Richard Helldobler, President, is the President of William Paterson University, where he has served since 2018. He spent six years at Northeastern Illinois University, first as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, and then as Interim President. Previously he served as Vice President for Academic Affairs at Shepherd University in West Virginia and as Chair Department of Theatre and Dance, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, and Associate Provost/Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at California University of Pennsylvania.
Erika Endrijonas, Past-President, is the Superintendent/President of Santa Barbara City College. She previously served as Superintendent/President of Pasadena Area Community College District and President of Los Angeles Valley College. Prior to her service at L.A. Valley College, Endrijonas was executive vice president and accreditation liaison officer at Oxnard College and Dean of Educational Programs at Santa Barbara City College.
Dick Senese (he, him), Treasurer, serves as the President of Capella University. Prior to returning to Capella in 2014, Senese served in leadership roles with the University of Minnesota Extension for 13 years. He most recently served as the Extension’s Senior Associate Dean, where he oversaw research, program evaluation, international partnerships, and faculty development, among other responsibilities. Prior to his promotion to Senior Associate Dean, he served as the founding Associate Dean for the Center for Community Vitality. He has taught at a number of Minnesota-based institutions, including St. Olaf College, Metropolitan State University, and the College of St. Scholastica, and served previously as the Associate Dean for Capella University’s Harold Abel School of Psychology.
Daniel López, Secretary, is President of Harold Washington College, one of the City Colleges of Chicago. López has dedicated more than 25 years to Illinois higher education in a variety of leadership and management roles. Throughout his career, López has been involved with leading academic and student affairs units at public and private higher education institutions with a laser focus on student success. He has previously held positions at Illinois State University, Lake Forest College and Northeastern Illinois University.
Kristin G. Esterberg, President-Elect, is chancellor of University of Washington Bothell. Prior to joining UWB, Esterberg was president of SUNY Potsdam. She served as provost at Salem State University in Massachusetts and as deputy provost at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. A sociologist, her research centers on gender and sexuality, research methodology, and social organization and change.
Lori Ciccomascolo serves as the Associate Vice President of Student Success at the University of Rhode Island. She previously served as the Dean of the College of Human Science and Services and Dean of the College of Education and Professional Studies at URI. She is a former American Council on Education Fellow.
Merrill Irving, Jr. Irving is the CEO of MBK Solutions. He holds a Bachelor of Arts and Masters of Public Administration from West Virginia University, as well as a Doctorate of Educational Psychology from the University of Southern California. Previous positions include President of Hennepin Technical College, 2015-2022, and Associate Vice President of Continuing Education, Training & Workforce Development at Oakton Community College.
Nancy P. Kropf has held several administrative positions at the University of Georgia and Georgia State University. These include Dean of both Nursing and Health Professions and Perimeter College which is the access two year college for the institution. Additionally, she served as Senior Vice President for Strategic Initiatives.
Kenro Kusumi is Dean of Natural Sciences and Professor of Life Sciences at Arizona State University. Dr. Kusumi is committed to promoting inclusive excellence in higher education, and he is working to create more supportive STEM environments, including serving as mentor and faculty advisor in university LGBTQ+ organizations.
Kevin Leonard has served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville since July 2020. From 2017 until 2020 he was the chair of the Department of History at Middle Tennessee State University. He taught from 1997 until 2017 at Western Washington University.
Luca Lewis is Vice Chancellor of Education and Student Services at West Hills Community College District in Coalinga, California. He previously served as Vice President for Student Services at Whatcom Community College, Dean for Student Success and Retention at Edmonds Community College, and Director for High School Programs at Bellevue College. Other experience includes instructional and education leadership capacities for the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, University of Washington Tacoma, Washington State University, and the University Idaho.
Mel Netzhammer has served as the chancellor of Washington State University Vancouver since July 2012. He previously served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Keene State College in New Hampshire. A native of New Orleans, Netzhammer earned a bachelor’s degree in communication at Loyola University, and master’s and doctoral degrees in communication from the University of Utah.
Christina Royal is the President/CEO of Infinite Unlearning, LLC, a woman-, BIPOC-, and queer-owned executive coaching and consultancy service supporting senior leaders and their organizations. She is also a board member for the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education, and chair of the board of the Western Mass Economic Development Council. Previously, she was the fourth president of Holyoke Community College, and the first woman, first multi-racial, and first queer leader to lead this institution from 2017 to 2023. Dr. Royal earned a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology, both from Marist College, and a Doctorate in Education with a specialization in instructional design from Capella University.
Regina Stanback Stroud is the CEO and Founder of RSS Consulting. She began her career in education as a professor of nursing at Rancho Santiago College (now Santa Ana College). She later became the Mission College Dean of Workforce and Economic Development, Skyline College Vice President of Instruction, and President, before being appointed Chancellor of the Peralta Community College District.
Jim Berg (he, him), Executive Director, earned a PhD in English at the University of Minnesota and had a twenty-five year career in higher education. He served as a dean at community colleges in Minnesota, California, and New York. He is an active literary scholar, completing solo and collaborative projects, one of which won a Lambda Literary Award for Gay Studies in 2000. He is also a freelance developmental editor and consultant, working with writers on academic and nonacademic projects.