Public Institution

The University of Pittsburgh has successfully appointed Mr. Phil Bakken as their new Secretary of the Board of Trustees effective June 28, 2024. Mr. Bakken served as the chief of staff to the president and corporation secretary to the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska System. As secretary, Mr. Bakken will advise and facilitate the work of the board in exercising its duties of oversight of University affairs and promotion of its charitable, scientific and educational purposes. At the University of Nebraska System, Mr. Bakken held roles of increasing responsibility including president of the University Technology Development Corporation, interim assistant vice president for budget, special assistant to the president and industry relations coordinator. The industry relations coordinator role earned him the Vice Chancellor’s Award for Invaluable Service at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Mr. Bakken has a bachelor’s degree in economics and a Master of Business Administration, both from Nebraska Wesleyan University, which recognized him with a Young Alumni Achievement Award in 2022. Read more.

Bowie State University has successfully appointed Ms. Sabrina Ram as their new Vice President for Marketing and Communications effective July 8, 2024. Ms.Ram has managed communications and marketing efforts for major organizations such as AT&T, Walden University, Drexel University Online, 2U, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and Arcadia University. She’s also led communications and marketing efforts for a variety of clients, including the University of Southern California, New York University, Northwestern University, the University of Liverpool, Villanova University, Simmons College, and the School District of Philadelphia. Working in-house and in agency settings, Ms. Ram has cultivated strong relationships with digital influencers and media across international, national, niche, and local markets. In these roles, she has also built or refreshed brand identities, shaped narratives and reputations, created integrated and transparent internal communications strategies, and focused on developing and amplifying diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Ms. Ram has a bachelor’s degree in Corporate Communications and Public Relations from Drexel University and a master’s degree in Public Relations & Corporate Communications from Georgetown University. She has also completed two executive leadership programs at Cornell University.

Bowie State University has successfully appointed Mr. Manish Kumar as their new Vice President for Administration and Finance effective April 1, 2024. Mr. Kumar comes to Bowie State from Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) where he served as Vice President for Finance and Administration for nearly five years. There he provided strategic direction and leadership for campus financial and administrative services. Prior to his work at NEIU, Mr. Kumar was the Chief Financial Officer for the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Along with his role as the CFO for the UNC-A&S Foundations, he managed funds totaling more than $1.6 billion. He also oversaw all financial and budgetary matters, including operations and compliance along with the support of new program development through forecasts, budgets and accreditation compliance. Mr. Kumar served as the CFO and Head of HR and Administration at Rutgers Business School. From 2011 to 2015, he served as Director of Strategic Initiatives for the College of Art and Architecture at the University of Idaho. He has significant private sector experience where he has worked with fortune 20 companies such as American Express, AAA insurance and State Street Global Advisors in various leadership capacities. Mr. Kumar holds an MBA from Northeastern University (Boston) He is working toward a Ph.D. in Supply Chain Management at the University of Greenwich (London, U.K.) and currently holds an ABD status.

Waubonsee Community College has successfully appointed Dr. Toya Webb as their new Chief of Staff and Vice President of Strategy, effective April 1, 2024. Dr. Webb has spent the past 12 years working in various capacities at Elgin Community College, ultimately advancing to the role of Chief Marketing, Communications, and Government Relations Officer in 2022. Dr. Webb also has experience as an adjunct faculty member, is a Peer Reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission, and sits on the Board of Directors for the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations. Dr. Webb holds an AA from Jefferson Community College, a BA in Journalism and Sociology from the University of Hawaii-Manoa, an MS in Integrated Marketing Communications from Roosevelt University and an Ed.D. in Higher Education and Organizational Change from Benedictine University. Read more. 

San Francisco State University has successfully appointed Ms. Soo Kim as their next Senior Director of Development for the College of Liberal and Creative Arts. Ms. Kim will start on March 25, 2024. Ms. Kim currently serves as the Assistant Director of Fund Development and Communications at Swords to Plowshares. For the past 12 years, she has also run a successful fundraising consulting business through which she conducts program evaluations, alumni engagement analyses, and donor prospect research, along with assisting nonprofits with strategic planning, leadership transition mapping, grant writing, and development of fundraising opportunities. Earlier in her career, she served as the Assistant Curator of Japanese Art at the San Francisco Asian Art Museum. Ms. Kim, a Ph.D. Candidate in Art History at University of California, Berkeley, earned her B.A. in Asian Studies at Pomona College, her M.A. in Art History from University of California, Berkeley, and her Master of Nonprofit Administration at the University of San Francisco.

The University of Alaska Anchorage has successfully appointed Mr. Ryan McDaniel as their new Chief Information Officer. Mr. McDaniel currently serves as the Executive Director (Associate Vice President) for Secure Identity Services. As AVP, McDaniel leads a cross-functional technical team in the strategic planning, development, and implementation of a broad range of secure IT services. McDaniel also effectively mentors and leads a team of directors, managers, service owners, and project managers and serves as a member of the Senior Leadership Team for the Division of IT. Prior to Secure Identity Services, McDaniel served as the Assistant Director for Identity and Access Management at the University of Colorado. At CU, he led a diverse functional, technical, and security administrator team in the strategy, development, and implementation of a broad range of Identity and Access Management services and applications for the Office of the University President. McDaniel acted as program and portfolio owner for Identity and Access Management services and applications including Identity Governance, Authentication, ERP and API Authorization, Provisioning Services, Directory Services, and personal identity data for internal staff and affiliates. Mr. McDaniel holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theology and Intercultural Studies from William Jessup University. McDaniel also holds an M.A. in History from San Jose State University and an M.S. in Information Systems from the University of Colorado – Denver. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Planning, Governance, and Globalization at Virginia Tech and a Ph.D. candidate in International Relations at Khazar University. Read more.

The University of Utah has successfully appointed Dr. Charles Musgrave as their next Dean of the John & Marcia Price College of Engineering. Dr. Musgrave will begin on July 1st. Dr. Musgrave currently serves as Chair of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Colorado, with a joint appointment at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. He earlier served as Associate Chair and Director of the Graduate Program of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and, most recently, as Associate Dean for Graduate Education for the College of Engineering and Applied Science. He is a fellow of the Materials Science and Engineering Program and Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute at the University of Colorado. Before his nearly 16 years in Colorado, Musgrave served as an assistant professor of chemical engineering at Stanford University, and as a visiting professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Harvard University. He has collaborated with Intel Corporation, SC Solutions Corporation, General Motors Corporation, and Xerox Corporation, among many others. Along with his notable achievements, Musgrave brings a unique perspective to his leadership role as a first-generation student and son of an immigrant. Dr. Musgrave earned his B.S. in materials science and engineering at the University of California Berkeley. Both his M.S. and Ph.D. in materials science were earned at California Institute of Technology. Read more.

Stony Brook University has successfully appointed Ms. Joan McCormick as their new Director of Development, School of Communication and Journalism/Academic Affairs. Ms. McCormick started her new role on February 19th. Ms. McCormick comes to Stony Brook from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY, where she served as Executive Director of Development from 2019 to 2023.  Prior to CUNY, she was Vice President and Major Gift Officer for the East at the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (2019) and Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Pratt Institute (2016-2018). Ms. McCormick earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism at Rutger's University and her Master of Public Administration from Kean University. Read more.

The Rhode Island Council on Postsecondary Education has announced the appointment of Dr. Jack R. Warner as the 11th President of Rhode Island College. Dr. Warner has been serving as Interim President of RIC since April 2022. Dr. Warner, a Rhode Island native, was the commissioner of the Rhode Island Office of Higher Education from 2002 to 2009, and then served as the Executive Director and CEO of the South Dakota Board of Regents before returning to Rhode Island. He was also an Associate Professor at Johnson & Wales University’s Educational Leadership Doctoral Program from 2015 to 2022. Dr. Warner holds an Ed.D. in Education Administration from Boston College, a Master of Education in Guidance and Psychological Services / Student Affairs Administration from Springfield College, and a BA in Psychology from the University of Vermont. Read more.

Santa Fe College has successfully appointed Dr. J. Nathaniel Southerland as their new Provost. Dr. Southerland has served in multiple leadership roles in higher education, including four and a half years as Provost at Coconino Community College in Flagstaff, Arizona, which followed five years as Associate Provost during his nine-year career in academic leadership at Salt Lake Community College in Salt Lake City, Utah. He has led efforts in developing academic master plans and has launched multiple innovative academic programs. He understands that robust Liberal Arts and Career and Technical programs are vital to a well-rounded college experience, promotes the importance of dual enrollment programs to support a college-going culture, and has 20 years of teaching experience, including nearly a decade of experience as an adjunct in both community college and university settings. Most recently, Dr. Southerland served St. Johns River State College as Assistant Vice President for Workforce Development. Read more.