Board of Directors

Tuajuanda Jordan, Ph.D.

HERS Board Chair, Executive Committee Chair
2000 HERS Leadership Institute Alumna
President
St. Mary’s College of Maryland
St. Mary’s City, MD

“To serve on a board focused on empowering women to develop their leadership skills is a privilege that has been bestowed upon me and I will not squander it. As a HERS Bryn Mawr 2000 participant, our motto was “Administration as a creative act.” I have come back to that motto time and time again as I’ve risen through the ranks. The HERS experience was transformative and I am honored to be in a position where I can work to ensure that it remains so for many years to come.”

Dr. Tuajuanda Jordan has served as St. Mary’s College of Maryland’s (SMCM) seventh president since July 2014. 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.

Pamela Benoit, Ph.D.

HERS Board Vice Chair, Executive Committee Vice Chair, Chair of Audit Committee
2007 HERS Leadership Institute Alumna
Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost
University of Alabama-Birmingham
Birmingham, AL

“HERS gave me an opportunity to be thoughtful about my leadership and think systematically about the skills I had and the ones I needed to refine. Being a HERS Board member is an honor and an opportunity to ensure that other women continue to have access to these incredible experiences.”

Dr. Pamela Benoit 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. 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.

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.

Susan D. Johnson, Ph.D.

HERS Board Secretary, Executive Committee Secretary, Advancement Committee, 50th Anniversary Task Force
2008 HERS Leadership Institute Alumna
Director of Organizational Development and Philanthropic Practice
Lumina Foundation
Indianapolis, IN

“Taking part in HERS was an eye-opening experience that set me on a career path I could not have imagined. It made me think more broadly and boldly and I am proud to say that without HERS, I would not be the leader I am today.”

Dr. Susan D. Johnson is Director of Organizational Development and Philanthropic Practice where she provides conceptual leadership and strategic direction in Lumina’s efforts to making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all.

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. She is a HERS 2008 Leadership Institute Alumnae as well as being a HERS board member since 2017. She is also actively involved in the philanthropic sector, serving on the boards of Grantmakers for Education, executive team of Indiana Blacks in Philanthropy and is co-editor of “Standing on the Outside Looking In: Underrepresented Students’ Experiences in Advanced Degree Programs.”

Julia Jasken, Ph.D.

HERS Board Treasurer, Executive Committee Chair of Finance & Investment
2014 HERS Leadership Institute Alumna
Exective Vice President/Provost
McDaniel College
Westminster, MD

“I appreciate being a member of the HERS board because of the many ways the organization supports women on their leadership journeys within the expansive frameworks of diversity, equity and intersectionality.”

Dr. Julia Jasken serves 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 earned her B.A. in English Language and Literature from the College of St. Benedict, her M.A in Rhetoric and Women’s Studies from Northern Illinois University, and her Ph.D in Rhetoric and Technical Communication from Michigan Technological University.

Brontè Burleigh-Jones, Ph.D.

HERS Board Past Chair, Executive Committee
2009 HERS Leadership Institute Alumna
Vice President for Finance and Administration
Dickinson College
Carlisle, PA

“Having the opportunity to contribute to the advancement of women leaders within the higher education sector through my role on the HERS board is both a gift and labor of love.”

Dr. 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.

She 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. 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. 

Debra K. DeMeis, Ph.D.

HERS Board of Director, Executive Committee Chair of Nominations & Governance
Senior Fellow
Cambridge Hill Partners
Cambridge, MA

“Serving on the Board of Directors is an honor and my way of paying forward the mentorship and leadership of the many women who supported, encouraged, and educated me across the arc of my career.”

Dr. 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.

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.

Susan Elrod, Ph.D.

HERS Board of Director, Nomination & Governance Committee
Chancellor
Indiana University-South Bend
South Bend, IN

“The opportunity to contribute to the development of women leaders in higher education is extremely gratifying. My own journey would not have been possible without programs like HERS, so I am glad to lean, give back and help others in their leadership journeys.”

Dr. Susan Elrod began as the sixth chancellor of Indiana University South Bend on July 1, 2019. As Chancellor, she leads the university in achieving its mission to serve the communities of Northcentral Indiana. Elrod has over a decade of higher education leadership experience that includes serving as provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs at California State University, Chico and as dean of the College of Science and Mathematics at California State University, Fresno.

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.

Elrod is a nationally recognized leader in STEM higher education on projects centered on leadership of institutional system change in higher education as a scholar, leader, project advisor, and consultant. Her scholarly record contains over 20 publications on topics ranging from undergraduate research and to systemic change and leadership, as well as several scientific publications and patens.

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.

Carine Feyten, Ph.D.

HERS Board of Director, Advancement Committee, 50th Anniversary Task Force
Chancellor/President
Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX

“I believe that ‘if we are not at the table, we are probably on the menu’ and I strongly believe in the importance of helping women find their voices and develop their leadership skils.”

Dr. Carine M. Feyten is chancellor and president of Texas Woman’s University, a public institution with a campus in Denton and health science centers in Dallas and Houston.  About 90 percent of the university’s 15,500 students are women making it the largest university in the nation with such a gender composition.

Under Chancellor Feyten’s leadership, The Economist ranked Texas Woman’s University 45th out of 1,275 institutions in the nation and 2^nd in Texas for adding value to its graduates’ income earning potential.

Feyten has championed many women leadership initiatives including raising a combination of public and private funds totaling more than $17 million.  She has led an initiative to found the state’s only Jane Nelson Institute for Women’s Leadership comprised of the Centers for Women in Business, Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy, and the Center for Student Leadership.

Prior to TWU, Dr. Feyten served as dean of the College of Education, health and Society at Miami University.  While dean, she developed and launched a strategic plan focused on a holistic and sustainable approach to all aspects of administrative, faculty, and student wellbeing; led a capital campaign that has raised more than $27 million.  Prior to this position, she served at the University of Florida with academic appointments including the associate dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Education, chair of the department of secondary education, full professor, department of secondary education, director of the foreign language education program, and coordinator of teacher education for the department of secondary education.

Feyten holds a doctorate in interdisciplinary education with an emphasis on second language acquisition from the University of South Florida, Tampa, an M.A. in English, Dutch, Education from the Universite Catholique de Louvain, and a B.A. in Germanic Philology from the Universite Catholique de Louvain, Belgium.

Verna Fitzsimmons, Ph.D.

2011 HERS Leadership Institute Alumna
President
HERS (Higher Education Resource Services)
Denver, CO

Dr. Verna Fitzsimmons became the president of HERS on June 29, 2018. 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, 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

HERS Board of Director, Nominations & Governance Committee
President
Berkeley City College
Berkeley, CA

“As a member of the Board of Directors for HERS, I am humbled to be in a community of educational leaders committed to equity for our educational institutions. We have the opportunity to bring female identified leaders together to develop community, leadership competencies, and leadership for equity and racial justice.”

In April of 2020, Dr. Angélica Garcia was named the first Chicana President of Berkeley City College, taking up the leadership role during a rocky time for the Peralta Community College District. In May of 2020, she began her Berkeley tenure by leading a campus that had no students on it, while campuses were closed through the end of June, in response to the coronavirus pandemic. As we encourage many HERS alumnae to do, Dr. Garcia boldly embraced the challenge of taking on a new leadership position during a time of crisis. Within her leadership role, Dr. Garcia 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 Berkeley City College, Dr. Garcia was Vice President of Student Services at Skyline College in San Bruno. At Skyline, Garcia launched programs to boost graduation rates and address equity issues. She designed the Promise Scholars program, promoting graduation within two to three years, and created a new division focused on student equity and support, including programs addressing food and housing insecurity among students, according to BCC.

Dr. 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. Dr. Garcia has 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 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.

HERS Board of Director, Executive Committee Chair of Advancement Committee, Co-chair 50th Anniversary Task Force
2001 HERS Leadership Institute Alumna
Chancellor
Rutgers University-Camden
Camden, NJ

“Women have to imagine themselves in higher education leadership positions; HERS was the first opportunity that offered me the chance to interact with other aspirants and, as a board member, to encourage women faculty and administrators to think expansively.”

In January, 2020, Phoebe A. Haddon, was named chair of the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. The board oversees the Bank’s direction and performance, and participates in the formulation of the Federal government’s monetary policy. In June of 2020 Haddon retired from her current position as chancellor of Rutgers University – Camden, where has been chancellor since July 1, 2014. While there, she was respected nationally as a constitutional scholar and a leader in higher education.

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.

Kristen Hodge-Clark, Ph.D.

HERS Board of Director, Nominations & Governance Committee
Senior Assistant Dean for Program Planning
Georgetown University
Washington, DC

“An excerpt from the school hymnal for my alma matter, Spelman College, reads, we are “undaunted by the fight.” The spirit of that hymnal guided my college experience and my entire career and is what inspires me to continue the fight for equity and inclusivity for women of all backgrounds in higher education through my service to HERS as a new board member.  That HERS has been around for nearly 50 years is a testament to its enduring fight and a signal of the indelible change it is creating in these spaces.  I look forward to being a champion for change as a member of the board.”

Dr. Kristen N. Hodge-Clark serves as Senior Assistant Dean for program planning within Georgetown University’s School of Continuing Studies.  In this capacity, she oversees several strategic functions related to the development of new credit-bearing programs and collaborates with SCS leadership to implement a thorough program review process to constantly monitor the health of existing academic programs and to identify opportunities to improve, redirect, or close programs as needed.

In addition to this role, she also serves as an adjunct lecturer within SCS where she teaches courses for the certificate in educational policy and program evaluation.  Prior to joining SCS, Dr. Hodge-Clark served as vice president for best practice and innovation with the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB).  In this capacity, she directed AGB’s efforts to provide comprehensive innovative governance solutions and resources to member institutions through the development of programs, research, and digital tools.  Under her leadership, AGB launched the Trustee Index, a national poll of trustees conducted by Gallup.

Dr. Hodge-Clark has authored several publications including her most recent reports, Taking the Pulse of Campus Climate and Strengthening HBCU Governance and Leadership.  In addition to her position with SCS, she currently sits on the board of trustees for The College of St. Benedict.  She holds a B.A. from Spelman College and a Ph.D. in American Studies with a concentration in higher education from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Gayle E. Hutchinson, Ph.D.

HERS Board of Director, Advancement Committee, 50th Anniversary Task Force
President
California State University, Chico
Chico, CA

“Throughout my career, I have been grateful to the constellation of mentors who have helped me develop and establish confidence in my leadership abilities.  Now, by serving as a member of the HERS Board of Directors, I can “give back” by helping a diverse community of women develop and advance their careers to the top levels of higher education.”

Dr. Gayle E. Hutchinson began her career in higher education at CSU, Chico (Chico State), joining the faculty as an assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology in 1990.  She taught in the classroom for 17 years earning tenure, promotion and the rank of full professor.  Dr. Hutchinson’s scholarship and grant writing focused on professional development for teachers, standards-based physical education, comprehensive school-based wellness programs, and equity and social justice in sport and physical education programs.

Since 2002, Dr. Hutchinson has served in a number of administrative posts:  Kinesiology Department Chair, Chico State (2002-2007); Dean of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Chico State (2007-2013); Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, CSU Channel Islands (2013-2016); President of Chico State (2016 to Present).  She embraces the framework of Connective Leadership.  The characteristics that define her leadership style are equity and diversity, inclusive excellence, innovation, institutional accountability, transparency, trust, and respect.

Dr. Hutchinson earned her B.S. and Ed.D. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and her MA from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Kimberly Kvaal, EdD

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

“It’s an honor to serve on the HERS board of directors and contribute to its success. HERS is known for excellent in developing women leaders for higher education and I’m proud to contribute to that legacy.”

Dr. Kimberly Kvaal is the Chief Financial Officer and member of the president’s cabinet at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas. In her role, Kvaal has responsibility for budget and finance, facilities, master planning and construction, human resources, auxiliaries, public safety, and risk management. She serves as primary resource to the Fiduciary and Facilities Committees of the Board of Trustees.

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 Kvaal with the Daniel D. Robinson award for outstanding contributions to the field of college and university accounting and reporting.

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

Carolyn P. Landis

HERS Board of Director - Emerita, Executive Co-chair of 50th Anniversary Task Force, Finance & Investment Committee
Managing Member
Catalyst Partners, LLC
Washington Crossing, PA

“Serving on the HERS Board of Directors is a treasured opportunity to most directly advance women and achieve greater equity in higher education. HERS board colleagues and our incredible alumnae network inspire me. At every meeting, I am energized by evidence that HERS is making a difference every day for women in higher education.

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.

Gaye Manning, CVP

HERS Board of Director, Finance & Investment Committee
Vice Chancellor for finance and administration
Southern Arkansas University Tech
East Camden, AK

“I have spent the past twenty-nine years involved in Higher Education Business Officer development. I understand the importance of continuous development and relationship building. I am within three years of my planned retirement. I cannot think of a more meaningful and rewarding way to end my career than to serve on a board that promotes and encourages development of women leaders in higher education.”

Gaye Manning serves as the Vice Chancellor for finance and administration at Southern Arkansas University Tech, East Camden, AK. In her role she oversees management of campus financial affairs, physical plant. Manning started her career with SAU Tech in 1984 at an entry-level position and advanced her way up within the finance and administration department.

Manning was headlined in the May/June 2020 Business Officer Magazine, “Making A Positive Difference,” for her leadership philosophy of giving back and helping others reach their goals. Manning is a firm believer in giving back and is now in a position to mentor rising business officers. She was previously engaged in the Arkansas Leadership Institute to help others reach their goals in higher education.

Manning holds an MBA in Business Administration from Henderson State University and a BBA in Management and Accounting from Southern Arkansas University.

Kathy Nesbitt, JD

HERS Board of Director, Advancement Committee, 50th Anniversary Task Force
Vice President for Administration
University of Colorado
Boulder, CO

“I was drawn to serve on this board because of its continuous support of women in higher education.  I appreciate the diversity of its leadership on the board and its administration.”

Kathy Nesbitt joined the University of Colorado in January 2015 as vice president of administration.  She is responsible for a wide range of services, including payroll for CU employees, employment policy, compliance education, leadership and organizational development, benefits design, information security and enterprise technology systems, and employee data management and metrics.  She is also responsible for the CU health plans offered through the University of Colorado Health and Welfare Trust.

Nesbitt came to CU after serving Gov. John Hickenlooper as director of personnel for the state of Colorado and executive director of the Department of Personnel & Administration since January 2011.  In that role, she was responsible for the efficient and effective management of five divisions: Human Resources; Central Services, including the fleet, printing operations, mail delivery and document scanning; Finance and Procurement; the State Controller’s Office; and Administrative Courts.  She oversaw statewide programs, including the State Architect’s Office, State Archives and the Colorado State Employee Assistance Program.

While serving the state, Nesbitt developed and passed a statewide ballot initiative that updated the state’s 90-year-ld personnel system.  She oversaw the state’s $8 billion in annual procurement spending; secured funding for and implemented the replacement of the state’s 23-year-old financial reporting system, which processes $29 billion in expenditure transactions annually; and implemented process improvements in the state’s tax document processing systems.

Nesbitt has spent the majority of her career as a labor and employment attorney, and possesses her Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification.  She earned her Juris Doctorate from Southern University Law Center and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Colorado Boulder.

S. Georgia Nugent, Ph.D.

HERS Board of Director - Emerita, 50th Anniversary Task Force
1994 HERS Leadership Institute Alumna
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.

HERS Board Vice Chair, Advancement Committee, 50th Anniversary Task Force
2004 HERS Leadership Institute Alumna
President
San Jose State University
San Jose, CA

“Being a HERS board member and working with such an extraordinary group of colleagues continues to be a rewarding component of my professional engagement and “pay it forward” philosophy. I am proud to serve on the HERS Board as it works to support pathways of women leaders in higher education and create opportunities for their growth and development.”

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 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.

HERS Board of Director, Finance & Investment Committee
Chief Business and Finance Officer and Vice President
University of Maryland
Baltimore, MD

“Serving on the HERS board provides opportunity to positively impact women in higher education. I enjoy participating in shaping leadership development for women in our industry.”

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). In her role, she oversees UMB’s $1.3 billion budget.

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.

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.

Rhodes believes in giving back to higher education. Along with currently serving on the board of HERS, she served on CACUBO’s Board Director as 2nd VP, President, Past President, and 2nd Past President. Rhodes served 8-years as a member of the NACUBO Board. During her tenure she served as chair of the Ad Hoc Committee for the Next Generation Business Officers, as a member of the ad hoc committee on Identifying and Disseminating Effective Analystics, and on the Finance and Audit Committee. She has been a faculty member at the NACUBO annual meetings and an author in the NACUBO Business Officer Magazine.

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.

Karen A. Stout, Ph.D.

HERS Board of Director, Nominations & Governance Committee, 50th Anniversary Task Force
President and CEO
Achieving the Dream, Inc.
President Emerita, Montgomery County Community College

Since 2015, Dr. Karen A. Stout has served as president and CEO of Achieving the Dream, leading the nation’s largest movement to improve success for all students, especially low-income students and students of color. Dr. Stout leads, through ATD, a network of institutions in whole-college transformation using a coaching process that is constantly informed and improved by its longstanding partnerships and practice in the field. ATD anticipates future needs and issues, leveraging knowledge through collective learning. She has received national recognition for her achievements and accomplishments in higher education innovation and leadership including Diverse: Issues in Higher Education’s Leading Women, Honorary Degree from Miami Dade College, American Association for Women in Community College’s Woman of the Year and Washington Monthly’s 16 most innovative higher education leaders.

Prior to ATD, Dr. Stout was president of Montgomery County Community College, where she led the college through a transformation process to improve student success. As president of the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges, Dr. Stout led the formation of a Trustees Council to support advocacy efforts and successfully changed the 40-year Community College Act with legislation to improve operating and capital funding for the Commonwealth’s 14 community colleges.

Dr. Stout serves on several national boards including College Promise National Advisory Board and is a faculty contributor and mentor for the Aspen Institute Presidential Fellowship for Community College Excellence.

She is a frequent national presenter on topics ranging from leadership to strategic planning to fundraising to using data to support continuous improvement. She wrote the forewords to Re-visioning Community Colleges: Positioning for Innovations and Getting the Green: Fundraising Campaigns for Community Colleges. She also wrote chapters entitled “Leading and Learning: Structures and Strategies for Accelerating Innovation” and “Navigating the Relationship Between Governing and Foundation Boards.”

She holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership and a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Delaware and a master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Baltimore.