President/Chancellors

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.

The Board of Trustees of Tougaloo College has announced the selection of Dr. Carmen J. Walters as the 14th President of the historic institution.

Missouri Western State University has announced the appointment of Matthew Wilson, J.D., as its fifth President.  Mr. Wilson is a former president and current faculty member in the School of Law at the University of Akron. While president, Mr. Wilson helped lead the University of Akron to a remarkable two-year budgetary turnaround, eliminating a projected $30 million deficit in 2016-2017 and adding $12 million to reserves. Wilson also participated in fundraising efforts that saw a substantial increase in donations including a $20 million Making a Difference Moving Forward student scholarship campaign and the largest single gift in university history.  Read more here.

The Christian Theological Seminary has announced that Rev. Dr. David M. Mellott will serve as its seventh president. His tenure will officially begin on July 1, 2019. Since 2011, Dr. Mellott has served as Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dean, and Professor of Theological Formation at Lancaster Theological Seminary in Lancaster, PA. An ordained minister with the United Church of Christ, Dr. Mellott provides an especially unique perspective for the ecumenical Indianapolis campus; he grew up with roots in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and was previously ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 1982. Read more here.