Heidi M. Anderson is the 16th leader of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. She is a first-generation college student, having earned three degrees from Purdue University in her home state of Indiana. She holds a Ph.D. in pharmacy administration, a master’s degree in education, and a Bachelor of Science degree in pharmacy. 

As a college administrator, Anderson has managed multi-million-dollar budgets, raised money for major academic facilities, guided institutions in forging new degree programs, supported targeted efforts to improve student achievement and faculty development, and negotiated collaborative agreements with community colleges. 

From 2013 to 2015, Anderson was provost and vice president of academic affairs at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, where a signature achievement was leading efforts that increased minority enrollment to record levels. 

As the University of Kentucky’s associate provost for institutional effectiveness (2011-2013) and associate provost for faculty affairs (2006-2011), Anderson managed a $25 million budget and created and led new policies, practices, and programs for faculty recruitment, appointment, promotion, and retention. She also served that institution as assistant dean for educational innovation and as a professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science. 

Michelle Asha Cooper, Ph.D., currently serves as the acting assistant secretary for postsecondary education and deputy assistant secretary for higher education programs at the U.S. Department of Education. In these roles, she oversees the department’s work to support and strengthen the capacity of colleges and universities to promote innovation and improvement for students and broaden the attainment of global competencies that drive the economic success and competitiveness of the nation. 

Cooper brings more than 20 years of experience to this work. Most recently, she served as the president of the Institute for Higher Education Policy, where she managed the organization’s expansive research portfolio and advocacy agenda. She has also held leadership positions at the Association of American Colleges and Universities, the Council for Independent Colleges, and King’s College (Pa.). Cooper served as the deputy director for the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance at the U.S. Department of Education. 

A recognized advocate for racial and economic equity, experienced practitioner, and demonstrated leader, Cooper is a champion of access and success for all students in higher education. 

Christina Cutlip is a senior managing director for the Institutional Financial Services division of TIAA.  She is the head of the Client Engagement & National Advocacy team, which is responsible for expanding relationships with industry and government associations, while also focusing on client engagement.   

In 2011, Cutlip was recognized as TIAA’s Working Mother of the Year by Working Mother magazine and received an Outstanding Volunteer Award in 2016 from The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) State Fund Network for her contributions to higher education. She was appointed by the Secretary of Labor to the Department of Labor ERISA Advisory Council for a three-year term. Cutlip is on the board of CIC and chairs the board of Almasi Collaborative Arts. She serves on the board of retirement healthcare provider Emeriti, the Board of Trustees for Grinnell College, and on the advisory councils of WISER and ERIC.   

Cutlip earned a B.A. in Economics from Grinnell College, an MBA from Regis University, and a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership from Northcentral University (Calif.). 

Michelle Elrod leads the Strategic Learning & Organizational Excellence Team at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. The team consists of Human Resource Information Systems, the Customer Service Center, and the Strategic Learning group. She is responsible for the annual campuswide leadership retreat and has successfully implemented a badging program for aspiring leaders in an effort to create internal opportunities for future leaders. 

Elrod currently serves on the California State University-wide Workforce Planning Pilot program and is on the safer return task force and the repopulation workgroup. She is certified in DISC, EQ, Emergenetics, Franklin Covey’s Leading at the Speed of Trust, and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Employee Engagement by Blessing White, and Crucial Conversations by Vital Smarts. 

Marion Ross Fedrick was appointed as the 10th president of Albany State University (Ga.) in August 2018, after serving as both the interim executive vice president and interim president for the university since October 2017. Fedrick is an accomplished senior leader whose proven expertise spans more than 30 years. Her professional background includes higher education administration, strategic planning, crisis management, and strategic partnership management in both the private and public sectors. 

As president of Albany State University, Fedrick continues to apply her diverse experiences and commitment to drive initiatives that ignite excellence. Under her leadership, the institution has undertaken several critical initiatives that include a redesign of the institution’s academic colleges, approval of the University System of Georgia’s (USG) first nexus degrees, and the design and implementation of the university’s integrated student success model. 

The intersection of her vision, passion, and broad leadership capabilities have placed her in key leadership roles throughout her career. Serving as the USG vice chancellor of human resources, Fedrick has led strategic initiatives relating to effective university administration, leadership development and all human resources planning efforts at Clark Atlanta University, Emory University Hospitals, State of Georgia’s Office of State Personnel Administration, AT&T, and the former BellSouth Corporation. 

Andrew “Andy” Feinstein became the 13th president of the University of Northern Colorado (UNC) in July 2018. He has devoted a career to teaching and learning, research and scholarship, and student success, which is his top priority at UNC. 

Throughout his presidency, Feinstein has sought to enhance the fundamental characteristics and commitments that make UNC a great place to live and learn by making intentional decisions that put students first. He has recommitted the university and its leadership to design and activate new approaches that honor and celebrate diversity, equity, and inclusion, ensuring that UNC sustains a nurturing and supportive environment where all students, faculty, and staff thrive. 

Feinstein has worked tirelessly to ensure UNC is well positioned for future success. In fall 2019, he marshaled a collaborative process resulting in the articulation of a new vision for the university: Rowing, Not Drifting 2030.

He most recently served five years as provost and senior vice president at San Jose State University. Prior to that, he served in roles including professor, department chair, associate dean, dean, and senior advisor to the president at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. 

Ralph Gigliotti, Ph.D., is assistant vice president for strategic programs in the Office of University Strategy and director of the Center for Organizational Leadership at Rutgers University (N.J.), where he provides executive leadership for a portfolio of signature academic leadership programs, consultation services, and research initiatives. He engages directly with academic and administrative leaders in strengthening the center’s role as a hub for leadership development research and initiatives. He also serves as a part-time faculty member in the Department of Communication, Ph.D. Program in Higher Education, and Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. 

Gigliotti’s research and consulting interests explore the intersection of organizational communication, leadership, crisis, and training and development within the context of higher education. 

Paula A. Kerger is president and chief executive officer of PBS, the nation’s largest noncommercial media organization, with more than 330 member stations throughout the country. Having joined PBS in March 2006, Kerger is the longest-serving president and CEO in PBS history.

Under Kerger’s leadership, PBS has grown its audiences across genres and platforms. PBS has moved from the 14th most-watched network in America to number seven in the past decade. Over the course of a year, 86% of all U.S. television households watch PBS, and each month, Americans view an average of 255 million videos across PBS’ web, mobile, and connected device platforms.

For the past two decades, Charlene Li has been helping people see the future. She’s an expert on digital transformation, leadership, customer experience, and the future of work and the author of six books, including the New York Times bestseller Open Leadership and the co-author of the critically-acclaimed book Groundswell. Her latest book is the bestseller The Disruption Mindset.

She’s also an entrepreneur—the founder and senior fellow at Altimeter, a disruptive analyst firm that was acquired in 2015 by Prophet. Li was named one of the Top 50 Leadership Innovators by Inc. and one of the most creative people in business by Fast Company. She serves on the regional board of YPO, a global network of 28,000 CEOs. Li graduated magna cum laudefrom Harvard College and received her MBA from Harvard Business School. She lives in San Francisco.

Jose Minaya is the CEO of Nuveen, responsible for its vision, strategy and day-to-day operations. He and his leadership team set and execute key growth initiatives and provide oversight of all investment management teams and client businesses. He also chairs the Nuveen Executive Committee.

Minaya previously served as president and CIO of Nuveen, responsible for overseeing all investment activities for more than $1 trillion in assets spanning the globe and covering equities, fixed income, real estate, private markets, natural resources, other alternatives, and responsible investments. Prior to that, he led TIAA’s global real assets division, where he was responsible for setting strategy and developing investment capabilities across real estate, agriculture, timber, infrastructure, energy, and alternative credit strategies.

Minaya currently serves on multiple boards, including the Robert Toigo Foundation, the National Forest Foundation, and the Investment Company Institute. He is an executive sponsor for the Inclusion and Diversity initiative at TIAA, working to build and promote a diverse and inclusive environment throughout the enterprise. Minaya holds a Bachelor’s in Finance from Manhattan College (N.Y.) and an MBA from Dartmouth’s (N.H.) Amos Tuck School of Business.

Timothy Mottet is the 15th president of Colorado State University-Pueblo. As a higher education leader, he is recognized for designing innovative learning systems that allow all students to be successful. 

Mottet has a record of success in developing high-performing educators, aligning people and processes to enhance organizational sustainability, facilitating and implementing strategic planning processes, and building consensus among diverse groups of individuals. As provost at Northwest Missouri State University from 2014–2017, Mottet worked to keep higher education accessible and affordable by developing strategic partnerships and pathways with area high schools and community colleges. 

Mottet has coauthored four books and published more than 60 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. His research examines the intersections of communication, personality, and cognition and their application to instructional, organizational, and interpersonal contexts. Most recently, he has researched the communication effectiveness of pediatric trauma team members in hospital emergency rooms. 

Mottet and his spouse, Rick Gonzalez, enjoy entertaining friends, spending time with their families, exploring the French Quarter in New Orleans, volunteering at animal shelters, collecting art, and scuba diving. 

Barmak Nassirian joined AASCU as its director of federal relations and policy analysis in 2013. In this role, he coordinates federal relations and legislative, regulatory, and public policy at the federal level. 

Nassirian returned to AASCU after having served the association from 1990–1998 as the director of federal policy analysis. This was followed by nearly 15 years of executive management experience with the Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. Nassirian is a nationally known policy analyst and expert on federal student aid. He has an extensive network of contacts on both sides of the aisle on Capitol Hill and within key federal agencies, as well as with the media and the broader national higher education community. 

In his prior service with AASCU, Nassirian provided analytical support, designed federal cost estimation models, and participated in policy development and advocacy for the 1992 and 1998 Higher Education Act reauthorizations. He has been successful in building coalitions with other stakeholders and serving as a voice on major higher education issues, illustrated, for example, by his testimony before House and Senate education committees. 

Mel Netzhammer has served as the second chancellor of Washington State University (WSU) Vancouver since July 2012. He is passionate about growing the number of students who successfully complete their academic degrees and expanding access to higher education—especially for the underrepresented. He values campus and community engagement and has developed a number of strategic partnerships to support economic development and grow the workforce in Southwest Washington and the greater metropolitan area. 

Under Netzhammer’s leadership, WSU Vancouver developed a 2016–2021 strategic plan focused on research excellence, student success, growth, diversity and equity, and contributing to the betterment of the community. The plan is the foundation for all decision-making at the university. 

Netzhammer’s civic engagement is extensive. Locally he serves on the boards of the Columbia River Economic Development Council, Greater Portland Inc., the STEM Governance Committee for Southwest Washington and the Vancouver Public Schools’ Management Advisory Task Force. Nationally he is a member of the LGBTQ Presidents in Higher Education Board and the National Steering Committee for the American Democracy Project, an initiative to advance the civic learning of undergraduates about the role of citizens in a democracy. 

Alison N. Nooks is the proud first lady of Gordon State College (Ga.). She also serves as the online academic program coordinator (OAPC) for the School of Arts & Letters (SOAL) and teaches media and communication for the Media, Culture and Arts Department. As the SOAL OAPC, she provides training and support for online teaching and works on a range of special projects. She also serves as Middle Georgia State University’s Affordable Learning Georgia Design Champion and a Momentum Champion. Nooks has more than 21 years of experience in higher education with additional years working in government and industry.

Nooks has used her skills in communication, marketing, graphic design, event planning, fundraising, and project management over her career. She has also chaired several curriculum committees; developed growth mindset training; and presented at several regional, national, and international conferences. She holds a B.B.A. in economics and an MBA in finance, both, from Mercer University (Ga.) and an M.A. in public communication from American University (D.C.). Nooks and her husband, Kirk A Nooks, have three beautiful children—a daughter who will be a junior in college this fall and twins who are rising fourth graders. They reside in Forsyth, Georgia. 

Scott R. Olson was appointed the 15th president of Winona State University (WSU, Minn.) on May 16, 2012. He replaces Judith A. Ramaley, who served as WSU's president from 2005-2012. 
 
Prior to joining WSU, Olson served as provost, vice president for Academic and Student Affairs, and professor of Communication Studies at Minnesota State University, Mankato. During his time at Minnesota State Mankato, it saw significant growth in enrollment, diversity, innovation, industry partnerships, international programs, system collaboration, and applied research. 

He served as dean of the College of Communication, Information and Media at Ball State University (Ind.) and as a faculty member at Central Connecticut State University. He also served for one year as interim vice chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. 
 
He has published two books, 30 book chapters, and 22 journal articles in publications in the United States, Canada, China, Korea, Poland, Russia, and India. He has delivered over 100 papers at conferences in Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Korea, Poland, Taiwan, and the United States. 

Corie Pauling, a leader at TIAA since 2006, became the organization’s senior vice president, chief inclusion and diversity officer in July 2018. Pauling was instrumental in the launch of the diversity and inclusion (D&I) function at TIAA more than 10 years ago and served as a primary legal and business adviser and thought leader in this area since that time. In her prior role, Pauling held the position of senior director, associate general counsel in the Employment, Benefits & Labor Law Group.

In the D&I space, she has extensive experience in strategy development, board interface, equal employment opportunity best practices, policy development, training/learning, metrics, data analysis and reporting, external partnerships and sourcing, pay equity, global workforce compliance, talent acquisition, workforce development, employee resource groups, culture surveys, federal contractor compliance, and workplace investigations. Pauling’s experience includes counseling financial services institutions and other Fortune 500 companies and representing individual employees in employment and civil rights litigation.

Pauling was incredibly honored to be named on the 2019 Black Enterprise Most Powerful Women in Corporate Diversity list and to be recognized as a TIAA Working Mother of the Year with the national magazine Working Mother and recipient of the Young Civic Leader Award by the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

Kathleen Scott is AASCU’s vice president of leadership development and partnerships, where she oversees a broad portfolio of leadership development programs, conferences, sponsorships, and web-based programs. She recently left California State University, Fresno, where she served as the director of Organizational Excellence for eight years, leading organizational and professional development programs designed to nurture a culture of change and innovation and build organizational and individual capacities. Scott’s higher education career includes roles in leadership development, advancement, marketing, public relations, enrollment, project and change management and strategic planning. She worked for 10 years in Community Colleges in New Jersey and Nebraska.  

Scott is a Certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitator, Prosci Change Management Practitioner and Trainer, Certified as a Situational Leadership II Trainer, Lean/Continuous Improvement Practitioner, and Certified in Integrated Planning by the Society for College and University Planning. Scott earned an MBA from Fresno State and a B.S. in Marketing from Fairfield University (Conn.). She is also a graduate of the Harvard Institute for Higher Education Institute for Management and Leadership in Education. She is a past member of the board of directors for the Network for Change and Continuous Innovation and the 2020 recipient of the California Higher Education Collaborative Leader of Change Award. 

Cynthia Teniente-Matson, a San Antonio native, is the second president of Texas A&M University-San Antonio (A&M-SA), one of the fastest-growing universities in Texas and the only Texas A&M System university located in a major metropolitan city. She also serves as chair-elect on AASCU’s board of directors. 

Since becoming president in 2015, Teniente-Matson has forged an audacious strategic plan for the university to fulfill its mission. At A&M-SA, she has led the institution’s successful transformation to becoming a designated Hispanic-serving institution (HSI) and a comprehensive four-year university, welcoming the university’s first freshman class in 2016. She has led new strategic initiatives, including creation of the Mays Center for Experiential Learning and Community Engagement through private funding and secured Chancellor’s Research funding for the Institute of Water Resource Science and Technology. 

Teniente-Matson has been recognized for her leadership and service in education, including receiving the Making a Mark on the World Innovation Award from the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber and the Women’s Leadership Award from the San Antonio Business Journal. 

Mamie Voight is the interim president at the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP). In this role, she leads IHEP’s research and policy team to advance the organization’s policy agenda and serves on the organization’s senior leadership team to inform the strategic direction of IHEP. Before joining IHEP, Voight was a research and policy analyst and assistant director for research and policy at The Education Trust, where she researched college access, success, and affordability issues; advocated for policies that would enhance equity in America’s higher education system; and was lead author on several publications. Before entering the field of education policy, she worked as an engineering consultant for departments of transportation in multiple states.

Voight earned her B.S. in civil engineering from Villanova University (Pa.), her M.S. in civil engineering from the University of Delaware, and her M.P.P. from Georgetown University (D.C.).

Driven by the belief that the circumstances of one’s birth should not dictate one’s opportunities in life, Voight is committed to dismantling inequities within the higher education system so that students of color and students from low-income backgrounds have true access to higher education’s life-changing benefits.

Charles L. Welch serves as president of the Arkansas State University (ASU) System and as one of the state’s leading advocates for higher education. He is also Chair of the AASCU Board of Directors and the program coordinator for AASCU’s Emerging Leaders Program. He is the youngest person to ever serve as president or chancellor of an Arkansas community college and is the youngest university president in Arkansas. 

He is co-chair of the executive council of the Arkansas Department of Higher Education. He previously served as president of Henderson State University (Ark.), chancellor of the University of Arkansas Community College at Hope, vice chancellor for academic affairs at ASU-Beebe, and dean of university studies at Pulaski Technical College (Ark.). Welch also worked at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) and has served as an instructor of education and political science at three different colleges in Arkansas. 

A native of Jonesboro, Welch was a first-generation college student and the first member of either side of his extended family to receive a graduate degree. He received a B.A. in political science from the University of Arkansas, an M.A. in political management from George Washington University (D.C.), and an Ed.D. in higher education administration from UALR. 

Karen Whitney has held a variety of executive and leadership positions with increasing levels of responsibility throughout her 40-year career in higher education. Most recently, Whitney served as interim chancellor for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Whitney previously served as president of Clarion University of Pennsylvania, beginning her tenure as the university's 16th president in July 2010.  

As president, she led the university in articulating a mission to provide transformative, lifelong learning opportunities through innovative, nationally recognized programs delivered in inclusive, student-centered environments. She served as vice chancellor for student life and diversity and dean of students at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis and assistant and associate vice president for student life and director of resident life at the University of Texas at San Antonio. She also taught courses at Indiana University, the University of Texas at San Antonio and the University of Houston.