President/Chancellors

Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology selected Mr. Pedro A. Rivera as the institution's 10th President and assumed the role beginning October 1, 2020. Prior to his appointment, Rivera served as Pennsylvania Secretary of Education.

Blackburn College has announced that Dr. Mark Biermann has been named as its next President. Dr. Biermann will assume office on August 15, 2020.  Dr. Biermann has spent his entire professional career in higher education, holding a range of positions at a number of different colleges and universities. Biermann currently serves as Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at Valparaiso University in Indiana. Dr. Biermann earned a Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Ph.D. in Optics from the University of Rochester. Read more here.

Prince George’s Community College has announced the selection of Dr. Falecia D. Williams as the College’s ninth president. Dr. Williams assumed her role prior to the start of the fall semester in August 2020.

Harris-Stowe State University (HSSU) has selected St. Louis native, Dr. Corey S. Bradford, Sr. as HSSU’s 20th president, effective May 4.  Dr. Bradford has worked in higher education for more than 26 years and currently serves as Senior Vice President for Business Affairs at Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU). Prior to his current position, he served for 16 years within the Southern Illinois University System in various leadership positions. Dr. Bradford earned a Ph.D. in higher education administration from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale; a Harvard Institute for Management Development Educational Certificate from Harvard University; and master’s and bachelor’s degrees in mathematics from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville. Read more here.

Mount Aloysius College has appointed Mr. John N. McKeegan, J.D. to serve as the College’s 15th president. Mr. McKeegan is Vice President for Institutional Advancement and General Counsel at Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon, and has held leadership positions there since 2010. Mr. McKeegan will begin his presidency on June 1, 2020. Read more here.

The Johnson County Community College Board of Trustees unanimously approved the appointment of Dr. Andrew W. Bowne as the college's new President. Dr. Bowne currently serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Ivy Tech Community College. Read more here.

Mount Mercy University’s Board of Trustees has appointed Dr. Robert (Bob) Beatty to serve as its 10th president, effective July 1, 2020.  Dr. Beatty has served as the dean of the Soules College of Business and F.M. and Fannie Burke Professor at the University of Texas at Tyler, the dean of the Lutgert College of Business at Florida Gulf Coast University, the dean of the Rohrer College of Business at Rowan University, and the dean of the School of Business at Whitworth University. He was a member of the faculty at Northern Illinois University, Texas Christian University, Miami University, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Dr. Beatty began his professional career as an officer in the United States Air Force. Dr. Beatty earned a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science from Texas Christian University, a Master of Computer Science Management from Creighton University, and a Master of Business Administration and Doctor of Business Administration from Mississippi State University. He is a graduate of the Institute for Management and Leadership in Education Program at Harvard University.  Read more here.

Milliken University has announced the appointment of Dr. James M. Reynolds as its 16th president, effective July 1, 2020. Dr. Reynolds currently serves as President of Wilmington College in Wilmington, Ohio, a position he's held since 2012. Prior to Wilmington College, Dr. Reynolds served as the academic vice president at Midland Lutheran College in Fremont, Nebraska. Previously, he held various teaching and administrative positions at Drake University, including Associate Dean and Interim Dean of the College of Pharmacy. Dr. Reynolds earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Drake University and a Master of Arts in Zoology from DePauw University. His Ph.D. in Biology is from Illinois State University. For more information click here.

Nazareth College in Rochester, NY, has named Dr. Elizabeth Paul as its 10th President. She was welcomed to the Nazareth community by the outgoing president Dr. Daan Braveman. Dr. Paul has served as the 16th president of Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, and previously spent seven years as the senior academic officer at Stetson University in Central Florida. Dr. Paul holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a doctorate in personality psychology, both from Boston University. She did a pre-doctoral training fellowship with the National Institute of Mental Health, and earned a certificate in higher education administration from Harvard Institute for Educational Management. Read more here.

The Illinois Board of Higher Education has named veteran education administrator, Ms. Ginger Ostro, as its new Executive Director. Ms. Ostro brings deep experience in Illinois education to the role, most recently serving as Interim Chief Financial Officer and Vice President for Financial Operations at Chicago State University. Earlier in her career, she served as Deputy Executive Director at the Illinois Student Assistance Commission and as Director of the Office of Budget Planning at Governors State University. Read more here.