a Bachelor of Arts in Management from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Alaska Anchorage and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Fresno State. Dr. Teniente-Matson is a wife and mother to her husband Mike, and her two children, Phillip and Wyatt.

Pamela Benoit, Ph.D.

Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost
University of Alabama – Birmingham
HERS Board of Directors

Pam Benoit, Ph.D., was named senior vice president of Academic Affairs and provost at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in May 2017 and began serving July 1, 2017. Benoit joined UAB from Ohio University, where she served as executive vice president and provost for eight years. As chief academic officer of Ohio University, Benoit led many significant initiatives, including: the conversion from quarters to semesters in 2012; development and implementation of the OHIO Guarantee, an innovative tuition and fee model through which Ohio University is helping students budget for the cost of a college education, in 2014; and creation of the nationally recognized Innovation Strategy Investment Program in 2016. She was instrumental in transformative growth for the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine into Cleveland in 2015, where the university now partners with one of the most respected institutions in medicine, the Cleveland Clinic, to bolster the university into the forefront of medical education in Ohio and beyond. Benoit held many leadership positions at the University of Missouri, where she chaired the Department of Communications in the College of Arts and Sciences, and served as associate and assistant dean of the Graduate School before being named executive vice president and provost at Ohio University. She received her master’s degree in communication from Central Michigan University and her Ph.D. in communication from Wayne State University. Early in her career, she served on the faculty of Bowling Green State University and the University of Missouri-Columbia, where she also held a position in the Department of Communications. Benoit has written or co-written a number of books, chapters, articles and reports for her research interests that include narratives, communication theory, interpersonal persuasion and argumentation, and leadership.

Susan E. Borrego, Ph.D.

Chancellor
University of Michigan – Flint
Flint, MI

Chancellor Susan E. Borrego, Ph.D. is the seventh chancellor of the University of Michigan-Flint. She is a student-centered leader with a passion for academics and a dedication to community transformation. Her career has been driven by a dedication to student success that was inspired by her own ability to see what a difference higher education can make, should make, and does make in students’ lives. Chancellor Borrego is a nationally-renown leader and advocate for student success, particularly for traditionally underrepresented students. Chancellor Borrego has served on numerous boards and national task forces, including as a team leader for the AASCU Hispanic Success study, chair of NASPA undergraduate fellows program, member of the NASFAA Forward50 committee, and consultant for the Irvine Campus Diversity Initiative project. After arriving on campus, one of her first actions was establishing scholarships for top students at five traditionally underrepresented Flint high schools, followed by establishing a robust merit scholarship program. Since coming to UM-Flint, Chancellor Borrego quickly established herself as a community partner and UM-Flint as a regional comprehensive university dedicated to research, innovation, and investments that advance the campus and community. Her community outreach includes serving on the Hurley Medical Center Board of Managers and the Board of Directors for the Greater Flint Health Coalition, as well as collaborating with numerous local entities for the collective good of the region. Chancellor Borrego is recognized as an expert on access and inclusion as it relates to student success and has published and presented over 50 times on the topic over the past two decades, including a TEDx Pasadena talk, “Class in the Academy” for the New England Resource Center for Higher Education, and “Class Matters: Beyond Access to Inclusion,” a monograph for NASPA. She holds a tenured faculty appointment in the School of Education and Human Services at UM-Flint, and her ongoing research continues to focus on student learning and success, developing organizational capacity to serve under-represented students, and class issues. Prior to joining UM-Flint, Chancellor Borrego served as the vice president for Enrollment Management, Planning, and Student Affairs at California State University, Dominguez Hills, where she was also charged with oversight of NCAA DII athletics. Raised outside Detroit, Michigan, Chancellor Borrego received her Bachelor of Arts in speech and communication from Northwest Nazarene College, Master of Arts in Social Science: Student Development from Azusa Pacific University, and her Ph.D. in Education from Claremont Graduate School.

Susan Elrod, Ph.D.

Chancellor
Indiana University - South Bend
South Bend, IN
HERS Board of Directors

Susan Elrod has been named chancellor of Indiana University South Bend and will begin this position on July 1, 2019. Previously, she served as provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater since April 15, 2016. Prior to this appointment, she served as interim provost and vice president for academic affairs at California State University, Chico (Chico State). As a leader, she has led significant strategic planning and enrollment management planning efforts as well as programs to improve faculty diversity and salary equity, revitalize support for research, launch new data systems, and implement new technological innovations. At UW-Whitewater, she led the university’s restructuring team to incorporate UW-Rock County as a new branch campus. Prior to these positions, she served as dean of the College of Science and Mathematics at California State University, Fresno (Fresno State), where she led initiatives that enhanced support for research, expanded community and industry connections, and improved persistence of students in STEM programs. She was principal investigator of a $1.5 million National Science Foundation grant that supported the redesign of introductory science and mathematics courses through a faculty-led learning community framework. She also created a new advising center in the College of Science and Mathematics in partnership with Student Affairs to improve student retention. 

Prior to her work at Fresno State, Elrod served as Executive Director of Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL) at the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) in Washington, DC.  During her tenure at PKAL, she led several multi-campus, national STEM education initiatives that focused on interdisciplinary learning, sustainability, and STEM student transfer success. She also expanded PKAL’s national program of regional faculty networks and led PKAL’s Summer Leadership Institute for emerging faculty leaders in the STEM disciplines.  She continues to serve as a Senior Scholar at AAC&U. Recent publications of interest are Increasing Student Success in STEM, Navigating Institutional Change for Student Success in STEM, Quantitative Reasoning: The Next “Across the Curriculum” Movement, and Developing Leadership in STEM Fields. Elrod continues her work as a national leader in projects that focus on leadership of institutional systemic change in higher education as an investigator, project advisory board member, and as a consultant to campuses and state systems on improving STEM student learning and success. She is a leader in the new Accelerating Systemic Change Network’s Systemic Change Institute and was co-principal investigator for the Faculty Development Network in Undergraduate Biology Education. She was the inaugural vice chair of the Gordon Research Conference on Undergraduate Biology Education in 2015 and served as chair in 2017. As a member of a National Research Council consensus study committee, she contributed her expertise to the formation of a national framework and indicators for undergraduate STEM education based on the federal five-year strategic plan for STEM. Elrod was a postdoctoral fellow at Novozymes, Inc. in Davis, CA and holds a Ph.D. in Genetics from the University of California, Davis and a B.S. in Biological Science from California State University, Chico.   

Verna Fitzsimmons, Ph.D.

President
HERS (Higher Education Resource Services)
Denver, CO

Prior to joining the HERS team, Fitzsimmons served as the CEO of Kansas State Polytechnic Campus and dean of the College of Technology and Aviation, positions she held since 2012. Under her leadership, Kansas State Polytechnic created a campus strategic plan, a master plan, and appointed a task force charged with the audit of the campus’ organizational structure. The results of these efforts continue to guide the university in serving the needs of its students, faculty, and staff and also function as a benchmark in reaching university-wide goals. While at Kansas State Polytechnic, Fitzsimmons was responsible for securing numerous corporate and local partnerships to provide K-State Polytechnic students with expanded educational and professional opportunities. Among these were agreements with ExpressJet and Cessna Aircraft Co. She was instrumental in creating the Kansas State University Bulk Solids Innovation Center, a $3.5 million, 13,000-square-foot research center, which opened in 2015 and is one of only three such facilities in the world. Furthermore, her stewardship of relationships helped garner Kansas State Polytechnic a $10 million donation – the largest private donation Kansas State Polytechnic has ever received, which is used to fund student scholarships. Prior to joining Kansas State Polytechnic, Fitzsimmons’ career focused on driving business change and manufacturing process improvement through nearly 30 years as a senior faculty member, aggressive applied researcher, and successful consultant. She has served in various positions of leadership at Kent State University and has taught at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, Wright State University Lake Campus, Case Western Reserve University, and Cleveland State University. Her industrial background includes employment at General Electric Health Care and Kenner Toys, among other companies. Fitzsimmons has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed/refereed journals such as the International Journal of Modern Engineering and Technology. She has also presented her work at a variety of conferences across the country. Fitzsimmons earned her B.S., M.A., and Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering, all from the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Dr. Angélica Garcia

Vice President of Student Services
Skyline College
San Bruno, CA
HERS Board of Directors

Dr. Angélica Garcia is an educational leader who is passionate about issues of access, equity, and student success in higher education. Over the past 16 years, her professional experiences have included direct student support, teaching, and leadership roles in non-profit organizations, secondary education, and higher education. Currently, Dr. Garcia serves as the Vice President of Student Services at Skyline College, where she is committed to leading with integrity, teaching from a student-centered framework, and building collaborative relationships across instructional and student services divisions to drive institutional initiatives that meet the diverse needs of students.

Prior to her role at Skyline College, Dr. Garcia worked in public and private four-year educational institutions as faculty and as an administrator focusing on programs and services promoting student success. She currently provides leadership and guidance to statewide reform efforts for the California Community Colleges. These reform efforts include the implementation of Guided Pathways, the advancement of institutional equity, and the completion agenda. Dr. Garcia serves as the President-Elect for the Executive Board for the Chief Student Services Officer Association and board member of the Latina Leadership Network for the California Community Colleges. 

As an experienced educator, Dr. Garcia combines her education and training as a social worker with her research and work in higher education to design, implement, and lead evidence-based programs and services that support the retention and success of all students. Her experience as a first-generation college student taught her to see students’ cultural capital and skills as unique strengths they bring to the academy.

Dr. Garcia is a scholar practitioner, rooted in critical race theory, with specific emphasis in persistence and resistance strategies in first generation college students in higher education. Most recently, her scholarship and leadership includes the efficacy of student services programs in community colleges, such as the creation and implementation of the Equity Institute and the Student Equity and Support Programs Division at Skyline College, currently viewed as a model for inclusion and equity work in the California Community Colleges. She has taught courses in undergraduate, masters, and doctoral programs.

Dr. Garcia earned her doctorate in educational leadership at San Francisco State University, her master’s in social work at San Diego State University, and her baccalaureate degree from Saint Mary’s College of California.

Phoebe Haddon, J.D.

Chancellor
Rutgers University – Camden
Camden, NJ

Respected nationally as a constitutional scholar and a leader in higher education, Phoebe A. Haddon became chancellor of Rutgers University–Camden on July 1, 2014. Prior to joining the Rutgers–Camden community, Haddon served as dean of the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, which benefited from the new, transformative academic resources and intellectual vitality that occurred under her leadership. In 2011, the school received a $30 million commitment from the W.P. Carey Foundation, the largest gift ever received by the University and its law school. Prior to joining UM Carey Law, Haddon served for more than 25 years as a distinguished faculty member at the Temple University Beasley School of Law. An accomplished scholar on constitutional law and tort law, she is the co-author of two casebooks in those fields and has written numerous scholarly articles on equal protection, jury participation, academic freedom and diversity. During her years at Temple, she fought racial and gender bias on the Pennsylvania bench and bar, serving on several state and city bodies, including the City of Philadelphia Board of Ethics. Previously she practiced at Wilmer Cutler & Pickering in Washington, D.C., and clerked for the Honorable Joseph F. Weis Jr. of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Haddon earned an LL.M. from Yale Law School in 1985 and a Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Duquesne University School of Law, where she was editor-in-chief of the Duquesne Law Review, in 1977. She received a bachelor’s degree from Smith College in 1972 and served as vice chair of the Smith College Board of Trustees until 2009.

Julia Jasken, Ph.D.

Executive Vice President/Provost

As the Executive Vice President and Provost at McDaniel College, a private, liberal arts college in Westminster, Md., Jasken oversees the newly integrated divisions of Academic and Campus Life. In this role, she has spearheaded several significant cost-containment and reinvestment efforts and led the visioning and development of the College’s signature McDaniel Commitment, an institutional guarantee that all students will receive meaningful and sustained mentorship and career development across their four years, with a special emphasis on experiential learning and alumni connections. She previously served as the College’s associate provost where she collaboratively built the College’s first cross-divisional entrepreneurship program. In 2013, she oversaw the development of the College’s first comprehensive experiential learning center, the Center for Experience and Opportunity, and served as its first Director. Jasken has expertise in academic and campus life restructuring, student success initiatives, union negotiations and building/supporting a culture of safety compliance. She is also a member of the HERS board of directors.

Susan D. Johnson, Ph.D.

Director of Organizational Development and Philanthropic Practice
Lumina Foundation
Indianapolis, IN

Susan D. Johnson, Ph.D., is Director of Organizational Development and Philanthropic Practice where she provides conceptual leadership and strategic direction in Lumina’s efforts to achieve the 60% attainment goal. Throughout her career in higher education, she has acquired intimate knowledge of policies and practices affecting student success, student engagement, and institutional accountability. After joining Lumina in 2008, Susan served as a strategy officer, director of equity and inclusion, and later as director of impact and research where she actively sought to engage professionals, scholars, and partners committed to the promotion of equity and excellence in postsecondary education. Prior to joining Lumina, Susan held professional positions in student affairs at Louisiana State University and the University of North Dakota and in institutional research at Indiana University. Johnson earned her B.S., M.S., and M.Ed. degrees from the University of Florida and her Ph.D. in higher education and student affairs at Indiana University.

Tuajuanda Jordan, Ph.D.

President
St. Mary’s College of Maryland
St. Mary’s City, MD
HERS Board of Directors

Dr. Tuajuanda Jordan has served as St. Mary’s College of Maryland’s (SMCM) seventh president since July 2014. During her tenure, the Board of Trustees approved A Time for Rebirth, a new three-year strategic plan that builds on the College’s charter as Maryland’s only public honors college and the first of its kind in the nation. St. Mary’s College of Maryland has been widely recognized for its successes. Ranked among the top 100 Kiplinger’s list of best values in public colleges (2016) and among the top 10 best public liberal arts colleges in the nation by U.S. News & World Report (2016), SMCM continues to build upon its solid reputation for academic excellence under Dr. Jordan’s watch. Under her leadership, the College continues to analyze and assess its programming to ensure that students are provided opportunities to be engaged, productive global citizens and leaders. Since joining the College, President Jordan has been widely recognized for her contributions to higher education and the larger community. Recently, she was named one of the Top 25 Women in Higher Education by the national magazine, Diverse Issues in Higher Education. In addition to serving on numerous national panels and boards, she was recognized as a Black Leader in Education by the AFRO (2017), was named as one of Fisk University’s Talented Tenth (2016), Purdue University’s Distinguished Women Scholars (2015-16), and as an Influential Marylander by the Daily Record (2015). She received the Torchbearer Award (2014) from the National Coalition of Black Women, Baltimore Metropolitan Chapter and was inducted (2015) into the Zeta Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest academic honor society. Prior to SMCM, Dr. Jordan served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and as a professor of chemistry at Lewis & Clark College in Oregon. While there, she helped recruit an exceptional and diverse faculty, launched a center for entrepreneurship, and developed a campus-wide system to increase student persistence and graduation rates. While an associate dean and tenured faculty member in the College of Arts and Sciences at Xavier University of Louisiana, she helped establish the center for undergraduate research and creativity. Dr. Jordan gained national prominence in the realm of science education with the creation of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science Education Alliance (SEA) program and the launch of its first initiative, the SEA Phage program, which engaged novice undergraduates in research in genomics and bioinformatics. This program has been implemented at more than 50 diverse institutions across the nation, impacted thousands of students and faculty, and resulted in numerous scientific and pedagogical publications. Dr. Jordan holds a B.S. in chemistry from Fisk University and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Purdue University.

Kimberly Kvaal

Vice President for Finance & Administration
St. Edward’s University
Austin, TX
HERS Board of Directors

Kimberly Kvaal is the Vice President for Finance & Administration at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas since August 2014 and has over 20 years of experience in the higher education industry at two previous institutions. Her areas of responsibility include finance, facilities, human resources, auxiliaries, campus safety, and compliance and risk management. She serves as a member of the President’s Cabinet and is responsible for an annual operating budget of approximately $110M and an endowment of $105M.

Ms. Kvaal is an experienced presenter on not-for-profit accounting topics and is active in her professional associations. She served on NACUBO’s Accounting Principles Council which she chaired in 2014 and is also a past co-chair of WACUBO’s Professional Development Committee. In 2016, NACUBO presented Ms. Kvaal with the Daniel D. Robinson award for outstanding contributions to the field of college and university accounting and reporting.

Ms. Kvaal holds a BA from the University of Colorado, Boulder, a MBA from Regis University, and is a licensed CPA in the state of Colorado. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Education in Organizational Change and Leadership from the University of Southern California.

Carolyn P. Landis

Managing Member
Catalyst Partners, LLC
Washington Crossing, PA

Carolyn P. Landis manages finances for growing companies in which Catalyst Partners has invested. She also assists corporations to prepare business plans and acquire capital through private placement investors. For non-profit clients, she guides the strategic planning process and advises on organizational issues. Based near Princeton, NJ, Ms. Landis provides strategic services through Catalyst Partners, LLC where she is a Managing Member. Prior to becoming a consultant, she served as CEO of a computer manufacturing/ refurbishing firm in NY and of a holding company, which owned and operated restaurants in NJ. Earlier, she directed consulting, member services, and financial affairs as an officer of a non-profit consortium of 500 universities with headquarters in NJ. She currently serves as a trustee for McDaniel College and a director of non-profit corporations including: Per Scholas, a nonprofit corporation that provides tuition-free training to unemployed or underemployed adults for careers in IT; and Food Studies Institute, a nonprofit organization promoting food education for students and their families.

S. Georgia Nugent, Ph.D.

Senior Fellow
Council of Independent Colleges
Washington, D.C.

Dr. S. Georgia Nugent currently serves as Senior Fellow at the Council of Independent Colleges. Beginning in 2003, she served as President of Kenyon College. In the six years since at Kenyon, Nugent increased the quality and diversity of faculty and students, dramatically increased resources for financial aid and for faculty development, improved the conditions of employment for staff members, built a child-care facility for faculty and staff, and enhanced “family friendly” policies. Previously, she was Dean of Princeton University’s Harold W. McGraw Jr. Center for Teaching and Learning. In 1969, Nugent became a member of Princeton’s first coeducational class, graduating cum laude in 1973. She also holds the distinction of being the first female graduate of Princeton to hold a full-time faculty appointment at the university. Nugent received a Ph.D. in classics from Cornell University and began her teaching career as an instructor at Swarthmore College before returning to Princeton as an assistant professor in 1979.

Mary A. Papazian, Ph.D.

President
San Jose State University
San Jose, CA
HERS Board Vice Chair, Chair of Audit Committee

Dr. Mary A. Papazian, a seasoned leader with nearly 30 years of experience as a university professor, academic and administrative leader, joined San Jose State University as its 30th president on July 1, 2016. As the leader of the founding campus of the California State University and Silicon Valley’s only public university, Papazian — a Southern California native — is firmly committed to student success; open, transparent and inclusive leadership; fostering a culture of curiosity and discovery; and building enduring campus and community partnerships. At SJSU, Papazian is focused on revitalizing communication among and between campus leaders, students, faculty and staff; energizing alumni, supporters and friends of the university; meaningfully elevating engagement with elected, industry and community leaders on important regional policy issues; empowering people across the university singularly to focus on student success; inclusively assessing opportunities to enhance operational effectiveness; and articulating an aspirational vision for SJSU to be America’s preeminent urban public university. Before coming to SJSU, Papazian was president of Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, Connecticut. There, her accomplishments included strengthening programs supporting the successful transition of first-year and transfer students; establishing a vision for what will be SCSU’s first-ever comprehensive philanthropic campaign and securing a $3 million gift and a $1.2 million bequest to establish its first endowed chair; opening the new Academic Laboratory and Science Building; expanding international education and study abroad programs; increasing research opportunities for undergraduate students, and expanding scholarships to support student recruitment, retention and completion. Papazian also served as provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs at Lehman College of The City University of New York; dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Montclair State University in New Jersey, and associate dean of the College of Arts and Science at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. Papazian holds bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in English from the University of California, Los Angeles. She and husband Dr. Dennis R. Papazian, founding director of the Armenian Research Center at the University of Michigan, Dearborn, have two adult daughters.

Dawn M. Rhodes, M.B.A.

Chief Business and Finance Officer and Vice President
University of Maryland
Baltimore, MD
HERS Board of Directors

Dawn Rhodes has more than 35 years of experience in finance and operations, 27 of them in higher education. Ms. Rhodes currently serves as the chief business and finance officer (CBFO) and vice president of administration and finance at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB). UMB is Maryland’s public health, law, and human services university, dedicated to excellence in education, research, clinical care, and public service. In her role, she oversees UMB’s $1.3 billion budget, as well as capital planning & real estate, emergency management facilities and operations, finance, and police. She also serves as a key liaison to the local community on neighborhood development projects.

Prior to coming to UMB Ms. Rhodes served as the vice chancellor for finance and administration for seven years at IUPUI, an urban public research institution and a core campus of Indiana University. Prior to arriving at IUPUI, Ms. Rhodes spent nearly fifteen years at the University of Toledo holding several executive leadership positions. For a period between 1998 and 2000, Ms. Rhodes served as the vice president for business and finance at Savannah State University, a HBCU. Her other professional experience includes several years in financial positions in private sector industries such as packaging manufacturing and auto parts, and at a 500-bed non-profit hospital.

Several achievements distinguished her career. Since joining UMB in 2016 she has brought transparency to university finances, launched a revitalized Live Near Your Work Program, created an Emergency Management Department, and hired the first ever female police chief for UMB. Other career achievements include creating a blue ribbon customer service program known as Service with Distinction, leading a transformative hotel conversion project which included bringing fifteen new classrooms online, 560 additional residence hall beds, and the campus’ first ever dining hall facility. She created an Office of Intergroup Dialogue and Civil Community, an office to support the conversation and activities of diversity and inclusion and to facilitate civil discourse across campus.

She was voted in as a CACUBO (Central Association of College and University Business Officers) Board Director at the 2008 annual meeting. She went on to serve in the roles of 2nd Vice President of the CACUBO Board, President, Past President, and 2^nd Past President. Her time as President is hallmarked by a five-year strategic plan driven by direct communication with the population CACUBO serves. She has also served as Chair of the Professional Development Committee and Board Liaison for the Leadership Development Institute.

Ms. Rhodes served 8-years as a member of the National Association of College and University Business Officers Board of Directors. During her tenure she served as chair of the Ad Hoc Committee for the Next Generation Business Officers, a subcommittee of the Board, as a member of the ad hoc committee on Identifying and Disseminating Effective Analytics, and on the Finance and Audit Committee. Ms. Rhodes has been a faculty member at the NACUBO annual meetings and an author in the NACUBO Business Officer Magazine. She continues to mentor future business leaders.

Ms. Rhodes is active in community engagement as well. She has served as a Board Member for Lott Industries and the Cooperative Health Network, both of Toledo, Ohio. While in Indianapolis, Ms. Rhodes served as a member of the Steering Committee for Velocity, a co-created, five-year strategic action plan for Downtown Indianapolis, guided and activated by collaborating organizations. She was a Board Member with the National Institute for Fitness and Sport, and played a significant role in preparing the campus for the 2012 Superbowl.

Dawn Rhodes is a graduate of the University of Michigan earning her Bachelor of Business Administration, Accounting concentration, in 1984. She is also a University of Toledo alumnus from the College of Business with a 1995 MBA, and is currently pursuing her DBA. She was inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma and Phi Kappa Phi honor societies in 1995.