President/Chancellors

The Kansas Board of Regents has appointed Dr. Richard Muma as the 15th president of Wichita State University, effective immediately. Dr. Muma has been serving as interim president of Wichita State since September 2020. He has been a cornerstone of the campus community for over 25 years as a professor, department chair, executive vice president and provost, acting president and most recently, interim president.

Dr. Dione Dorsey Somerville has been selected as the next president of Owens Community College. Dr. Somerville serves as executive vice president at Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo, Iowa. Prior to Hawkeye, she was vice president for student affairs at Bloomsburg University. Dr. Somerville was dean of students at Iowa State University prior to Bloomsburg. Before beginning at Iowa State, Dr. Somerville served as director of enrollment services at Lorain County Community College. Dr. Somerville earned a doctorate in Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania, master’s degree in College Student Personnel from Bowling Green State University, and bachelor’s degree in English/Writing from Ohio Northern University. Dr. Somerville was a Fellow at the Association of Governing Boards Institute for Leadership and Governance in its inaugural year. Dr. Somerville participated in the Harvard University Institute for Education Management and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities’ Millennium Leadership Institute. Read more here.

The University of Nebraska Board of Regents unanimously confirmed Joanne Li, Ph.D., CFA, as the 16th chancellor of the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Dr. Li will become the first woman of color to serve as UNO chancellor and the first Asian-American in the history of the University of Nebraska system to hold an executive leadership role.

The Board of Regents, State of Iowa, has announced Dr. Barbara J. Wilson as the 22nd President of the University of Iowa. Dr. Wilson brings extensive leadership experience to her role as UI President. Since 2016, she has served as Executive Vice President and Vice President for Academic Affairs for the University of Illinois System, which enrolls more than 90,000 students across three main campuses and includes a 462-bed hospital.

Nevada State College has chosen Dr. DeRionne Pollard as their next President. Dr. Pollard is currently the President of Montgomery College, the largest Community College in Maryland, where she has served since 2010.  Prior to being named president of Montgomery College, she served as the administrative and instructional president of Las Positas College in California. Dr. Pollard earned a bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University in 1993, a master’s degree in English from Iowa State University in 1995, and a Ph.D., with a specialization in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, from Loyola University in 2005. Read more here.

The North Dakota State Board of Higher Education has named Dr. Bernell Hirning as the next president of Williston State College. Dr. Hirning most recently served as Associate Regional Dean and Regional Associate Vice President for National University, the second largest private, non-profit university in California. He started as a lead campus administrator for the Redding Campus in Northern California. After successfully growing that campus, he relocated to Central California to lead campuses in Fresno, Bakersfield, and Porterville. With successful growth at those locations, he was promoted to Regional Associate Vice President, overseeing operations for ten regional campuses across a 44-county area in central and northern California, through onsite and online instruction. Dr. Hirning was born, raised, and educated in North Dakota. He holds a Ph.D. from Capella University, a Master's and Bachelor’s degree from Minot State University, and an Associate degree from Williston State College (formerly UND-Williston).  Read more here.

The Pittsburgh Theological Seminary has appointed the Rev. Dr. Asa J. Lee as its next president. Dr. Lee currently serves at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., as vice president for campus administration, associate dean for community life, and director of African American studies. He is a graduate of Hampton University (B.A. in music education magna cum laude), Wesley Theological Seminary (M.Div. cum laude), and Virginia Theological Seminary (D.Min. in educational leadership). Dr. Lee will assume his duties as president June 7, 2021.  Read more here.

Ramapo College of New Jersey has appointed Dr. Cindy R. Jebb, Ph.D. as its fifth President. Dr. Jebb, Dean of the Academic Board and Professor of Comparative Politics at the United States Military Academy at West Point, and Brigadier General of the United States Army, will join the College on July 6, 2021.  Dr. Jebb retires from the U.S. Army this summer with the rank of Brigadier General after 39 years of service to the nation. She earned a Ph.D. in Political Science from Duke University, a M.A. in Political Science from Duke, an M.A. in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College, and a B.S. from the United States Military Academy at West Point. Read more here.

The Board of Trustees of Misericordia University has appointed Daniel J. Myers, Ph.D., professor and acting chairperson of Sociology at American University in Washington, D.C., as the next president of Misericordia University.  Dr. Myers will begin his presidential term on July 1, 2021. Dr. Myers earned a B.A. in political science, an M.A. in higher education and student affairs from Ohio State University, before completing an M.A. and doctorate in sociology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Read more here.

The Board of Regents of the New York State Education Department has appointed Dr. Betty A. Rosa as permanent Commissioner of Education and President of the University of the State of New York. Dr. Rosa has served as Interim Commissioner since August 2020. A nationally recognized education leader, Dr. Rosa will be the first Latina woman to serve in the position. She has more than thirty years of instructional and administrative experience, with expertise in inclusive education, cooperative teaching models, student achievement, and policy implementation. She received Ed.D. and M.Ed. degrees in Administration, Planning and Social Policy from Harvard University. Read more here.