New York University has successfully appointed Mr. Jake Olkkola as the next Director of Athletics, Intramurals, and Recreation. Mr. Olkkola will begin his new role on June 10, 2024. A seasoned collegiate athletics professional, Mr. Olkkola comes to Washington Square from Johns Hopkins University where he's served in multiple capacities since 2019. From 2019-21 Mr. Olkkola was Johns Hopkins' Senior Associate Director of Athletics and Recreation before being elevated to Deputy Director of Athletics and Recreation in 2021. Prior to JHU, Mr. Olkkola was the Director of Athletics at Colby College from 2017-19. At Colby, he oversaw the athletic department's 32 varsity programs which achieved many "firsts" under his leadership. From 2010-17, Mr. Olkkola was part of the University of Delaware's athletics leadership team. He was the Associate Director of Athletics and Recreation from 2010-15 and was promoted to Senior Associate Director of Athletics and Recreation in 2015. The Ossipee, NH, native's first role in collegiate athletics was at Harvard University, where he worked as Director of Recreation from 2003-08. Mr. Olkkola is a 2001 graduate of New Hampshire College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sports Management. He earned a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership from Wilmington University in 2019. Read more.
Ohio University has successfully appointed Dr. Donald Leo as their next Executive Vice President and Provost. Dr. Leo will begin on July 1st. Dr. Leo was the first permanent dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Georgia, where he has served since 2013. Before joining UGA, Dr. Leo served as a professor of mechanical engineering and vice president and executive director of the National Capital Region operations of Virginia Tech. He previously served as associate dean for research and graduate studies at the Virginia Tech College of Engineering. His research focuses on smart materials and he has served as principal investigator on 50 research grants and authored or co-authored more than 200 research publications. Dr. Leo holds a Ph.D. and an M.S. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from the University of Buffalo, and a B.S. in Aeronautics and Astronautics Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Read more.
The University of Dubuque has successfully appointed Dr. Travis Frampton as their next President. Dr. Frampton will succeed President Bullock, who is currently the longest serving president in UD's history. He will begin his new role June 1, 2024. Dr. Frampton has served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Schreiner University in Kerrville, Texas, since July 2019. He also is Schreiner's Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges liaison as well as Schreiner's Title IX coordinator. As provost and vice president for academic affairs at Schreiner University, Dr. Frampton created a new academic learning ecosystem for the campus, implemented new academic programs, designed relevant and innovative academic majors, developed mission-critical co-curricular programs, consistently maintained a balanced budget and created ways to improve efficiency, established graduate school pipelines for undergraduates, added resources to increase support for faculty development, and more. Dr. Frampton earned a bachelor of arts in religion from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, a master of arts in religion from Yale Divinity School in New Haven, Connecticut, and a dual doctor of philosophy degree in philosophy and religion from Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam (philosophy) in the Netherlands and Baylor University (religion) in Waco, Texas. Read more.
Marshall University has successfully appointed Dr. Henry Collier as the inaugural Executive Director of the Institute for Cyber Security. He will begin his new role on July 15, 2024. Dr. Collier is currently the Director of Technology programs at Norwich University’s College of Graduate and Continuing Studies. Dr. Collier leads and manages the Master of Science in Cybersecurity program, the Master of Science in Information Systems, the Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity, and the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science & Information Systems programs. Before arriving at Norwich University, he was the Program Director for Computer Technology and Cybersecurity & Healthcare IT at River Valley Community College where he rejuvenated the Cisco Networking Academy and managed a National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education grant to develop the Cybersecurity & Healthcare IT program. Dr. Collier has a Ph.D. in Engineering with a concentration in Security from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, a Master’s Degree in Managing Innovations and Information Technology from Champlain College, a Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology with a concentration in systems analysis and design from Granite State College, and an Associates Degree in Computer Technology from River Valley Community College. Read more.
The Kentucky Community & Technical College System (KCTCS) has appointed Ms. Bridget Canter as the System's new Vice President of Human Resources. Ms. Canter has been serving as the Acting VPHR at KCTCS since January 2024. She previously served as Vice President of Business Affairs and Human Resources at West Kentucky Community and Technical College. She earned her B.S. in Human Resources at Miami University and her M.B.A. at Georgia Southern University. Read more.
The Kentucky Community & Technical College System (KCTCS) has appointed Mr. Todd Kilburn as the System's new Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Kilburn currently serves as Chief Financial Officer and Business Administrator for Fourth Baptist Church and Christian School and as Vice President for Institutional Finance at Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Plymouth, Minnesota. From 2019 to 2022, he served as the Chief Financial Officer for the Idaho State Board of Education, which oversees K-12, community colleges, public four-year colleges and universities, and career and technical education. He earned his B.A. from Faith Baptist Bible College and his M.B.A. from Plymouth State University. Read more.
The Kentucky Community & Technical College System (KCTCS) has appointed Ms. Blair Hess as the System's new Vice President of Communications and Marketing. Since 2019, Ms. Hess has served as the National Director of Communications at the Council of State Governments. Prior to her position at CSG, she served as the Media and Communications Manager for Kentucky State University's Land-Grant Program and College of Agriculture. She earned her B.S. in Agriculture Communications from the University of Kentucky. Read more.
Stony Brook University has successfully appointed Mr. William Williams as their new Senior Director of Development, College of Engineering & Applied Sciences. Mr. Williams will join on April 15th. Mr. Williams comes to Stony Brook from the Division of Student Affairs at East Carolina University, where he has served as Executive Director of Development since 2018. Prior to East Carolina University, he served for 6 years at the University of Oregon, first as Associate Director of Development in the School of Journalism & Communication (2012-2013) and then as the Senior Associate Director of Development in the Student Life Division (2013-2018). Mr. Williams earned a master of education degree in administration of higher education at Auburn University and a bachelor of arts in history from Reinhardt University.
Lafayette College has successfully appointed Dr. Laura McGrane as its next Provost. Dr. McGrane will join Lafayette College on July 1st. Since 2021, Dr. McGrane has served as the Associate Provost for Strategic Initiatives at Haverford College. In this role, she led successful college-wide strategic planning and multidisciplinary initiatives, while also overseeing a number of institutional grants and enrollment studies. Since 2002, she has been a faculty member in Haverford’s English department, serving as chair of the department from 2015-18. Her teaching and scholarship explore print culture, digital media, and the history of the book. Her work in liberal arts as both disciplinary and interdisciplinary practice explores alliances between a rich arts & sciences curriculum, experiential opportunities, and hands-on learning. From 2014-21, Dr. McGrane served as the founding director of Haverford’s Visual Culture Arts and Media, a creative hub for students, faculty, staff, and the wider Haverford community. From 2012-15, she served as the Koshland Director of Haverford’s Hurford Center for the Arts & Humanities. Dr. McGrane gained additional administrative experience working in the Office of the President at William & Mary as a Fellow of the American Council on Education throughout the 2021-22 academic year. While at William & Mary, she focused on inclusive and shared college governance, fellowships, and university-wide strategic planning. Dr. McGrane earned her B.A. in English and American literature from the College of Saint Benedict, as well as a B.A. in English language and literature and the M.S. in comparative/international education from the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. She earned her Ph.D. in English and American literature from Stanford University. Read more.