Holy Family University has successfully appointed Dr. Bindhu Alappat as their Vice President of Academic Affairs. Dr. Alappat begin her duties on August 1st. Dr. Alappat is a seasoned academic administrator with over 15 years of experience in Catholic higher education as both a professor and an administrator. She most recently served as the Dean of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Sciences at Saint Catherine University, Saint Paul, MN. She has a proven record of fostering academic excellence and developing students for meaningful lives and professional careers. Dr. Alappat is dedicated to delivering high-quality education that embodies the Catholic mission and ensures it guides strategic decisions and daily operations. Dr. Alappat earned her Ph.D. in Chemistry from the Indian Institute of Technology, in Madras, India, and her M.S. in Chemistry at Mahatma Gandhi University, in Kerala, India. She has undergraduate degrees in both chemistry and education. She did her post-doctoral research at the University of Notre Dame and the University of Maryland.
Dominican University New York has successfully appointed Manuel Martínez, Ph.D. as its sixth President, effective July 15, 2024. Dr. Martínez will be the first layperson to lead the University in its 72-year history; the previous presidents were all members of the Sisters of St. Dominic of Blauvelt. Currently, Dr. Martínez is the Vice President of Academic Affairs and the Dean of Faculty at Mercy College of Ohio. He spent the 18 years prior at Ohio Dominican University, working his way up from an Instructor of Spanish to Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Dean of Undergraduate Studies, and finally Vice President for Academic Affairs. He has extensive experience working on programs aimed at increasing enrollment. Martínez also understands the importance of balancing the benefits of a liberal arts education with workforce development. Dr. Martínez holds a number of advanced academic degrees including: a Ph.D. in Spanish and Latin American Literature from the University of Cincinnati; a Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from Ohio Dominican University; a Master of Arts in Spanish and Latin American Literature from the University of Cincinnati; and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Marketing from the University of Miami. Read more.
The University of Idaho has successfully appointed Mr. Kim Rytter, J.D. as their new General Counsel. Mr. Rytter has served as Interim General Counsel since October 2023. His permanent appointment to the position was effective June 1. As General Counsel, Mr. Rytter will lead the University of Idaho’s legal office as the university’s chief legal officer, while also filling the university’s chief compliance officer role. Mr. Rytter joined the University of Idaho in 2017 as Senior Associate General Counsel and then served as Deputy General Counsel before assuming the Interim General Counsel role. Prior, he served for six years as the Deputy General Counsel for the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety. His earlier roles include Assistant General Counsel for the Oklahoma Insurance Department, Assistant General Counsel with the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office, and attorney with the law firm of Elliott and Pederson. Mr. Rytter has a B.A. from Mississippi State University and a J.D. from South Texas College of Law.
Stony Brook University has successfully appointed Ms. Caitlin Derderian as their new Senior Director of Development, Stony Brook Medicine. Ms. Derderian started her duties on June 3rd. Ms. Derderian comes to Stony Brook from Emory University, where she has served as the Director of Regional Advancement since 2019. Prior to Emory, she served for 2 years at Mount Sinai Medical Center as Associate Director of Annual Programs & Children's Health. Ms. Derderian earned a B.A. in psychology from Providence College.
The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse has successfully appointed Ms. Stephanie Pope as the Vice Chancellor for Administration & Finance. Ms. Pope will begin her new role on July 29, 2024. Ms. Pope is a strategic-thinking finance professional with 23 years of college and university leadership experience. She currently serves as the Vice President of Finance and Facilities at Minnesota North College in Hibbing, Minnesota. As VP, Ms. Pope provided leadership, direction, and policy and procedure development and implementation college-wide and in the areas of direct report including finance, budget, business services, IT, facilities, safety and security, institutional research, and auxiliary services. Ms. Pope holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point as well as a Master’s in Business Administration from Edgewood College in Madison, Wisconsin. In 2023, she earned the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Outstanding Service Award. Read more.
Purdue University has successfully appointed Ms. Kay Parker as their new Controller. Ms. Parker will begin her duties with the University on June 17th. Ms. Parker worked in the Financial Office at Purdue as the Accounting Systems Manager and the Manager of Financial Reporting from 2005-2013. Since 2013, she has served as the Director of Internal Control at Indiana Packers Corporation and most recently as the Controller at Saab. Ms. Parker holds a BS in Accounting from Indiana University and an MBA from Purdue University.
The University of Wisconsin La Crosse has successfully appointed Ms. Stacy Narcotta-Welp as their next Vice Chancellor, Diversity and Inclusion. Ms. Narcotta-Welp transitioned into her new position on May 20th. Ms. Narcotta-Welp brings over twenty years of experience leading staff; engaging in diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) work; implementing grant funding; and designing and delivering programs with high impact practices across a wide range of settings. She is experienced in using best practices to assess constituent-specific, departmental, and institution- wide needs related to DEIB programming, holistic advising, leadership development, tutoring, and student services. Ms. Narcotta-Welp has proven her ability to create, align, implement, and assess strategic plans that address DEIB programming, student success, and retention goals in higher education. Ms. Narcotta-Welp earned her bachelor's in Anthropology from the University of Tulsa and her master's in Counseling, Rehabilitation, and Student Development from the University of Iowa.
Stony Brook University has successfully appointed Mr. Matthew Simons as their Director of Development, Metro NY. Mr. Simons will begin on May 22nd. Mr. Simons comes to Stony Brook from Northeastern University, where he has served as Associate Director of Leadership Giving since 2023. Prior to Northeastern, he served for 6 years at Boston College, first as Development Assistant, then Assistant Director of Annual Giving, and finally as Assistant Director of Leadership Giving. Mr. Simons earned an M.S. in Leadership and Administration from Boston College and a B.A. in History from College of the Holy Cross.
The University of Michigan-Flint has successfully appointed Dr. Laurence Alexander as their next Chancellor. Dr. Alexander will begin his new role on July 1, 2024. For the past 11 years, Dr. Alexander has served as Chancellor and CEO of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB), a premier public Minority Serving Institution (MSI) and land-grant Historically Black College/University (HBCU). As Chancellor, Alexander fostered excellence across the university through innovation, entrepreneurship, and student-centered approaches and outcomes. He also transformed UAPB from a Carnegie-classified Bachelor's University to a Master's University. In 2022, Dr. Alexander was appointed by President Joe Biden to serve as the Chair of the Board for International Food and Agricultural Development (BIFAD), an advisory committee to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) that was established to ensure that USAID brings the assets of U.S. universities to bear on development challenges in agriculture and food security and supports their representation in USAID programming. Alexander still holds this leadership title today. Dr. Alexander earned his Bachelor of Arts in Drama and Communications from the University of New Orleans. He also holds a Master of Arts in Journalism and Communications from the University of Florida and a Ph.D. in Higher Education from Florida State University. Read more.