Independent Institution

St. Thomas Aquinas College has announced the appointment of Mr. Pascal Kabemba as its new Director of Finance. He currently serving as Chief Financial Officer at Marble Collegiate Church in New York, NY. Mr. Kabemba previously served as the Associate Director of Parish Finance and Operations for the Archdiocese of New York. Mr. Kabemba holds an M.B.A. from New York University, Stern School of Business and a B.A. in Natural Science from Colgate University.

The Washington Center has appointed Ms. Kimberly Churches as its first female Chief Executive Officer in its 46-year history. Ms. Churches most recently served as the chief executive officer for the American Association of University Women (AAUW) where she developed and implemented a comprehensive strategic plan. Under Churches’ leadership, AAUW is in its best financial position in more than a decade. Prior to AAUW, Churches served as managing director for the Brookings Institution. Before her promotion to managing director she served as the vice president for institutional advancement. Her accomplishments built on prior successful efforts as associate vice chancellor at the University of Denver and director of development at the University of North Florida. 

Dr. Rahn Franklin, Jr., has been appointed the Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Bethel University. With more than 14 years of experience in higher education as both an administrative leader and professor, Franklin has a proven track record of missional investment, visionary servant leadership, and facilitating strategic, organization-wide collaboration. Most recently the director of strategic diversity initiatives at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa, Franklin is an expert in strategic diversity planning, promoting multicultural student thriving, and facilitating research, scholarship, and training that equips employees for culturally intelligent teaching and service. Read more here.

Eastern University and President Ronald Matthews have announced the appointment of Ms. Luisa C. Wilsman as the next Vice President for Advancement. Ms. Wilsman currently serves as the director of major gifts for the Ascension Saint Thomas Health Foundation (ASTHF) in Nashville, Tennessee. Prior to joining ASTHF, she served as a senior director of development for Vanderbilt University Medical Center, director of special projects for the Tennessee Department of Education.

Blackburn College has announced the appointment of Dr. Karla McCain as Provost. She was the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Professor of Chemistry at Austin College, where her tenure spanned over 18 years. She held a variety of leadership positions prior to serving as AVPAA including Associate Dean of Institutional Effectiveness, Director of Accreditation, and Assessment and Program Director of Gender Studies. Dr. McCain holds a Ph.D. in Physical/Analytical Chemistry from the University of Utah, and a B.A. in Chemistry from Ohio Wesleyan University. Read more here.

Mr. Troy Cogburn is the new Vice President for Admissions and Marketing at Manhattanville College. Mr. Cogburn was the Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management at Marymount University and, before that, the Director of Transfer Admissions for Manhattan College and the Associate Director of Transfer Admissions for Marymount Manhattan College. He is a member of the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities Advisory Group and former President of the New York State Transfer and Articulation Association.

The California Institute of Integral Studies has selected S. Brock Blomberg, Ph.D., as its sixth President. He will begin serving on September 1. Before arriving at CIIS, Dr. Blomberg was President of Ursinus College in Collegeville, PA, and Dean of the Robert Day School of Economics and Finance at Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, CA, where he also served as the Peter K. Barker Professor of Economics and the George R. Roberts Fellow. Earlier, Dr. Blomberg worked as faculty at Wellesley College, and was a visiting scholar at Harvard University’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. Dr. Blomberg is an internationally known political economist, scholar, and author, with deep roots in national and global economic policy. He served as a senior economist for the President’s Council of Economic Advisers and was the U.S. Representative to the Economic Committee for Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation. He holds a BS in Economics, with honors, from the University of Tampa, and received his MA and PhD in Economics from Johns Hopkins University. Read more here.

Salem College has appointed Mr. David Browning as Interim Vice President for Finance and Administration. He will assume the role in July, 2021.

Mount Mercy University has announced the appointment of Dr. Todd Olson as its 11th president. Dr. Olson will begin his duties as president on July 21, 2021. Since 2003, Dr. Todd Olson has served as the Vice President for Student Affairs at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. A Minnesota native, Dr. Olson earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota-Morris and went on to receive his master’s degree in counseling psychology at the University of Kansas. He earned his PhD in higher education from the University of Denver, where he also worked in a variety of positions and was one of the founders of the Pioneer Leadership Program, a signature academic and residential learning program. Read more here.

Fairleigh Dickinson University has appointed Dr. Uchenna Baker as FDU’s Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, effective August 1, 2021. Dr. Baker is currently the Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students at The University of Puget Sound. A New Jersey native, Dr. Baker holds a Ph.D. in educational policy with a focus on urban education, an M.Ed. in counseling psychology, and a B.A. in English and sociology, all from Rutgers University. She is currently completing her MBA at the Louisiana State University Shreveport School of Business. Read more here.