President/Chancellors

The College of St. Scholastica has named Dr. Barbara McDonald as its 13th president. Since 2015, Dr. McDonald has been the president of North Hennepin Community College in the Twin Cities suburb of Brooklyn Park. Previously, she was interim president of Minnesota West Technical and Community College. Dr. McDonald earned a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Colorado Boulder, a master's degree in teaching English as a foreign language from American University in Cairo (Egypt) and a Doctor of Education degree from the University of Minnesota. She will formally step into her new role on August 5th, 2019.  Read more here.

The Board of Trustees of the College of DuPage (COD) has appointed interim President, Dr. Brian Caputo, to serve as its 7th President.  Dr. Caputo officially becomes permanent president on July 1. Caputo previously served as the college's Vice President of Administrative Affairs and Treasurer. Prior to coming to COD, Dr. Caputo spent 19 years as Aurora’s chief financial officer and city treasurer. He earned his B.A. from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, his baster's from DePaul University, and a master’s and doctorate in public administration from Northern Illinois University. Read more here.

Helena College has announced the appointment of Dr. Laura Vosejpka as its new CEO/Dean. Dr. Vosejpka currently serves as the founding Dean of the College of Sciences and Liberal Arts at Kettering University in Flint, Michigan. Dr. Vosejpka has a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a BA in Chemistry and English from The Ohio State University. Read more here.

The National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) has announced its selection of Dr. Lori Williams, a 25-year veteran of online higher education, as president and CEO. Dr. Williams brings to the role a rich background in instructional design and student support for online institutions and most recently served in a quality assurance role as an accreditor of higher education institutions.  Most recently, Dr. Williams served as Vice President of the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), an accrediting body overseeing institutions in California, Hawaii and the Pacific.  Read more here. 

Thomas More University’s Board of Trustees has elected Joseph L. Chillo, LP.D. as the University’s 15th president. Dr. Chillo, who begins at TMU on June 1, has served as the president of Newbury College in Brookline, Massachusetts, since 2014.  He is also a professor of humanities and has taught first-year seminar and courses in American History. A first-generation college graduate, he earned his bachelor’s degree at Binghamton University, a Master of Public Administration at Long Island University, and a Doctor of Law and Policy at Northeastern University. Read more here.

Bethune-Cookman University has announced the appointment of Dr. E. La Brent Chrite as its next President. He will take office effective July 1, 2019. Dr. Chrite will be stepping down as dean at the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business in June. He previously served as dean at Montclair State University in New Jersey, and has held leadership positions at the University of Arizona-Tucson and the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. Dr. Chrite is a native of Detroit, Michigan and completed his undergraduate work at Michigan State University, earned an M.S. from the University of Missouri-Columbia and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.  Read more here.

The Montana Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education has announced the appointment of Dr. Les Cook as Montana Technological University's 12th Chancellor. Dr. Cook will begin his role as chancellor on July 1, 2019, succeeding Don Blackketter who is retiring after serving as the university’s chancellor since 2011.  Dr. Cook currently serves as Vice President for Strategic University Partnerships at Michigan Technological University. Read more here.

Florida State College at Jacksonville’s District Board of Trustees unanimously selected Dr. John Avendano, from Kankakee, Illinois, to serve as the sixth president of FSCJ.

Dr. Catherine Koverola, inaugural provost and senior adviser at the African Leadership University in Mauritius, Africa, has been named president of the University of Pittsburgh's Bradford and Titusville campuses, effective June 1, 2019. Over the past two decades, Dr. Koverola has held leadership positions at large and small institutions in both urban and rural locations. Dr. Koverola earned her doctorate in clinical psychology and a Master of Arts in theology from Fuller Theological Seminary. She also holds a Master of Arts in clinical child psychology from the University of Western Ontario and a Bachelor of Science in biology from the University of British Columbia. Read more here.

Barry University in Miami Shores, FL, has announced the appointment of Dr. Mike Allen as its new president. Dr. Allen will become the first man and lay person to lead Barry University since its founding in 1940. He succeeds Sister Linda Bevilacqua, OP, Ph.D., who has served as Barry’s president since 2004 and will become President Emerita effective July 1.  Dr. Allen is the current Vice President of Student Affairs at Catholic University where he also served for eight years as the associate vice president and director of athletics at Catholic University.  Dr. Allen earned a Bachelor of Arts from Trinity College and a Master of Arts and Ph.D. from the School of Education at the University of Connecticut. Read more here.