Leadership

Hullihen Hall, shown summer 2017.
Special meeting of the Board of Trustees (BoT) to elect Dennis Assanis, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Stony Brook University, as the next president of the University of Delaware. The unanimous vote by the board. Before joining Stony Brook University, Dr. Assanis had a distinguished career at the University of Michigan for 17 years. He was the Jon R. and Beverly S. Holt Professor of Engineering and Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, as well as director of the Michigan Memorial Phoenix Energy Institute, founding director of the U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center for Clean Vehicles and director of the Walter E. Lay Automotive Laboratory. He has also served as the founding director of the interdisciplinary graduate program in automotive engineering (1996-2002), chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering (2002-07), director of the Automotive Research Center (2002-09), and founding co-director of the General Motors-University of Michigan Collaborative Research Laboratory for Advanced Engine Systems (2002-11). Assanis started his academic career as an assistant and associate professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. - (Evan Krape)

Dennis Assanis

President

Dennis Assanis became the 28th president of the University of Delaware on June 6, 2016. Formerly provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Stony Brook University in New York, he was elected by a unanimous vote of UD’s Board of Trustees in November 2015.

Dr. Assanis is a distinguished educator with a wide range of academic leadership experience and a worldwide reputation as a scholar and expert in both fundamental and applied studies of internal combustion engines and energy systems. Before joining Stony Brook University, he had a distinguished career at the University of Michigan for 17 years.

With an exceptional research record, he has been at the leading edge in the field of internal combustion engines, fuels and energy for more than 25 years. He was inducted as a member of the National Academy of Engineers in 2008 for his scientific contributions to improving fuel economy and reducing emissions of internal combustion engines, and for promoting automotive engineering education. He holds five patents and has directed more than $100 million in research grants and contracts.

He holds an honors bachelor of science degree with distinction in marine engineering from Newcastle University in England and four degrees from Massachusetts Institute of Technology: a master of science degree in naval architecture and marine engineering and a master of science in mechanical engineering, a master of science in management from the Sloan School of Management and a doctorate in power and propulsion. 

Office of the president

Provost-Carlson_Laura-Portraits-061022

Laura Carlson

Provost

As the University's chief academic officer, Laura Carlson is responsible for administration of all programs of instruction, research and service and for facilitating the success of the University’s faculty and students.

Provost website

2019 environment portrait of John Long, executive vice president and chief operating officer. - (Evan Krape / University of Delaware)

John Long

Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer

John Long has responsibility for units handling campus and public safety, facilities, real estate,  human resources, information technologies and UD police.

Office of Exec VP

Mary Remmler

Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

Focused on optimizing the financial health of the University, Mary Remmler leads institution-wide initiatives to develop financial plans and forecasts, annual budgets and financial reporting.

Avron Abraham is interim vice provost for undergraduate education and a faculty member in the Department of Behavioral Health and Nutrition in the College of Health Sciences. He leads programs that champion UD undergraduate student education. As part of a comprehensive team, his responsibilities include the coordination, oversight, development, implementation and assessment of initiatives that cross all disciplines and focus on the undergraduate academic experience the University of Delaware.

In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he oversees the University Studies Program, which serves approximately 1,500 undeclared students, the Office of Academic Enrichment, the Student Suppoprt Services Program TRIO grant and the First Year Seminar Program, the Center Health Professions Studies and the Undergraduate Research Program.

During his tenure at UD, he has served on the Faculty Senate’s Undergraduate Studies Committee, chaired the General Education Committee and served as president of the University Faculty Senate. Dr. Abraham received his undergraduate degree from Rhodes University in South Africa and his doctorate in Exercise Science from the University of Connecticut.

Ravi Ammigan, associate provost for international programs, is responsible for leading the internationalization and global engagement efforts at UD. He oversees the Center for Global Programs and Services and provides direction to the educational, programmatic, and financial mission of its units, which includes Study Abroad, International Student and Scholar Services, and Global Outreach and Partnerships. Reporting to the provost, he works in close collaboration with academic and administrative units to enhance global learning opportunities and broaden the University’s international portfolio through student, faculty, and staff engagement worldwide.

With over 20 years of experience in the field of international higher education, Ammigan first joined UD from Michigan State University in 2013 to serve as director of the Office for International Students and Scholars. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Kendall College, a master’s degree in communication from Michigan State University, and a doctorate in Higher Education Internationalization from Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan, Italy.

Melissa L. Bard provides strategic leadership on human resources matters to UD’s administrators, faculty and staff. While fostering a customer-service-oriented human resources approach, she works closely with other administrators to align HR, financial and operational systems efficiently.

With experience building high performing teams and collaborative relationships, Bard has led the human resources operations at Frederick Community College, California State University, East Carolina University and Pennsylvania State University.

Beth G. Brand, Vice President and University Secretary, acts as a liaison between the President and the Board of Trustees, providing administrative support for the Board and its chair, as well as overseeing the University's records management and archives operation.

In addition, she is responsible for coordination of presidential leadership advisory boards, as well as planning and delivering presidential, University-wide events, including Commencement and Convocations. Brand is also responsible for building an effective institutional model to cultivate corporate engagement in partnership with other areas of the University.

An administrator in UD’s Office of Development and Alumni Relations since 2007, she most recently served as Senior Associate Vice President for Development. From 2016-17, Brand served as the University’s Interim Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations. She is a UD alumna.

Glenn Carter, former global marketing communications leader for the 3M Company in St. Paul, Minnesota, serves as Vice President for Communications and Marketing. Reporting directly to the President, he is responsible for the vision, implementation and supervision of the University’s overarching communication operations, as well as its branding strategy and initiatives, visual identity and development of major institutional relationships. 

In addition to serving as global marketing communications leader in 3M’s Global Design department, he held positions at 3M in the Corporate Communications Department. He earlier held positions with the Abernathy MacGregor Group Inc., the Charles A. Dana Foundation and the Paley Center for Media. A cum laude graduate of Vanderbilt University with a degree in English, he earned his master of science degree in integrated marketing communications, with a specialty in corporate public relations, from Northwestern University. 

 

Angela Chen serves as VP of Information Technologies and Chief Information Officer. She was appointed in June 2023. Chen previously served as global chief institutional solutions officer at New York University Information Technology, where she provided leadership for NYU’s strategic use of information technologies and data for both administrative and academic functions. She directed a global team of more than 150 employees and was responsible for many critical IT functions.

Chen earned her bachelor’s degree in clinical medicine at Shanghai Medical University and her master’s degree in management information systems at Virginia Commonwealth University. 

Fatimah Conley serves as vice president of institutional equity and chief diversity officer. She was appointed in October 2021, after serving a year as interim chief diversity officer. Previously, she had been a staff member in the Office of the General Counsel at UD since 2015. Conley also served from 2017-20 as senior counsel to the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL), headquartered at UD and funded by the federal government to advance U.S. competitiveness in advanced manufacturing innovation. While at UD, Conley has worked directly with the Office of Equity and Inclusion, serving as interim director and Title IX coordinator from May 2018 to December 2019 and as senior associate director of the office from 2015-16.

Before joining the University, she was an attorney at a law firm in New Orleans, handling all aspects of commercial transactions, and spent two years as a human resources consultant in higher education. Conley is a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association and the National Association of College and University Attorneys. She earned her undergraduate degree at Fairleigh-Dickinson University and a law degree from Tulane Law School. Currently she is pursuing her MBA in UD’s Lerner College of Business and Economics.

Trevor A. Dawes reports to the Provost and works closely with administrator, faculty and students to provide leadership and resources that enhance research, learning and service at the University. He oversees University libraries, including the flagship Morris Library, as well as the University of Delaware Press and University Museums, which includes the Old College and Mechanical Hall art galleries and the Mineralogical Museum in Penny Hall. 

 

Formerly Associate University Librarian at Washington University in St. Louis, he previously held positions at the Princeton University Library and the Columbia University Libraries. Active in library and information services professional organizations, he earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology at Columbia University, a master’s degree in educational administration and educational leadership from Columbia University Teachers College and a master’s degree in library sciences from Rutgers University.

 

James Dicker, Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations, is responsible for promoting a culture of philanthropy throughout the University community and beyond and for enhancing connections of alumni to their alma mater.

Before joining UD, he served for three years as Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Temple University, leading the alumni relations and development teams. Previously, he served for 12 years as Vice President of Development and College Relations at Lafayette College, where he was responsible for strategic planning and oversight of a $400 million comprehensive capital campaign.

Under his leadership, Lafayette’s development effort won 2012 and 2013 Circle of Excellence Awards for Education Fundraising from CASE, the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. He earned his bachelor’s degree in government and law at Lafayette. 

As the University's chief legal counsel, Angela Downin is responsible for the management and supervision of all legal affairs for the University.

Reporting to the President, Downin serves as principal legal advisor to the Board of Trustees, the President, and senior staff on litigation, regulatory, and contract matters.

George Irvine is associate vice provost for the Division of Professional and Continuing Studies. He has extensive experience building partnerships between universities and businesses in order to catalyze organizational and economic development. At the UD Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics, Irvine extended the college’s research-based knowledge to the Mid-Atlantic business community via executive education programs. In prior positions at UD and the University of North Carolina, he managed international education and technical assistance projects in partnership with U.S. government agencies and corporate foundations.

Irvine earned his Ph.D. in urban affairs and public policy from the University of Delaware. His teaching and research interests include research university publicness, international development public policy, corporate social responsibility and environmental policy. He has work and travel experience in 25 countries on four continents and is proficient in German and French.

Kim Isett currently serves as the vice provost for academic programs and university initiatives. In this role she supports academic program development, the academic program reviews of all academic units across campus, and university-wide cross-college units such as the Center for Teaching and Assessment (CTAL) and the Office of Sustainability. Her academic leadership experience has spanned programmatic and research foci. She has served as associate dean for research and the director of the health policy and management concentration of the Master of Public Health at UD’s Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration. At Georgia Tech, she served as director of graduate studies in the School of Public Policy, overseeing four masters and Ph.D. programs, and while at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health she served on the schoolwide curriculum coordinating committee.

Her research focuses on institutional pressures and dynamics in implementing government services, with a particular interest in the delivery of services to vulnerable populations, and the use of evidence in public decision-making. She has been the PI or co-PI on numerous federal and foundation grants and participated in the MacArthur Foundation’s Mental Health Policy Research Network (2002-2008) as a network associate. Prior to joining the University of Delaware, Dr. Isett was on faculty at Georgia Tech, Columbia University, and Texas A&M, and completed a NIMH-sponsored post doc at UNC-Chapel Hill. She holds a Ph.D. in management (organization theory) and an MPA (health and human services policy) from the University of Arizona's Eller College of Management, and a Bachelor of Arts in international relations from Ursinus College in Collegeville, PA.

Matt Kinservik is Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, charged with ensuring that the University recruits, nurtures and retains high quality faculty. He joined UD’s English faculty in 1997, specializing in 18th-century British literature. He has served in a number of administrative roles, including director of graduate studies and chair of the Department of English and, since 2011, associate dean for the humanities in the College of Arts and Sciences.

A member of the Path to Prominence Strategic Planning Committee, Kinservik currently co-chairs the new Strategic Planning Initiative’s Working Group on “Models for the New American Research University.” He has served on the executive committee of the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture and on the board of the University of Delaware Press. He holds a bachelor's degree in English and political science and a master's degree in English from the University of Wisconsin Madison, and a doctorate in English from Penn State University.

Peter Krawchyk Vice President for Facilities, Real Estate and Auxiliary Services and University Architect, is responsible for campus design, construction, maintenance and operations, custodial services, financial services and, working with senior leadership, the strategic development of the Science, Technology and Research (STAR) Campus. He also leads enterprises including the UD Barnes and Noble Bookstore, Dining Services, Hotel and Conference Services, Parking and Transportation, Real Estate and Printing.

Previously, Krawchyk has served as the University Architect and Director of Planning and Project Delivery since July 2015. Earlier he was the University Architect and Campus Planner from 2012-15 and Director of Facilities Planning and Construction from 2010-12. Before that, Krawchyk served as a Senior Associate at Ayers Saint Gross from 2008-10 and as Associate Director of Facilities Planning and Construction at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 1998-2008. He earned his master of arts degree from Duke University and a master of architecture degree from North Carolina State University.

 

Kelvin Lee serves as Interim Vice President for Research, Scholarship and Innovation, with responsibility for advancing the University's research enterprise, including oversight of six University-wide research institutes. 

Lee is is Gore Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at UD and institute director for the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL). A member of the UD faculty since 2007, Lee is known for his impact on U.S. innovation policy in Washington, D.C., his work to catalyze advanced manufacturing innovation in the United States and his impact on diverse technical areas including proteomic methods, Alzheimer's disease diagnosis and biopharmaceutical manufacturing. He has six patents and one more pending.

As Vice President for Enrollment Management, Rodney Morrison has responsibility for identifying, attracting, admitting, yielding and retaining students. He oversees the offices of Admissions, the Registrar and Student Financial Services and works with other senior administrators, faculty, staff and students to integrate operational and strategic enrollment management initiatives across the campus.

Before joining UD in 2019, he served as Associate Provost for Enrollment and Retention Management at Stony Brook University. He also has worked in enrollment management at the Camden Campus of Rutgers University, Mount Mary College, the Wharton School, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Rochester.

Christine (Chrissi) Rawak is Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation Services. Before coming to UD, she spent more than a decade in athletics at the University of Michigan, where she oversaw external relations and strategic initiatives.

Previously she spent seven years in Michigan’s Office of University Development as the Assistant Vice President of Talent Management and Development Operations. From 1998-2004, she was Director of Personnel and Business Resources in the Office of Alumni Relations and Development at Northwestern University.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in sports management and communications from Michigan and a master’s degree in communication from Northwestern. 

José-Luis Riera serves as Vice President for Student Life, after serving as Interim Vice President since 2017. He joined UD in 2010 as Associate Dean of Students and was named Dean of Students in 2014.

His career in higher education includes a variety of experiences and progressive responsibilities in student affairs, including positions in student life at University of Maryland College Park, Drexel University and Colorado State University. A graduate of Muhlenberg College, he earned a master of science degree in student affairs from Colorado State University and his doctorate in college student personnel administration from the University of Maryland. 

Aimee Turner began her career working in public accounting, went on to become chief financial officer and treasurer at the J. Craig Venter Institute. She then moved to senior level positions in accounting and finance at peer institutions, including as the associate vice president and university controller at Cornell University and university controller at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Since 2018, Turner has served as chief financial officer of the Duke Clinical Research Institute, the largest academic clinical research organization and part of the Duke University School of Medicine.

She earned her bachelor of science degree in accounting from Frostburg State University with a minor in psychology and holds a CPA license in Maryland and North Carolina.

Michael L. Vaughan serves as Vice Provost for Equity and works to advance the University’s academic mission and goals in the areas of diversity, equity, inclusion and human rights by leading efforts to define, assess and cultivate equity as both an institutional value and an academic priority. He is a senior adviser to the Vice President for Institutional Equity/CDO and the University Provost on matters of equity, diversity, inclusion and social justice and collaborates with campus leaders and others on initiatives designed to support UD's overall academic equity, diversity, inclusion and social justice efforts.

With more than 25 years of academic administrative experience at UD, he previously served as Associate Dean for Engineering Undergraduate Education, managing overall college-level undergraduate academic infrastructure and processes. He also holds a secondary faculty appointment as an Instructor in the College of Engineering.

Vaughan received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from North Carolina A&T State University, and he completed his Ph.D. in civil engineering at UD.

Dana Veron, associate provost for faculty development, is responsible for facilitating the ongoing development of programs and policies that increase faculty success as they navigate their careers at UD. She joined the faculty of the School of Marine Science and Policy in 2006, focusing on the impact of changing surface conditions on regional climate.

During her time at UD, she has served in several leadership positions, including the director of the environmental science and management graduate program, director of environmental studies, director of the climate scholars’ program, director of environmental science, director of First State Marine Wind, Director of the Gerald J. Mangone Climate Change Science and Policy Hub and as associate chair of the Department of Geography and Spatial Sciences. A former co-director of UD’s Faculty Achievement Program, Veron has significant experience supporting peer-mentoring in small group settings, creating and implementing faculty professional development workshops focused on work-life synergy, time management, and preparation of dossier materials for evaluation, promotion, and tenure. She has served as member and chair of the Faculty Senate’s Student and Faculty Honors Committee and as a member of the Provost’s Task Force on Equity in Promotion. She holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from the State University of New York, College at Geneseo, and a doctorate in oceanography from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego.

Chris Williams is associate provost and academic director for the Office of Sustainability, charged with promoting and growing interdisciplinary research, partnerships and engagement in sustainability across colleges, developing implementation and assessment plans, coordinating sustainability and fundraising goals and communicating milestones related to the academic foundation of UD’s sustainability strengths in coordination with University partners.

He has served in several shared governance roles including two terms as Faculty Senate president and two terms as Sustainability Council chair.

Chris joined UD's Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources in 2004 and holds a joint appointment in the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy & Administration. He is also the inaugural director of the endowed Waterfowl and Upland Gamebird Center primarily researching duck and goose ecology. He holds two bachelor’s degrees in Zoology and Botany from Miami University and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Members of the Board of Trustees

 

Officers of the Board

Terri L. Kelly, Chair
William M. Lafferty, Vice Chair
Terence M. Murphy, Vice Chair
Kathleen V. Hawkins, Secretary/Treasurer

 

Ex Officio Members

John Carney, Governor of the State of Delaware
James Correll,  Master of the State Grange
Dennis Assanis, President of the University
Shawn Brittingham, President of the State Board of Education 

Elected and Appointed Members

Carol A. Ammon 

Guy F. Marcozzi

Christopher W. Baker

Nicolas M. Marsini Jr.

Allison Burris Castellanos

John W. Paradee

John R. Cochran    

Claudia Peña Porretti

Joan F. Coker

Donald J. Puglisi

Beth Cooper

Robert F. Rider Jr.

Claire DeMatteis

Edmond J. Sannini

William J. DiMondi

Sean X. Wang

Donna M. Fontana

Kenneth C. Whitney

Nisha Lodhavia

 

 

 

 

Trustees Emeriti

Howard E. Cosgrove
Robert A. Fischer Jr.

Leadership | University of Delaware