Profiles

Dr. Mary Dana Hinton is the 13th president of Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia, and President Emerita of the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota. An active and respected proponent of the liberal arts and inclusion, her leadership reflects a deep and abiding commitment to educational equity and the education of women. Hinton […]

Michael Porter is a partner at Miller Nash LLP and is a member of the firm’s employment law and labor relations and education law practice teams. He works with public and private employers in all areas of labor and employment law, providing strategic advice and counsel to address and reduce risk of employment claims in […]

Jeff Musellleads the sales efforts for Multiple Employer Plans (MEP) at TIAA. He helps clients in the nonprofit, education, government, and healthcare market segments define their MEP strategy and narrative. He often serves as a front-line product expert for the TIAA community. Prior to joining TIAA, Jeff helped educate shareholders and participants on mutual funds […]

Shawn M. Hartman joined Academic Search in 2014. In his current role as senior vice president and chief operating officer, he oversees the day-to-day operations of the firm. As part of his broad responsibilities, he has supervised hundreds of searches across the country, ensuring that the proper resources are dedicated to each partnership and serving […]

A higher education professional since 2002, Emma Jones acts as a resource for leaders of higher education organizations and institutions around the country, bringing what Credo learns through its work to the marketplace in ways that inspire change and action. Her relationships with state-wide and national higher education associations build bridges for mutual learning and […]

Cara Giacomini is the vice president of data, research, and technology for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). In this role, she leads CASE Insights—a primary resource and service provider for data, benchmarking, analytics, and original research to the educational advancement community worldwide—launched by CASE in 2018. Before starting at CASE, she […]

Eden Wales is academic vice president, dean of faculty, and professor of arts and science at Colby-Sawyer College (NH). Previously, she served as vice president for academic affairs, dean of faculty, and professor of English at Clarke University (IA); vice provost for academic affairs and associate professor at Saint Mary’s University (MN); and dean of […]

Simone Smith joined CIC in February 2024 as the director of sponsorships. In this role, she is responsible for the cultivation, recruitment, and management of sponsorship relationships with companies providing services to independent colleges and universities and supporting CIC activities, as well as managing existing, and securing additional, multi-year agreements. Prior to joining CIC, Smith […]

Ellen Peters joined CIC in 2024 as the director of strategic research and assessment. In this role, she provides leadership for CIC’s member engagement initiatives, utilizing data to make informed decisions about future programing and offerings to current and prospective members. Prior to joining CIC, Peters was the associate provost for institutional research, planning, and […]

Gerald Griffin is provost at Hope College (MI). Griffin joined the Hope faculty in 2015 as a member of both the departments of biology and psychology. Prior to his current appointment, he served as neuroscience program director, associate provost, and interim provost. Griffin is an accomplished scholar whose research interests primarily focus on the reciprocal […]