Public Institution

Rosemary Costigan, Ph.D., R.N. has been appointed as the new President at Community College of Rhode Island. The Rhode Island Council on Postsecondary Education has announced the appointment of who has been serving as the Interim President since May 2023. Dr. Costigan is a distinguished higher education leader with over 25 years of experience in teaching, community college administration, and academic leadership, dedicated to fostering student success and institutional growth. Prior to her appointment as interim president, Dr. Costigan, a nurse by education and training, worked in Rhode Island’s postsecondary education ecosystem for decades at the nursing schools of CCRI and University of Rhode Island. She has progressively advanced from associate professor of nursing, to nursing department chairperson, to interim assistant dean of nursing, and as vice president of academic affairs. In addition to her postsecondary education experiences, she was a full-time nurse for 21 years at Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island. Dr. Costigan holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Nursing from Community College of Rhode Island, a B.S. in Nursing from Rhode Island College, and an A.S. in Nursing from Community College of Rhode Island. Read more.

Dr. Kris Winter has been appointed as the new Senior Vice President for Undergraduate Affairs at Utah State University. She will begin her new role on August 11, 2025. Dr. Winter has worked in higher education for over 20 years. She currently serves as Associate Vice President for Student Life at the University of Oregon (UO). She joined the University of Oregon in 2016 and has served in several roles at UO including Interim Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students. During her time at the UO, Kris has led countless efforts and programs to support the success, health, safety, and well-being of students. Kris has been engaged in supporting students at every juncture of their UO experience, from first enrollment through graduation. She has also shown commitment to improving employee experience by creating a transparent and affirming work culture. After receiving an undergraduate degree with honors in Educational Studies from the UO in 1998, Kris earned a M.Ed. in College Student Services Administration from Oregon State University in 2001, and her Ed.D. at Portland State University in Educational Leadership in 2022. Her dissertation analyzed the impacts of non-traditional admissions criteria on the admittance and retention of academically at-risk student populations. Kris has a passion for working with underrepresented student communities, crisis response, advocating for college student basic needs support, and removing systemic barriers that impede student success. Dr. Winter has also served as the co-chair of the university threat assessment team, as well as being an active member of the Incident Management Team and Demonstration & Protest Response Team. Kris is a member of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), the National Orientation Directors Association (NODA), and the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals (ATAP). Her previous professional experience includes student affairs work at Oregon State University for 13 years and Western Washington University for 2 years. Read more.

Dr. Carmen Bustos-Works has been appointed as the new Dean of the College of Science at California State University, East Bay. She will assume her new position on August 4, 2025. Dr. Bustos-Works currently serves as Associate Vice President of Academic Programs and Dean of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies at Cal Poly Humboldt, where she played a pivotal role in the institution's transition to a Polytechnic University, working with faculty and administration on the implementation and assessment of new programs, experiential learning opportunities, and place-based education models. She previously served as Associate Dean for the School of Science and Technology and Chair of the Chemistry Department at Sonoma State University. Dr. Bustos-Works earned a B.A. in Chemistry and a B.A. in Psychology from San Francisco State University. She earned her M.S. in Chemistry and her Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Dr. Keri O'Neal has been appointed as the new Dean of the College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences (CLASS) at California State University, East Bay. Dr. O'Neal has served as the Interim Dean of CLASS at Cal State East Bay since July of 2024. She previously served Cal State East Bay as Director of Faculty Development, where she designed and led faculty development programs and expanded department offerings through strategic partnerships across campus. Prior to that position, she served the university as Chair of the Department of Human Development and Women's Studies from 2014 through 2021, during which time she helped to increase departmental enrollment from 417 to 633. Dr. O'Neal earned her B.S. in Psychology from Northern Arizona University, her M.S. in Family Resources and Human Development from Arizona State University, and her Ph.D. in Human Development from Texas Tech University.

Mr. Val Martinez Garcia has been appointed as the new superintendent/president at College of the Desert. Mr. Martinez Garcia has served as the acting superintendent/president of College of the Desert (COD) since December of 2024. Since February of 2023, Mr. Martinez Garcia has served in two other roles at COD including vice president of student services and vice president of instruction. Prior to his time at COD, Mr. Martinez Garcia was the vice president of student services at West Hills College Lemoore in Lemoore, California. Mr. Martinez Garcia holds a bachelor's degree in sociology and a master's in school counseling from University of La Verne where he is also pursuing his doctorate degree in organizational leadership. Read more.

Mr. Moe Rahman has been appointed as the new Associate Vice President, Information Technology/Chief Information Officer at the Community College of Philadelphia. Mr. Rahman will officially assume his new role on May 19, 2025. Currently serving as Chief Information Officer at Rider University,  Mr. Rahman has consistently delivered transformative results by modernizing IT operations, strengthening cybersecurity and driving enterprise-wide initiatives. He has overseen institutional IT budgets, rebuilt IT teams to enhance agility and efficiency and led cost-saving measures that have saved institutions over $1 million. His leadership in IT governance, cloud migration (Azure/O365) and ERP modernization has helped institutions align technology strategy with academic and operational goals. Over the past decade, Mr. Rahman has held multiple leadership roles with Ellucian, partnering with colleges and universities to implement high-impact digital transformation strategies. His career includes key roles at Yeshiva University and Brookdale Community College, where he led the IT division through major system overhauls, consolidated infrastructure and implemented integrated SaaS and ERP solutions to streamline operations and reduce costs. Mr. Rahman holds a master's degree in Computer Science from NJIT and is PMP and ITIL certified. 

Dr. Steven Hardy has been appointed as the new Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration at The University of South Carolina Upstate. Dr. Hardy will officially assume his new role on June 1, 2025. Dr. Hardy joined Passaic County Community College in 2014 as vice president for finance and administration. Since 2016 he has been vice president for finance and administrative services, with responsibility for budgeting, procurement, regulatory compliance, and institutional planning. Prior to Passaic, Dr. Hardy served as assistant vice president for financial affairs and university controller at the University of Texas at San Antonio, where he was responsible for financial reporting of approximately $1.2 billion in assets. He oversaw accounting, payroll, grants, and disbursements. He also was vice president of administration and finance at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In that role, he directed financial operations, campus safety, strategic planning, and capital project financing, and successfully led the college through multiple clean audits and major compliance initiatives. Hardy holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Rowan University, a Master’s in Business Administration from Eastern Michigan University and a Bachelor of Administration from Eastern Michigan University. He is a certified treasury professional (CTP) and a graduate of the AGB Institute for Leadership & Governance in Higher Education. Read more.

Dr. Sonja Lenz-Rashid has been appointed as the founding Dean of the College of Health at California State University, East Bay. She will assume her new position on August 4, 2025. Dr. Lenz-Rashid currently serves as Director of the School of Social Work at San Francisco State University. With more than 20 years of experience in higher education, she brings a strong track record of leadership in both academic and student affairs, as well as a deep commitment to equity, student success, and community partnerships. At San Francisco State, Dr. Lenz-Rashid has led two large academic programs, supporting over 200 students and 40 faculty and staff. They have been the driving force behind launching new programs, advancing accreditation efforts, and securing significant external funding as a sole principal investigator for student success and research initiatives. Known for being a collaborative, strengths-based leader, Dr. Lenz-Rashid has worked closely across campus divisions and with public and nonprofit partners to expand access and improve student outcomes. Her background also includes extensive experience with faculty recruitment and mentoring, strategic planning, and managing complex budgets in a public university setting. She earned a B.S. in Business/Marketing and a Masters of Social Work, both from San Jose State University, and her Ph.D. in Social Welfare from the University of California, Berkeley.

Dr. Sean Lane has been appointed as the new Senior Vice President and Provost at Farmingdale State College. Dr. Lane will begin his new role June 16th, 2025. Dr. Lane joins FSC from the University of Alabama in Huntsville where he served as dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences since 2018. As dean, he revamped the college's recruitment, retention, and graduation efforts, led strategic planning, helped develop numerous new degree programs at both undergraduate and graduate levels, created new research support programs, engaged deeply with industry, and led significant fundraising activities. He also served concurrently as interim dean of the Honors College and acting associate provost for International Services, Academic Integrity, and dean of the Graduate School. Dr. Lane previously served as associate dean of The Graduate School at Louisiana State University, where he was also on the faculty and served as director of research in the Department of Psychology. Read more.

Mr. Qadim Ghani has been appointed as the new Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at The College of New Jersey. Mr. Ghani will begin his new role on June 16, 2025. Mr. Ghani currently serves as Vice President of Finance at Montgomery County Community College (PA). He is the principal advisor to the President and Board of Trustees on the fiscal health of the organization. His experience in higher education has included comprehensive oversight of financial operations, including managing a ~$300M balance sheet. He has extensive experience in managing critical areas such as human resources, enterprise risk management, facilities and grant administration. Prior to his time at Montgomery County Community College, Mr. Ghani served as the Chief Financial Officer and Senior Associate Dean at Rutgers Law School, and the Director of Finance at Villanova School of Engineering, and in several positions at Drexel.  In these various roles he has managed teams in budget planning and analysis, HR, grant development and administration, procurement/disbursements, payroll, accounting, facilities and events, contract management and compliance, administrative support, and general business services. Mr. Ghani holds a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Criminal Justice and a double minor in English and Political Science. He also holds a Master of Science in Human Resource Development with a concentration in Business Administration. He is currently completing an Executive MBA with a specialization in Applied Investment Management. Read more.