Public Institution

Dr. J. Luke Wood has been appointed as the new president of California State University, Sacramento. He will begin his role on July 16, 2023. Dr. Wood joined San Diego State University (SDSU)  in 2011 as a professor and in 2012 was named co-director of the Community College Equity Assessment Lab, a research and practice center focused on reducing equity gaps between students of color and their peers. In 2017, he became the first Black faculty member to be named Distinguished Professor.  He has served as SDSU’s chief diversity officer since 2018 and as vice president for Student Affairs and Campus Diversity since 2020. In 2023, Dr. Wood was appointed by the California State Senate to serve on the newly established California Racial Equity Commission. Dr. Wood earned his bachelor's and master's degree from Sacramento State, and also holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. from Arizona State University.  Read more here.

Dr. Stephen Perez has been appointed as the new president of California State University, Chico (Chico State). He will begin his role on July 1, 2023. Dr. Perez has spent most of his 30-year career in higher education with the CSU system, having served in academic and administrative roles at Sacramento State, including professor, department chair, interim dean, vice provost, and provost. In January 2022, Perez was appointed interim president at San José State. Dr. Perez has served as Chico State’s interim provost since January 2023, during which time he has led the university’s enrollment continuum effort and helped close a $20 million budget gap. Dr. Perez received his bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of California, San Diego and his master’s and doctorate in economics from the University of California, Davis. Read more here.

Foothill-De Anza Community College District has appointed Mr. Lee Lambert, J.D. as its new Chancellor. He will begin his new role on August 1, 2023. Mr. Lambert has more than two decades of experience in community colleges at the senior executive level and has led Pima Community College since 2013. Prior to that post, Mr. Lambert served nearly eight years as the president of Shoreline Community College (WA), helping to restore the college’s financial stability and turning the college into a national leader in offering 100 percent online degrees and certificates in business and health care programs. Mr. Lambert holds a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from The Evergreen State College and a juris doctor from Seattle University. Read more here.

The University of Houston has appointed Mr. Timothy Council as their next Associate Vice Provost for Enrollment Services. He comes to the University with over fifteen years of experience in enrollment services across multiple institutions of higher education. Most recently, he served as an Assistant Vice President and administrative Dean at Claremont Graduate University (CA).  Prior to that, he worked for the University of San Diego, in the areas of admissions, recruitment and financial aid at both their Law School and their School of Leadership and Education Sciences (SOLES). Mr. Council received a Master of Education in Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs from University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science coupled with a Nonprofit Management Certification from the University of San Diego.

The West Liberty University Board of Governors has named Dr. Tim Borchers as the university’s 38th president effective July 1, 2023. Dr. Borchers currently serves as Vice President for Academic Affairs at Peru State College and brings over 18 years of higher education administrative experience to the Presidency at West Liberty. Prior to his current position, Borchers served as the Dean of the College of Arts, Media, and Communication at Minnesota State University Moorhead. He holds a Ph.D. and MA in Communication from Wayne State University, and a BA in Speech Communication from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Read more here.

University of Minnesota Morris has appointed Dr. Janet Schrunk Ericksen as Chancellor as of May 15, 2023. Dr. Ericksen has been serving as the acting Chancellor of the Morris campus since July 2021 and brings deep experience and impressive accomplishments across her career and a passion for, UMN Morris and the Morris community. A professor of English, her tenure with UMN Morris spans over 20 years. She previously served as Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs and Dean, and was responsible for college academic and administrative leadership, including the Education, Humanities, Math and Science, and Social Sciences academic divisions. She holds an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a B.A. in English and Art History from the University of Kansas. Read more here.

The University of Wisconsin Parkside has appointed Ms. Jacklyn Haas as its new Assistant Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Services and Admissions Director. Ms. Haas joins the University of Wisconsin Parkside with 15+ years of experience in higher education. Most recently, she served as the Associate Director of Admissions (2014-18) and Director of Admissions (2018-2023) at Salem State University in Salem, MA. She earned her B.A. in Social Studies Education from Ithaca College (NY) and her Master of Education in Higher Education Administration with a graduate certificate in Leadership from Northeastern University in Massachusetts. She will be starting her duties in June, 2023.  Read more here.

Seminole State College of Florida has appointed Dr. Loretta Ovueraye as its new Vice President for Academic Affairs. Dr. Ovueraye currently serves as the Vice Provost for Workforce Programs and Professional Learning at Miami Dade College. Prior to her role as Vice Provost, Ovueraye served as Dean of Faculty at Miami Dade. Dr. Ovueraye served Miami Dade as the lead for the State of Florida Committee for Workforce Education (CWE), as well as a guided pathways coach for the Achieving the Dream network and Florida Success center. Dr. Ovueraye holds a B.S. in Microbiology from Edo State University (Nigeria), a Master’s degree in Environmental Science from the University of London (UK) and earned her Ed. D. in Higher Education Administration from Northeastern University.

Dr. Timothy O'Keefe has been appointed as the new dean of the Beacom School of Business at the University of South Dakota. He will assume his position June 22, 2023. Dr. O'Keefe is a seasoned leader with over 40 years of experience in higher education. As the former dean of the College of Business and Economics at Longwood University, Dr. O'Keefe initiated and led efforts to increase enrollment in the MBA program. Prior to that, he held various academic and administrative positions at the University of North Dakota. Dr. O'Keefe led both Longwood University and UND through accreditation processes with the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the highest standard of achievement for business schools worldwide. Dr. O'Keefe earned his Ph.D. in Computer Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis in 1996 from the University of Arkansas College of Business, where he was also an AACSB National Doctoral Fellow. He earned his MBA from Moorhead State University in 1985 and his Bachelor of Arts in business administration from Mayville State University in 1981. Read more here.

Texas Southern University has announced the appointment of Dr. Carl Goodman as its new Provost and Senior Vice President. Since 2020, Dr. Goodman has served as the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Bowie State University (BSU). Prior to that, Dr. Goodman served as associate provost for academic affairs and student services at Florida A&M University (FAMU) and enjoyed a distinguished career in leadership roles within FAMU’s flagship program, the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences where he restructured a vibrant graduate program and developed a new Bachelor of Science program in the pharmaceutical sciences. He also brings a strong track record in securing grants. Dr. Goodman holds a Ph.D. in pharmacology/toxicology from Florida A&M University and a B.S. in biology and psychology from Jacksonville University. He was a postdoctoral NIH fellow at the National Institute of Drug Abuse. Read more here.