Provost/Chief Academic Officers

Dr. Abby Parrill-Baker has been appointed as the new Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at University of Michigan-Flint effective June 1, 2025. Dr. Parrill-Baker currently serves as the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Memphis, a position she has held since 2019, with a brief interlude as Interim Provost. In this role, she has supported the development of an expanded number of pathways for students into professional schools, secured more than $5 million in funding to support experiential learning fellowships, and led college-based initiatives that contributed to the university earning classification as a Carnegie Very High Research (R1) institution. Her academic and administrative career spans over two decades, during which she has demonstrated exceptional leadership in strategic planning, budget management, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Her research expertise in computational and medicinal chemistry has resulted in numerous publications and patents, underscoring her commitment to advancing scientific knowledge and educational excellence. Dr. Parrill-Baker holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Chemistry from the University of Arizona, and a B.S. in Chemistry from Central Michigan University. Read more.

Dr. Eileen Strempel has been appointed as the new Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost at the University of San Diego, effective July 1, 2025. Dr. Strempel comes to USD following her tenure as the Inaugural Dean of The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, with faculty appointments in both the School of Music and the School of Education and Information Studies. She received her Bachelor of Music from the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music, her doctorate from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, and has completed Harvard University’s Institute for Educational Management. Dr. Strempel has served both as an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow and a 2022-23 Fellow in the AGB Institute for Leadership and Governance in Higher Education. Especially dedicated to the mentorship and sponsorship of women in leadership, she is a contributing author in the newly released book, Thriving as a Woman in Leadership in Higher Education. Dr. Strempel is a noted international opera singer and was honored as a Presidential Scholar in the Arts. Her musical interests focus on the compositions of women composers, and the breadth of her musical scholarly work includes eight recordings, dozens of commissions, articles, and edited volumes that examine the political, social, and musical contexts of the most influential female composers of our time. Read more.

Dr. Ravindra “Ravi” Krovi has been appointed as the new Provost and Senior Vice President for Bowling Green State University effective May 5, 2025. Dr. Krovi is a distinguished academic leader with over fifteen years of senior leadership experience in higher education. Throughout his career, he has successfully leveraged external partnerships with a variety of organizations to develop new programs, faculty positions and student success initiatives. He comes to BGSU from Weber State University, where he has served as Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs since 2020. Prior to his work at Weber State University, Dr. Krovi held multiple leadership roles at the University of Akron, including serving as Dean of the College of Business Administration for a decade, where he secured more than $32 million in private philanthropy, as well as corporate and other commitments to support business students and programs. Dr. Krovi holds a Ph.D. in Management Information Systems & Decision Sciences and M.S. in Mathematical Sciences from the University of Memphis, and a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Baroda, India. Read more.

Dr. Lawrence T. Potter, Jr. has been appointed as the new Vice President for Academic Affairs of Canisius University. As noted in the press release, "Potter joins Canisius from the University of the District of Columbia (UDC), where he served as the chief academic officer and provost since 2019. In this capacity, he provided academic vision and leadership for the exclusively public, historically Black urban land-grant university. UDC offers more than 80 degree programs at the bachelor, master, and doctoral levels and serves nearly 4,000 degree-seeking students with a faculty and staff of over 400.  Potter led six academic colleges and workforce development, university libraries, research and graduate education, and the Center for Teaching and Learning.  In addition to academic and strategic planning efforts, he oversaw the academic program review process, accreditation, academic partnerships, and managed a $69 million budget for academic affairs." Dr. Potter holds a PhD and MA in English (literature and criticism) from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a BA in English, religion, and philosophy from Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, AL.  He will begin his duties with Canisius on November 11, 2024. Read more.

Fresno Pacific University has successfully appointed Dr. Alison Noble as their next provost and senior vice president of academic affairs. Dr. Noble will begin her new role on August 5, 2024. Dr. Noble comes from Messiah University, a Council for Christian Colleges & Universities member affiliated with the Brethren In Christ, a denomination related to the Mennonite Brethren, which sponsors Fresno Pacific University. There since 2010, she has served as interim provost—her current position—associate provost, assistant provost and director of faculty development, special assistant to the provost, and professor of chemistry. She is an accomplished scholar and educator with a publication and speaking record in chemistry, education, and faith and learning. Prior to Messiah, Noble was a visiting assistant professor at George Fox University and the University of Portland and a senior process engineer at Intel Corporation. Dr. Noble has a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a B.S. in Chemistry from Westmont College. She is also a 2023 graduate of the Institute for Management and Leadership in Higher Education from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. 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. 
 

Dr. Laura McGrane has been appointed as the new Provost of Lafayette College. 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.

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.

Florida Institute of Technology has named Dr. John Z. Kiss as its next Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. Dr. Kiss will join Florida Tech on May 1st. Since 2016, Dr. Kiss has served as the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and professor of biology at the University of North Carolina Greensboro.  Kiss’s research focuses on the gravitational and space biology of plants. He has published 128 peer-reviewed papers, most co-authored with his students. He also has been invited to present seminars based on his research at universities throughout the U.S. and in 14 other countries. Kiss served as dean of the Graduate School at the University of Mississippi from 2012-16. He was on the faculty of Miami University from 1993 to 2012 where he was a university distinguished professor and chair of the Botany Department. He holds a B.S. in biology from Georgetown University and a Ph.D. in botany and plant physiology from Rutgers University. In 2014, Kiss received the NASA Outstanding Public Leadership Medal “for exceptional contributions in spaceflight research in the fundamental biology of plants in support of NASA’s exploration mission.” In 2021, he received the International Cooperation Medal from the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR), and asteroid Kiss 8267 was named in his honor. Read more. 

Stockton University has successfully appointed Dr. Michael A. Palladino as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs effective May 6, 2024. Dr. Palladino currently serves as Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at Bloomfield College of Montclair State University and brings over 30 years of leadership and academic experience to his new role. He holds a Ph.D. in Anatomy and Cell Biology from the University of Virginia and a BS in Biology from Trenton State College, now The College of New Jersey. Read more.