Profiles

Chinyere Oparah is an experienced leader with over 30 years of administrative experience in higher education and the nonprofit sector, including the roles of dean, provost, and vice president for academic affairs. Oparah founded the Center for Liberated Leadership and the FreeToLead blog to connect and resource equity-oriented leaders. As a certified executive coach, she […]

Megan Halteman Zwart is currently provost and vice president at Saint Mary’s College (IN). Before serving in this role, Halteman Zwart was associate professor and chair of the department of philosophy at Saint Mary’s. She also founded and directed The Dialogue Project, a collection of programs supporting dialogue across difference at Saint Mary’s College. Her […]

Irshad Manji is the founder of Moral Courage College, which equips people worldwide to turn heated issues into healthy conversations and sustained teamwork. The recipient of Oprah’s “Chutzpah Award” for boldness, Manji is also an internationally bestselling author. Her latest book is Don’t Label Me: How to Do Diversity Without Inflaming the Culture Wars. Formerly […]

Amelia Parnell is an accomplished higher education executive and an internationally recognized thought leader. She is a passionate advocate for higher education as a tool for personal advancement and impact, and she seeks opportunities to partner with organizations and individuals who share her sincere commitment to centering students’ needs. In her prior role as vice […]

Bineta Barry joined CIC in 2025 and is the manager of accounting and finance. In this role, she oversees financial operations and reporting, supports compliance and audit processes, and contributes to the stewardship of CIC’s financial resources. Prior to joining CIC, she served as a staff accountant at the National Park Foundation and brings over […]

Larry Roper is a professor emeritus in the School of Language, Culture, and Society and coordinator of both the college student services administration program and the social justice minor at Oregon State University. Previously he served as vice provost for student affairs, and before that as director of housing, associate dean of students, coordinator of […]

A dedicated higher education professional, Jessica Doyle serves as the international student specialist within the Division of Civic and Global Engagement at Arcadia University (PA). Before joining Arcadia in 2022, she worked in various capacities to enhance the academic and cultural experiences of students from diverse backgrounds, including as the dean of student life at […]

Alicia Jackson joined CIC in 2025 and is the membership services and tuition exchange program manager. In this role, she is primarily responsible for operationalizing CIC’s membership engagement strategy, the administration of CIC’s membership billing processes, and maintaining the member database. She also oversees the Tuition Exchange Program. Before joining CIC, Jackson served as the membership […]

Jenny Xia Spradling is the co-founder and co-CEO of FreeWill, a nonprofit technology provider that makes it easy for charities to fundraise through planned giving, tax-efficient giving (crypto, stocks, DAF, QCDs), and grant fundraising. FreeWill has grown to be the largest provider of estate planning in the US. By making it easy and free for […]

Carolyn Sloane Mata is a higher education consultant working mostly with private, not-for-profit colleges and their state associations (GA, LA, NC, OR, SC and TX). Bringing 20 years of higher education experience as a faculty member, college administrator, and association executive, her expertise lies in the areas of policy, institutional research, and institutional effectiveness. She […]