Profiles

Stephanie Herseth Sandlin was inaugurated as the president of Augustana University in 2017. Prior to becoming president of Augustana, Sandlin was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from South Dakota. After serving four terms in Congress, Sandlin went on to practice law in Washington, DC. She returned to South Dakota in 2012 to serve […]

L. Song Richardson is an educator, legal scholar, and lawyer who became Colorado College’s president in 2021. Previously, Richardson was the dean at the University of California, Irvine School of Law. Her recognitions include the Association of American Law Schools’ Derrick Bell Award and the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association’s Trailblazer Award. Richardson serves […]

Elfred Anthony Pinkard is president in residence at the Council of Independent Colleges. Previously he was president of Wilberforce University from 2018 to 2023. Earlier he served as executive vice president and provost at Wilberforce University, and as executive vice president and chief operating officer at Johnson C. Smith University. He also served as executive […]

Robin E. Baker became president of George Fox University in Oregon in 2007. He previously served eight years as the university’s provost. Before his time at George Fox, Baker served as senior vice president of Grand Canyon University, assistant professor of history at John Brown University, and assistant professor of history at Wheaton College (IL).

Kevin Cavanagh is the former vice president for institutional integration at Bloomfield College. He previously served as the chief enrollment officer of four other institutions: Iona University, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the College of New Rochelle, and Manhattan College. In addition to his enrollment management positions, Cavanagh was the executive vice […]

​Matt Trainum joined CIC in 2022 as the inaugural vice president for networks and strategic partnerships. In this role, Trainum focuses on strengthening CIC’s current networks (including the Online Course Sharing Consortium, NetVUE, the Tuition Exchange Program, and the State Councils network) and exploring new opportunities for CIC members. Trainum previously was a senior consultant […]

Matt Gerien is a communications and marketing strategist with experience in executive communications, issues management and public affairs. He provides strategic counsel to higher education presidents, boards, and senior leaders. He joined the RW Jones Agency in 2021 after working as the chief communications officer at Rhodes College, where he managed strategic communications, marketing and […]

Dorothy A. Escribano currently serves as interim provost and senior vice president of academic affairs at SUNY Old Westbury. Her previous roles include administrative fellow, training fellow graduate students teaching elementary and intermediate Spanish courses at Brown University; lecturer at the University of Rhode Island; tenured faculty member and, subsequently, associate vice president and vice […]

Teresa Valerio Parrot is the founder and principal of TVP Communications, a public relations agency solely focused on higher education. Valerio Parrot helps higher education executives connect with new audiences, manage a crisis situation, build thought leadership awareness, and communicate institutional values. She is co-host of the Trusted Voices Podcast, co-editor of Call to Action […]

Bethany Miller is the director of institutional research and assessment at Macalester College (MN). Her work creates a foundation for collaboration to build shared understanding and use data to support student and institutional success. With a focus on equity and inclusion along with assessment, she has published, presented, and consulted, building on her professional experiences […]