President/Chancellors

Dr. Jason Lane has been appointed as the first President of the National Association of System Heads (NASH). Dr. Lane is an accomplished leader, widely-read author, and award-winning scholar with more than ten books on higher education. He has a long history with NASH, having developed its System Leadership Academy, directed the Systems Center, and co-led Taking Student Success to Scale (TS3). As a Senior Fellow, he helped guide NASH through the pandemic and launch the Big Rethink, a year-long strategic planning process to guide the future of NASH. He currently serves as Dean of the College of Education, Health, and Society at Miami University. Dr. Lane has also served as Vice Provost & Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for The State University of New York system (SUNY). Dr. Lane will begin in his new role on January 2nd, 2024. Read more here.

The Tennessee Higher Education Commission has appointed Dr. Steven Gentile as the agency's new Executive Director. Dr. Gentile has held numerous roles at THEC, ranging from Assistant Director of Fiscal Policy to the Chief Policy and Strategy Officer. He was most recently appointed Interim Executive Director in September 2023. Before joining THEC, Dr. Gentile served as the Assistant Dean of Admission and Financial Aid at his alma mater, Davidson College, in North Carolina. He received his Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership and Policy and M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration from Vanderbilt University, and his B.A. in Economics from Davidson College. He is an alumnus of Leadership Tennessee NEXT, Nashville Emerging Leaders, and the Tennessee Higher Education Innovation and Leadership Fellows program. Read more here.

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has successfully appointed Ms. Luanne Mayorga as the Assistant Chancellor for Strategic Programs and Partnerships. Ms. Mayorga is currently the Director of Employee Development at McHenry County College and has previous experience as Chief Engagement Officer at Anderson Humane, and Executive Director in the Division of Outreach, Engagement, and Regional Development at Northern Illinois University. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at Dominican University, an M.B.A. in Marketing at Benedictine University, and an Ed.D. in Adult and Higher Education at Northern Illinois University. 

The California State University System has successfully appointed Dr. Mandara Savage as Assistant Vice Chancellor for Professional and Continuing Education (PaCE) effective Monday, October 2, 2023. Dr. Savage will work with the CSU’s 23 universities to advance a shared vision and strategic plan for PaCE to deliver creative, diverse and high-quality, fully online and hybrid programs. He will serve as a key leadership partner with the CSU’s Commission on Continuing and Professional Education (CPaCE) and external workforce development groups, and ensure greater integration of PaCE programs in advancing the CSU’s student success and equity goals. Dr. Savage holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Technology, Electronics, from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff; a master’s degree in Technical Education, Manufacturing Engineering Technology from Memphis State University; and a Ph.D. in Industrial Education and Technology from Iowa State University. Named a Provost Faculty Fellow among other honors, he is a prolific author and presenter, has served on numerous university committees and has mentored several graduate students.

The Kentucky Community & Technical College System Board of Regents has selected Dr. Ryan Quarles as the System's fourth President. A native son and former community college student, Dr. Quarles currently serves as Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture. First elected in 2016 to the statewide office, he leads the commonwealth's second largest constitutional executive branch agency. From 2011 to 2016, Quarles served as a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives. As a college student, he was appointed by then Governor Fletcher as the student representative to the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, the state's higher education coordinating agency. In that role, he was immersed in the key issues of campuses and the state-level operations of higher education. Earlier work experience includes serving as associate general counsel at Georgetown College and in private practice. Quarles holds seven college degrees, including a doctorate in higher education administration from Vanderbilt University, a master's degree in higher education from Harvard University, and a juris doctorate from the University of Kentucky College of Law. Read more.

University of Wisconsin-Parkside has successfully appointed Dr. Lynn Akey as Chancellor. Dr. Akey currently serves as the Vice President for Student Success, Analytics and Integrated Planning at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Akey will assume her new leadership role at UW-Parkside on January 2, 2024. In her current role as Vice President, Akey provided vision and direction for a comprehensive integrated program of student success services and activities to drive improvement of student success outcomes. She was responsible for departments of Student Success, Registration and Academic Records, University Advising, and Institutional Analytics and Strategic Effectiveness with 67 employees across four collective bargaining units and a $5.5M operating budget. Dr. Akey has led strategic planning at the University for the past ten years and generated extensive engagement and participation with over 150 campus faculty, staff, and students, shared governance bodies, advisory boards, foundation board, and community leaders. Dr. Akey holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Northeast Missouri State University/Truman State University and a Master of Arts in College Student Personnel from Bowling Green State University. Akey also earned her Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development from the University of Minnesota. Read more.

The California State University has appointed Paul Gannoe as the new Associate Vice Chancellor for Capital Planning, Design and Construction (CPDC). Mr. Gannoe currently serves as the Chief of Planning and Design within the CPDC department at the Chancellor’s Office. Prior to his current role, he served as the Associate Vice President for Facilities Services and Capital Planning for Eastern Kentucky University, and Deputy Commissioner for Kentucky’s Department for Facilities and Support Services. Mr. Gannoe will be replacing Vi San Juan who is retiring after 42 years of service to CSU.

The Seattle Colleges Board of Trustees has selected Dr. Rosie Rimando-Chareunsap as the District's Chancellor. Dr. Rimando-Chareunsap has dedicated much of her career to Seattle Colleges. She stepped in as Acting Chancellor in July 2022 while maintaining her role as President of South Seattle College. She previously served as Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for the Seattle Colleges District, and she has held other important roles across the system for more than 20 years. Dr. Rimando-Chareunsap was recognized as a rising star in 2019 by the  Aspen Institute, which selected her for its prestigious Presidential Fellows Program. She holds a B.A. in English and Ethnic Studies from Washington State University, a Master of Public Administration from the University of Washington, and a Doctorate of Education from Washington State University. Her permanent role as Chancellor becomes official on August 3, 2023. Read more.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has appointed Dr. Rodney D. Bennett as Chancellor beginning July 1, 2023. Dr. Bennett most recently served as President of the University of Southern Mississippi, a comprehensive public research institution that enrolls 14,000 students across multiple campuses. As President from 2013 to 2022, Dr. Bennett brought Southern Miss into the top tier of research institutions, delivered improved student outcomes, invested in faculty and high-growth academic programs, and stabilized the budget through fiscally conservative management. Prior to his role at Southern Miss, Dr. Bennett held various leadership roles at the University of Georgia, Winthrop University and his alma mater, Middle Tennessee State University. Dr. Bennett holds a Doctor of Education in Educational Administration from Tennessee State University in Nashville and specialist, master’s, and bachelor’s degrees from Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. Read more.

The City Colleges of Chicago has appointed Dr. Katonja Webb-Walker as President of Kennedy-King College. She has served in the role in an interim capacity since July 2022. Previously, Dr. Webb-Walker was Senior Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs at Malcolm X College. She also earlier served as a Kennedy-King College administrator from 2009 to 2012, including roles as Interim Vice President and Dean of Continuing Education. Dr. Webb-Walker earned an Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration from Northeastern University, an M.Ed. in Policy, Planning, and Administration from Boston University, and an A.B. in Psychology from Harvard University.