Independent Institution

William Jewell College has appointed Dr. Daniel Jasper as its new Vice President for Academic Affairs. Dr. Jasper currently serves as the Associate Provost and Dean, College of Arts and Sciences at Moravian University (formerly known as Moravian College). Dr. Jasper’s career at Moravian spans nearly 20 years with positions of increasing academic leadership and responsibility. His prior positions include Dean of the School of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Department Chair of Sociology and Anthropology, and Professor of Sociology. He holds a Ph.D. and M.A. from the New School for Social Research.

Baylor University has appointed Mr. David Cortes as the new Associate Vice President of Development. Mr. Cortes has been a member of the Advancement Office since March 2013 when he joined Baylor as the Director of Development.  He has continually progressed through the organization, having most recently served as the Assistant Vice President of Development and Foundation Relations. David Cortes is a 2004 graduate of Baylor University and received his degree in Business Administration/Entrepreneurship.

Elon University has appointed Dr. Rebecca Kohn as its new Provost. Dr. Kohn currently serves as the Dean of Arts and Sciences and Senior Vice Provost at Arcadia University. An accomplished scholar and researcher in the field of biology, Dr. Kohn brings more than 20 years of academic and administrative leadershipto her new role. She joined the faculty at Arcadia in 2017 as dean of the university’s College of Arts and Sciences and was named interim provost and special assistant to the president the following year. She became vice provost for academic planning and faculty affairs in 2019 and then took on the role of senior vice provost earlier this year, while continuing to serve as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Kohn holds a doctorate in biology from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Dartmouth College. Dr. Kohn will assume her new position in January 2023.  Read more here.

Princeton Theological Seminary has appointed Rev. Dr. Jonathan Lee Walton as its eighth President. Dr. Walton comes to Princeton Seminary from Wake Forest University’s School of Divinity in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where he has served as the dean since 2019 and holds the Presidential Chair in Religion and Society. Prior to joining Wake Forest University, he served on the faculty at Harvard Divinity School and was the Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and the Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church of Harvard University. Dr. Walton is trained as a social ethicist whose scholarship focuses on the intersection of evangelical Christianity, mass media, and political culture. He is the author of two books and has published widely across various academic journals, books, magazines, and newspapers. His insights have been featured in the New York Times, CNN, Time Magazine, and PBS. Dr. Walton earned his PhD in 2006 and his MDiv in 2002 from Princeton Seminary, and his bachelor’s degree in political science from Morehouse College in 1996. He is an ordained Baptist minister and a gifted preacher who has continued to serve both his alma maters. He is a member of the Humanities Advancement Council at Morehouse College and has served on the Board of Trustees at Princeton Seminary. Read more here.

Spring Hill College has selected Mary H. Van Brunt, PhD, as its 39th President. As the College prepares to celebrate its 200-year legacy, Dr. Van Brunt makes history as the first woman to serve as president of the college.

Mr. Ray Kliewer, M.Ed. has been appointed as Gonzaga University’s inaugural Vice President for Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer. Mr. Kliewer previously served as the Senior Director of Human Resources for the School of Medicine at Indiana University.

Dr. Senthil Kumar has been appointed as the new vice president for strategic enrollment management at Regis University, effective September 26, 2022. Dr. Kumar was most recently vice president for strategic enrollment management at Saint Leo University and has more than 20 years of higher education experience and a proven track record in strategic enrollment planning and global engagement. At Regis, he will oversee recruitment, admissions and financial aid. Read more here.

Ms. Ruth Philo has been appointed as the next Director of Internal Audit for Yale University. Since 2015, Ms. Philo has served as the Chief Audit Executive, Audit and Advisory Services for Rutgers University. Prior to that, she worked at Grant Thornton for 18 years on a variety of projects, including numerous operational risk and internal control reviews, forensic investigations, large system implementations, and over seven years leading a team that performed the outsourced internal audit function for Long Island University. Ms. Philo has a Bachelor of Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Canada. She is a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), and she has a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.  

Huston-Tillotson University announced that Melva K. Williams, Ph.D. has been appointed as the institution’s seventh President and Chief Executive Officer, effective August 15, 2022.  Dr. Williams has held numerous positions within the Southern University System (LA), including Executive Associate to the Chancellor, Assistant Vice Chancellor and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at SU-Shreveport, Vice Chancellor at SU-New Orleans, and System Chief of Staff.  A former associate dean of College at Centenary College of Louisiana, Williams has concurrently served as a professor, lecturer and board member at several colleges and universities. She earned a doctorate in higher education from Jackson State University (MS) and a master’s in public administration and a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from Grambling State University (LA). Read more here.

The Albizu University Board of Trustees announced the appointment of Dr. Nelson Edward Soto as the university’s sixth president. Dr. Soto came to Albizu University from Union Institute & University in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he served as the executive vice president for academic affairs and provost. Dr. Soto has served as faculty at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis in the School of Education; Indiana University, College of Arts and Sciences; the University of Missouri-Columbia, College of Education; and the University of Cincinnati, University College. He has received multiple grants for his research. Read more here.