AASCU Mentor Community
Thank You to Our AASCU Community of Mentors for
Supporting our Emerging Leaders, Aspiring Presidents, and New Presidents!
Each of AASCU’s leadership development programs includes a
mentoring component, rallying the talents, generosity, and expertise of AASCU
members and renowned higher education leaders who share our commitment to
investing in the next generation. This fall the participants of the Emerging
Leaders Program (ELP) were assigned advisors from the Millennium Leadership
Initiative (MLI) alumni network, and the participants of MLI and New Presidents
Academy (NPA) were assigned sitting presidents/chancellors to serve as their
mentors.
ELP provides the opportunity for participants to assess
their individual leadership style and strengths and to apply the skills learned
in the instructional portion of the program to a project/initiative on their
home campus over the course of the academic year. The participants are grouped
together by projects covering similar topics and each group is assigned a
project advisor from the MLI alumni network. We’d like to say a special thank
you to the 12 MLI alumni for volunteering their time and supporting the
emerging leaders with their campus projects:
- Ron Darbeau, Vice President for Faculty Affairs
and Academic, Operations, Lock Haven University (PA)
MLI Class of 2022
- Rito Silva, Vice President for Enrollment
Services and Student Affairs, Texas A&M University Kingsville
MLI Class of 2022 - Farrah Ward, Provost and Vice Chancellor for
Academic Affairs, Elizabeth City State University (NC)
MLI Class of 2020 - Anthony Graham, Provost and Vice Chancellor for
Academic Affairs, Winston-Salem State University (NC)
MLI Class of 2021 - Cheryl Gittens, Associate Vice Provost, Faculty
and Staff Affairs, of Wisconsin-Madison
MLI Class of 2021 - Suzanne Smith, Provost and Vice President for
Academic Affairs, Georgia Southwestern State University
MLI Class of 2020 - Shontay Delalue, Senior Vice President &
Senior Diversity Officer, Dartmouth College (NH)
MLI Class of 2022 - Montrese Adger Fuller, Vice President of
Advancement, External Relations and Marketing and Executive Director of the
Gordon State College Foundation, Gordon State College (GA)
MLI Class of 2022 - Judi Clarke, Vice President for Equity &
Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer, Stony Brook University (NY)
MLI Class of 2022 - Monica T. Leach, Provost and Vice Chancellor for
Academic Affairs, Fayetteville State University (NY)
MLI Class of 2019 - Mari Fuentes Martin, Vice President for Student
Success & Engagement, Texas A&M University San Antonio
MLI Class of 2021 - LeManuel (Lee) Bitsóí, Vice President for
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Brandeis University (MA)
MLI
Class of 2021
A critical
component of MLI is a yearlong mentorship between protégés and a university president/chancellor.
The combination of access to a diverse group of higher education professionals
in the AASCU organization, access to MLI faculty, and access to a mentor who is
a sitting president or chancellor, serves to create a supportive environment
that is designed to broaden the intellectual curiosity and strengthen the
professional skills of MLI protégés. MLI is fortunate to have a strong team of 22
presidential mentors who are making every effort to provide protégés with
guidance and support as they ascend their career ladder:
- Jann L. Joseph, President, Georgia Gwinnett
College
NPA Class of 2019 - DeRionne Pollard, President, Nevada State
College
- NPA Class of 2021
- David Wilson, President, Morgan State University
(MD)
- Ellen Junn, President, California State
University, Stanislaus
- Paul E. Pitre, Chancellor, Washington State
University Everett
- NPA Class of 2017
- Berenecea Johnson Eanes, President, City
University of New York, York College
MLI Class of 2012 & NPA Class of 2021 - Heidi Anderson, President, University of
Maryland Eastern Shore
NPA Class of 2018 - Laurie A. Carter, President, Lawrence University
(WI)
NPA Class of 2017 - Walter Kimbrough, President, Dillard University (LA)
*Recently retired, now serving as interim executive director of the Black Men’s
Research Institute at Morehouse College
MLI Class of 2002 - Jackie Jenkins-Scott, Interim President, Roxbury
Community College (MA)
- Dennis J. Shields, President, Southern
University System and Southern University A&M College (LA)
MLI Class of 2009 - Kenichi Iwama, Chancellor, Indiana University
Northwest
MLI Class of 2014 - Aminta Breaux, President, Bowie State University
(MD)
MLI Class of 2010 & NPA Class of 2017 - Susan A. Elkins, Chancellor, University of South
Carolina Palmetto College
MLI Class of 2005 & NPA Class of 2014 - Marion A. Terenzio, President, SUNY, College of
Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill
NPA Class of 2015 - Tuajuanda Jordan, President, St. Mary's College
of Maryland
- Patricia Okker, President, New College of
Florida
MLI Class of 2019 - Tomás D. Morales, President, California State
University, San Bernardino
MLI Class of 2004 - Patricia Pierce Ramsey, President, City
University of New York, Medgar Evers College
MLI Class of 2005 & NPA Class of 2021 - Carlos Vargas-Aburto, President, Southeast
Missouri State University
NPA Class of 2015 - Karrie Gibson Dixon, Chancellor, Elizabeth City
State University (NC)
MLI
Class of 2013
One of NPA’s key program
objectives is to create a community of support for new presidents to include peers
and experienced (current and retired) presidents. The NPA network is an
invaluable resource for presidents throughout their careers. We are grateful
for the 28 mentors who we can count on to share their wisdom, perspective, and
experiences with our newest AASCU presidents:
- David Wilson, President, Morgan State University
(MD)
- Brendan B. Kelly, President, University of West
Georgia
NPA Class of 2017 - Thomas A. Cropper, President, California State
University Maritime Academy
NPA Class of 2014 - Cynthia L. Pemberton, President, Lewis-Clark
State College (ID)
- Mark A. Nook, President, University of Northern
Iowa
- Makola M. Abdullah, President, Virginia State University
NPA Class of 2016 - Cynthia Teniente-Matson, President, San Jose State University (CA)
NPA Class of 2015 - Janine Davidson, President, Metropolitan State
University of Denver (CO)
NPA Class of 2017 - Joe Bertolino, President, Southern Connecticut
State University
- Lynn Mahoney, President, San Francisco State
University (CA)
NPA Class of 2019 - Emily F. Cutrer, President, Texas A&M
University-Texarkana
- Brian E. Noland, President, East Tennessee State
University
- Virginia Arthur, President, Metropolitan State
University (CO)
NPA Class of 2016 - Brian O. Hemphill, President, Old
Dominion University (VA)
- Kristin G. Esterberg, Chancellor, University of
Washington Bothell
NPA Class of 2014 - Ora H. Pescovitz, President, Oakland University
(MI)
NPA Class of 2017 - Steve Turner, President, Northeastern State
University (OK)
- Zulma R. Toro, President, Central Connecticut
State University
- Lynnette Zelezny, President, California State
University, Bakersfield
- Richard Helldobler, President, William Paterson University
(NJ)
NPA Class of 2018 - Scott Robert Olson, President, Winona State
University (MN)
- Alexander N. Cartwright, President, University
of Central Florida
- Al M. Panu, Chancellor, University of South
Carolina Beaufort
- Alisa White, President, Sam Houston State University
(TX)
NPA Class of 2014 - Timothy Patrick Mottet, President, Colorado
State University-Pueblo
- Harold L. Martin, Chancellor, North Carolina
Agricultural & Technical State University
- Ronald S. Rochon, President, University of
Southern Indiana
MLI Class of 2009 & NPA Class of 2018
Thank you again
to our AASCU community for investing in the higher education pipeline by
volunteering your time and supporting our 2022 cohorts. We cannot do this
important work without you!