Presidential Sponsor
State Directors
State Leadership
Leadership
Anne Houtman
President
Earlham College
Anne is an educator, scientist, author and higher education leader. She became the 20th president of Earlham College and the Earlham School of Religion on July 1, 2019.
Anne came to Earlham from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, where she served as provost and vice president for academic affairs. She holds a doctorate from the University of Oxford in zoology and a master’s degree in anthropology from UCLA. She earned her bachelor of arts degree from Pomona College. She is a Quaker and the first woman to serve as President of Earlham College.
Previously, Anne served as dean of the School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering at California State University Bakersfield and as Head and Professor at the Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences at Rochester Institute of Technology. Earlier in her career, she held faculty positions at California State University Fullerton, Soka University of America and Knox College. She has authored numerous textbooks and articles on scientific and pedagogical topics. She is currently a trustee of the College Board.
Paaige K. Turner (Ph.D. Purdue University). Dr. Turner serves as Dean of the College of Communication, Information, and Media, Professor in the Department of Communication Studies, president of the Organization for the Study of Communication, Language and Gender (OSCLG), and principal associate in Communication Resource Associates, LLC. She is an experienced higher education administrator, communication teacher/scholar and organizational consultant with an extensive background in strategic planning, assessment, recruitment and mentoring, education technology, budget management, group facilitation, change management, and international education. As an award winning teacher-scholar, she has published over 30 chapters and articles in the area of organizational communication, specifically on topics of internationalization, organizational socialization, customer satisfaction, gender, midwifery and birth, breastfeeding, and the body. Most recently she was an associate editor for the International Handbook of Organizational Communication that received the NCA Organizational Communication Division 2017 Edited Book Award.
Dr. Laura Treanor serves as the Provost of Vincennes University. She has over 30 years of diverse and exemplary college leadership experience in the areas of campus administration, strategic planning, academic and student affairs programming, fiscal management, resource development, and business, community and K-16 partnerships – all with a clear and consistent focus on equity, access and student success.
She is a passionate and dedicated leader with a professional history of rich experiences across a variety of higher education settings and roles. A staunch advocate for instructional quality and student success, Dr. Treanor has held the positions of faculty, Dean, Vice President for Academics, Associate Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness and Provost.
Dr. Treanor has a proven record of collaborative change management, transparent communication and shared governance. She is a respected leader, mentor and teacher. She earned a Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction from Virginia Tech University and holds a Master of Education from the Ohio State University and a Bachelor of Science from Virginia Tech.
Dr. Sarah Alderfer
Dr. Sarah Alderfer is the Director of the Center for the Advancement of Faculty Excellence at Vincennes University. Prior to her position as Director, she was a Professor of English at VU and served as the department chair for nine years.
Sarah earned her Ph.D. in English literature from the University of Illinois, specializing in Restoration and 18th Century British literature. She earned her MA in English literature from Old Dominion University and her BA in English from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
Charlene Alexander
Chief Strategy Officer
Ball State University
Dr. Charlene Alexander serves as Ball State University’s Chief Strategy Officer where she is responsible for helping the University execute the imperatives outlined in its strategic plan. Dr. Alexander also oversees Ball State’s Offices of Institutional Research and Decision Support, Community Engagement, and Inclusive Excellence.
Throughout her career, Dr. Alexander has been a champion for initiatives related to diversity and inclusion. She formerly served at Ball State as a professor in the Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services—where she directed the School Counseling program for 16 years—and as Associate Provost for Diversity and Interim Associate Vice President for Community Engagement.
Under her leadership, Ball State developed its first Diversity Strategic Plan and released its first statement on the Importance of Diversity and Inclusion. Dr. Alexander’s efforts led to Ball State receiving the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award for the first time in 2016.
Prior to returning to Ball State, Dr. Alexander spent four years at Oregon State University, where she served as Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer. She holds a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and an M.S. in Counseling and Guidance and a B.A. in Psychology from Creighton University.
Dr. Champa is a creative and results-driven leader with 18 years of experience developing, implementing and managing fundraising strategies. Prior to her role at CTS, she served on Earlham College’s senior leadership team, where she was responsible for the strategic leadership and oversight of all university advancement functions, including campaign and major gift fundraising, annual giving, corporate and foundation relations, stewardship and advancement administration, as well as alumnae/i relations and special events. Prior to her appointment at Earlham, Dr. Champa served as Associate Vice President for Alumni Engagement and Director of School of Music Development at DePauw University. Dr. Champa holds her Bachelor of Music degree from DePauw and a Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degree from University of Illinois at Champaign – Urbana.
Dana Cummings
Vice President for Institutional Advancement, Franklin College
Dana S. Cummings is a higher education fundraising and advancement leader with nearly two decades of experience, and currently serves as Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Franklin College. In her role, Dana oversees all development, alumni engagement, and communications functions for the institution.
In her time at Franklin, Dana has led the team to several back-to-back record-breaking fundraising years, including a successful conclusion to the $10 million Science Campaign, multiple successful 24-hour giving day campaigns, and unprecedented levels of fundraising reached in unrestricted giving for three consecutive years.
Dana is an alumna of DePauw University, majoring in anthropology and receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1999. She also went on to receive a Master of Public Affairs (MPA) degree in 2005 from the IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs, and her Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) credential in 2014 from the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). Currently, Dana is a doctoral student in Creighton University’s EdD program, and is scheduled to defend her dissertation in 2024.
Dana and her husband live on 20 acres outside of Franklin, Indiana, with their three children, where they happily raise Katahdin sheep and chickens.
Anna Groff
Assistant Professor of Communication and Director of Communication Adult Degree Completion, Goshen College
Anna M. Groff is assistant professor of communication and director of the communication adult degree completion degree at Goshen College. Anna has 10 year of experience in journalism and serving as a magazine editor, as well as six years of experience as executive director of a faith-based nonprofit.
She has a Master of Public Administration with a nonprofit management focus from Arizona State University. At Goshen College, she directs the annual oratorical contest, serves as an advisor on the Sexual Misconduct Response Team, and is a committee member of the Atlee and Winifred Beecy Peace, Justice and Reconciliation Lectureship, among other responsibilities.
Starting fall 2024, she will assume the roles of faculty advisor for the independent student newspaper, The Record, and faculty coordinator of the Prevention Intervention Network. Anna lives in downtown Goshen, Indiana, with her spouse and two school-aged children.
Tabitha Hardy
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Graduate Education, Assistant Dean for Student Development and Academic Affairs, Indiana University, Indianapolis
Dr. Tabitha Hardy is the assistant vice chancellor for graduate education and assistant dean for student development and academic affairs at the IU Graduate School in Indianapolis. Dr. Hardy is the youngest of ten and the first in her family to attain a college degree.
Dr. Hardy has successfully navigated academia as a first-generation minority female in STEM at both minority and majority serving institutions. Hardy received her BS in Biology Education from Alcorn State University, her Master’s in Biology from Jackson State University and earned her Ph.D. from Indiana University School of Medicine in Microbiology and Immunology.
Dionne B. Jackson, Ed.D.
Vice President for Institutional Equity (VPIE) and Title IX Coordinator
DePauw University
Dr. Dionne Jackson has 25 years of professional experience in the field of education. She currently serves as the Vice President for Institutional Equity and Title IX Coordinator for DePauw University
in Greencastle, Indiana. As a member of the President’s cabinet, she provides strategic, university-wide leadership for compliance, belonging, and engagement.
Her additional experience as an executive leader includes roles in government and the non-profit sector. She served as the inaugural Chief Equity Officer for the Mayor’s Office of the City of Little
Rock, Arkansas and as the Executive Director of AR Kids Read. Additionally, she began her career in higher education at her alma mater, Hendrix College. Her roles there spanned academic success to
serving as the inaugural Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion/Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) and as a tenured Associate Professor of Education.
Dionne earned her Ed.D. from Baylor University, in Waco, Texas, a MSE at the University of Central Arkansas and her BA from Hendrix College, both in Conway, Arkansas. She is a co-founder of the Arkansas Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Network, a board member of the Oscar Washington Jr. Educational Fund and Main Street Greencastle, and a trustee at Ottawa University located in Ottawa, Kansas and Surprise, Arizona.
Dr. Jennifer Palilonis
Distinguished Professor of Multi-media Journalism
Ball State University
Dr. Jennifer Palilonis is the George and Frances Ball Distinguished Professor of Multimedia Journalism and a full professor in the School of Journalism and Strategic Communication. She also serves as the Director of the Center for Emerging Media Design and Development (EMDD). She is known for her creative and innovative endeavors. In 2017, Dr. Palilonis and her students deployed a global social media campaign to engage young people in the value of water. The work was recognized by the Vatican, and she and EMDD students were invited to lead a three-day workshop on water issues during the Vatican’s World Water Day. She and her students also have worked with the Professor Garfield Foundation, building a digital literacy curriculum for children K-5, and she leads the David Letterman Learning Experience, an ongoing interdisciplinary immersive learning project focused on intersections between technology, art, and storytelling. Garfield Creator Jim Davis and former late-night talk show host David Letterman are Ball State alumni. Other project collaborations have been with The Indiana State Museum, Circle of Blue, USA Volleyball.
Dr. Palilonis’ fields of professional specialization are design thinking, human-computer interaction, cross-platform storytelling, visual journalism, information graphics reporting, art direction, redesign, visual rhetoric, e-learning, digital publishing, research-informed design and development, human-computer interaction and interaction design. She is the former education director for the Society for News Design and former head of the Visual Communications division of the Association for Educators in Journalism and Mass Communication.
Patti Pelletier
Executive Director of Academic Administration, Purdue University Global
Patti Pelletier is the Executive Director of Academic Administration for Purdue University Global. She leads Faculty Operations, Student Life, and the Academic Success Center teams. Patti holds a doctorate of educational leadership with a specialization in curriculum and instruction, along with a master of arts in early childhood education and a master of arts in higher education administration. Her bachelor’s degree is in business administration.
She has been in the education field since 1977 and with Purdue University Global since 2009.
Assistant Professor, Computer Science & Software Engineering, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology,
Visiting Assistant Professor, Online Data Science Program, Indiana University
Google Women TechMakers Ambassador
Chair, Advances in Teaching and Learning Technologies, Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences
President and Co-Founder, Scrivner Solutions Inc
Dr. Scrivner has successfully navigated her career following her passion for teaching and learning. She obtained her first Master’s in Philology (State University, Saint Petersburg, Russia), her Ph.D. in Computational and French Linguistics at Indiana University, and her second Master’s in Computer Science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
She speaks fluently 5 languages and she also circumnavigated all 7 continents on board Ocean Explorer where she met her future Hoosier husband.
Ying Shang
Dean of Talwar College of Engineering and Computer Sciences, Indiana Tech
Ying is an educator, engineer, author, and high education leader. She is currently the dean of Talwar College of Engineering and Computer Sciences at Indiana Tech.
Prior to joining Indiana Tech, Ying was the first female engineering dean of its College of Engineering and Computer Science and professor from 2018 to 2021. During her tenure, she built strong industry and community partnerships, developed new academic programs, established numerous articulation agreements with international institutions, built alternative revenue models for the college through industry-sponsored research and projects, launched a technology transfer and commercialization engine, improved philanthropy and fundraising and worked to enhance diversity and inclusion at the university.
Prior to her work at Evansville, Ying spent 12 years at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, starting as an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and ultimately rising to become its chair. As the department chair, she fostered faculty growth in teaching and research, secured ABET accreditation, spearheaded the launch of the university accelerator and improved industry partnerships. Ying also served as the faculty advisor for the Society of Women Engineers Student Chapter at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville from 2007 to 2015 and initiated the first annual Introduce a Girl to Engineering event, which has grown to attract hundreds of middle school girls each year.
Ying earned her B.S. in Control Science from Shandong University in Jinan, China, and her M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame. Ying’s research expertise includes discrete-event control systems and hybrid systems with applications in communication networks, transportation systems, and manufacturing systems. She is a professional member of the American Society of Engineering Education, the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, and the Society of Women Engineers.
Suzanne Summers
Fellow
Gardner Institute
Suzanne Wilson Summers has spent her higher education career in access-oriented two- and four-year institutions that serve diverse students. Currently, she is a Fellow at the Gardner Institute, a national nonprofit committed to eliminating educational achievement gaps. Previously, she served as a faculty member and administrator and an ACE Fellow. She began her own higher educational journey as a community college transfer student ultimately completing a Ph.D. in U.S./Latin American history at the University of Texas at Austin and a graduate certificate in Designing for Organizational Effectiveness at Northwestern University. She writes frequently about higher education issues. An Army veteran, she and her husband raise a family of four-legged “kids” in Brown County.
Susan Thomas
Interim Dean of Library Services
Indiana University South Bend
Ms. Susan Thomas is the Interim Dean of Library Services at Indiana University South Bend. Susan has 30 years of varied leadership experience working in academic libraries. Before her current position at IU South Bend, Susan served as the Facilitator for Reference Services and Archivist (1995-1997) at Valdosta State University (Georgia), the Assistant Head of the Regents Center Library, and Bibliographer for Social Welfare at the University of Kansas/Edwards Campus, and as a Medical Reference Librarian at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Library. In these roles, Susan has participated and led successful change initiatives, strategic plans, facility master plans, and grant applications through a participative leadership mindset. She endeavors to support students and has been part of several successful initiatives focused on student success.
Susan has held elected and appointed leadership roles in professional associations and recently completed a six-year term as the Monographs Acquisition Editor for one of the professional associations. She holds a B.A. in Psychology, a Master’s in Library and Information Science, and a Master’s in Public Affairs from Indiana University.
Dr. Vendrely serves as the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Academic Dean at Goshen College, where she is also a Professor of Kinesiology. She has over 20 years of experience in higher education in both faculty and administrative roles, including as teaching faculty, program coordinator, department chair, associate provost, and chief academic officer. She is a licensed physical therapist with over 10 years of healthcare experience. She believes in the importance of creating opportunities for women, supporting collaboration and inclusion.
