Bashar serves as the inaugural President of Commonwealth University. On July 1, 2022, Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, and Mansfield universities officially came together to form Commonwealth University, uniting three historic institutions and promising expanded opportunities for students across the region. Bashar began his career as an Assistant Director of the Ronald McNair Faculty-in-Training Program at Temple University in 1991. He later worked for the university in several capacities: as a National Science Foundation (NSF) Teaching Fellow, as an Instructor in the Department of Mathematics and Department of Biology, as a Founding Director of the Math & Science Resource Center, as Assistant Vice Provost for Research and Sponsored Programs, and as Associate Dean of the College of Science and Technology. After serving at Temple University for more than 10 years, Bashar went on to become the Chief Academic Officer and Dean of Academic Affairs at DeVry University, where he spent three years. He subsequently served four years as Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. Thereafter, he joined Ithaca College as an Associate Provost and Lecturer. He later joined Delaware Valley University as Vice President for Academic Affairs and as a Professor of Biology, where […]
Neva J. Specht [Spake] has served as the Senior Vice Provost for Academic Policies and Development and Professor of History at Appalachian State University, and was appointed interim provost in April 2024, assuming the full position in May 2025. In her position, she works on leadership development with department chairs, aspiring leaders, and deans; works as the liaison with the faculty senate; and serves as a point person for faculty personnel issues. Prior to her roles in the provost’s office, she served as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, as well as Senior Associate Dean, Associate Dean, and Assistant Chair in the Department of History. Specht received her Ph.D. in United States history and material culture studies from the University of Delaware, where she also earned her Master of Arts in History with a certificate in Museum Studies. She received her bachelor’s degree from Grinnell College. For six years, she served as the University Liaison to the Blue Ridge Parkway, and during that time, she directed two National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Landmark workshops on the Blue Ridge Parkway and conducted a number of oral histories and research projects for the National Park Service.
Dr. Parekh is the Associate Vice Provost of Faculty Initiatives and leads the Early Career Faculty Institute, a multilevel mentoring program for early-career tenure-track and contract faculty across NYU, in order to mentor them towards tenure and promotion—a program with approximately 90 faculty currently enrolled. She has introduced the Writing Salon that takes place in New York and at global sites, and she is currently developing the Mid-Career Faculty Initiative, a career advancement program for mid-career faculty to be launched in Fall 2023. Dr. Parekh also works with the Office of Global Programs to enhance faculty engagement across the twelve portal sites of NYU, which also supports other faculty initiatives. Dr. Parekh is the Professor of Public Health at the School of Global Public Health, and she has developed a robust scholarship portfolio examining the intersection of biological and behavioral factors of non-communicable diseases in U.S. populations, with a particular focus on obesity, metabolic dysregulation, and cancer. Her research program investigates diet and non-communicable diseases in populations using epidemiologic methods, and her work has been supported by awards from the American Cancer Society and NIH. She is an affiliated faculty member at NYU’s Grossman School of Medicine and the Rory Meyers […]
Pamela Eddy is the Associate Provost of Faculty Affairs and Faculty Development and a professor of higher education in Educational Policy, Planning, and Leadership at William & Mary. Her research interests include community college leadership and development, organizational change and educational partnerships, gender roles in higher education, and faculty development. Professor Eddy serves as a consultant for campuses and system offices, and on funded grants regarding strategies to support community college student success and to promote leadership development. Eddy has authored six books and edited six others, and her most recent book, with Betty Kirby, is entitled Leading for Tomorrow: A Primer for Succeeding in Higher Education Leadership (2020). Eddy is the editor-in-chief for New Directions for Community Colleges, and she serves on the editorial boards for Community College Journal of Research and Practice, Journal of Women and Gender in Higher Education, and Innovative Higher Education. She received the 2006 Emerging Scholar Award and the 2013 Senior Scholar Award from the Council for the Study of Community Colleges, and she was also recognized with a 2021 Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and the 2011 Plumeri Award for Faculty Excellence at William & Mary. She was […]
Nimisha is a Visiting Researcher at UC Irvine and an Equity and Inclusion Consultant in higher education. Drawing on a decade of experience as a college educator, university administrator, and DEI practitioner, she works closely with organizational leaders to develop anti-bias programs, trainings, and curricula for adult audiences. Nimisha is also the author of several award-winning books, edited volumes, and articles. Her most recent book is entitled A Just Future: Getting from Diversity and Inclusion to Equity and Justice in Higher Education and is forthcoming from Cornell University Press in fall 2023. In 2022, she received the prestigious Tyler Stovall Mission Prize in recognition of her contributions to DEI in the historical profession, as well as, more broadly, in the field of higher education.
Colleen Ryan is Associate Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs at Indiana University, where she collaboratively oversees tenure and promotion procedures, faculty leadership development, and programming for faculty success. She is Director of the Initiative for the Advancement of Women and Liaison to the Institute for Advanced Study’s mid-career mentorship program. Her current interests include meditation and restorative practices. Colleen Ryan has published on various facets of gender and sexuality in Italian cinema, on Italian diaspora and ethnicity studies in the US, on the teaching a foreign languages through the arts, particularly theater, and professional and curriculum development. Over the years, she has taught an array of courses on Italian literature and film, gender and sexuality studies, on Italian-American identities, and on foreign language career development. She has served as Director of Language Instruction and Director of Undergraduate Studies and has been elected to leadership positions in national and international associations for Italian Studies for Foreign Language Program Direction.
Associate Vice President for Faculty Advancement and Student Success at San Diego State University Joanna Brooks is an award-winning writer and author/editor of ten books on race, religion, gender, social movements, and American culture. In her role as Associate Vice President for Faculty Advancement and Student Success at San Diego State University, she leads faculty development and student academic support efforts at a large, public, and research-intensive Hispanic-Serving Institution of higher education. She is a graduate of the CSU Executive Leadership program and a founder of SDSU’s Digital Humanities Center, the National Humanities Center Podcasting Workshop series, and the Shared Governance Leadership Institute. In her public-facing work, she has appeared in global media outlets including the BBC, NPR, the Daily Show, CNN, MSNBC, and The Washington Post and worked as an essayist and columnist for Religion Dispatches. She holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of California, Los Angeles, and is a proud fourth-generation Southern Californian.
As UNLV’s first Vice President for Digital Transformation and Chief Information Officer, Kivanc Oner is redefining IT to support the university’s progressive vision, driving innovation to build customer-centric experiences that give students a competitive advantage. A leader who has transformed the IT landscape in higher education for 20 years, Kivanc understands how new technologies can impact the industry. He is a strategic risk-taker and explores ways to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) to advance learning, teaching, and research at one of the most diverse R1 institutions. Collaborating with campus and community partners, Kivanc is growing the number of digital services that provide customized experiences. He led the creation of the Digital President Whitfield (DPW) to reach the student population. The first of its kind, the AI and online avatar personally connects with students anytime, anywhere, to find the information they need. Like the real-life president, DPW is empathetic about students’ well-being, having deeper conversations about mental health, and knowing when to direct them to wellness resources. Under Kivanc’s leadership, UNLV also introduced an AI-based chatbot to support a student’s life cycle. When a student starts a chat in the Rebel Success Hub, the chatbot is able to identify the individual and […]
Ann Cavallo, Ph.D., is Assistant Vice Provost and Director of the Center for Research on Teaching and Learning Excellence (CRTLE), Co-Director of UTeach Arlington, and Distinguished University Professor of Science Education at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA). She earned her B.S. from Niagara University, and her M.S. in Science Education/Biology, M.S. in General Science, and Ph.D. in Science Education from Syracuse University. She holds secondary school teacher certification in Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, and General Science, and taught middle and high school science prior to earning her graduate degrees. As a faculty member at UTA, she designed, directed, and taught in undergraduate and graduate programs including courses on STEM teaching methods, educational psychology, education research methodology, biology, physical science, and earth science. She also previously served as Associate Dean for Research in the College of Education, and in 2018 was appointed Assistant Vice Provost under the Office of the Provost, launching and directing the new research-based Center for Research on Teaching and Learning Excellence (CRTLE). In this position, Dr. Cavallo designs and leads numerous professional development programs for faculty and GTAs in all disciplines and in various modalities, including on-campus, online, and hybrid. Dr. Cavallo’s research investigates high […]
Sierra Dawson’s work focuses on faculty and leadership development, with a specific emphasis on support during career transition moments. As a member of the academic affairs team in the office of the provost, Sierra coordinates and facilitates numerous programs for faculty new to the UO or new to the academy, peer mentorship programs for mid-career faculty, new unit head onboarding & training, the Provost Fellows program, and the UO Leadership Academy. Originally from the faculty in the Department of Human Physiology, Sierra continues to value and design inclusive and interactive learning experiences that build community and help others to learn and grow from where they are.
