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The following biographies have been provided by the candidates.
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Governors State University, Chicago, Illinois
Dr. Deborah E. Bordelon is the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Governors State University in the suburbs of Chicago. She oversees all academic and student affairs units at the university and serves as the chief executive officer in the absence of the President. She led faculty and staff in preparing for the inaugural freshman class (2014) and in the development of an award-winning four-year structured undergraduate program. She oversaw the organization of the first residence hall as a living/learning community and the initiation of a competitive athletics program. She recently led a successful mid-cycle review by the Higher Learning Commission. She chairs the Vision 2020 Strategic Planning Steering Committee, the Academic Master Plan Committee, and co-chairs the Planning and Budget Advisory Council. During her academic career, she has served as a faculty member and administrator in both public and private universities. These settings include both union and non-union environments, all focusing on serving traditional and nontraditional undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students. Dr. Bordelon firmly believes in the importance of community engagement and partnerships. She is actively engaged with K-12 schools, businesses, not-for-profit agencies, and health care institutions. Dr. Bordelon holds a Ph.D. in Special Education, an M.Ed. in Literacy Curriculum and Instruction, and a B.A. in Elementary Education, all from the University of New Orleans. In addition, Dr. Bordelon has participated in several executive leadership development programs including the Management and Leadership in Education Institute at Harvard; American Council on Education-Office of Women in Higher Education – 77th National Leadership Forum on Women Administrators; and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education – Development for Deans. She is currently participating in the Executive Leadership Academy sponsored by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and the Council of Independent Colleges. A life-long champion of the arts, she is a Board member of Tall Grass, a local arts organization, and is committed to the integration of the visual and performing arts into campus life.
General Counsel and Vice President for Administration, Salem State University, Salem, Massachusetts
A lifelong resident of Salem and former Massachusetts state representative, John Keenan was one of the lead proponents in gaining “university” status for Salem State in 2010. A proud product of Salem Public Schools and first-generation-to college, John is a cum laude graduate of Harvard College (Economics) and Suffolk University Law School where he served as Lead Articles Editor on the Law Review. Prior to his election as state representative, John served as an assistant district attorney for Essex County and as city solicitor for the city of Salem. John joined Salem State in 2014, and as the university’s inaugural General Counsel, he is responsible for oversight of all legal matters. Additionally, John is responsible for the university’s day-to-day operations in support of its academic mission. He has oversight of capital planning and facilities, human resources and equal opportunity, information technology, risk and asset management, and university police. Lastly, he oversees the maintenance of appropriate internal controls consistent with the rules and regulations of the state and the board of trustees. John resides in Salem with his wife, Kara McLaughlin, and their two children, Aidan and Erin. An avid bike rider in the summer, John has participated in the Pan Mass Challenge for the last quarter century raising over $160,000 for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
President and Founder, The Micaela Group
Dr. Anny Morrobel-Sosa most recently served as Provost and Senior Vice-President of Academic Affairs at Lehman College, City University of New York (CUNY). She developed CUNY’s first reverse-transfer program for the three CUNY institutions in the Bronx and then co-led the formalization of the program throughout the entire CUNY system. Lehman’s first stand-alone doctoral program (Doctorate of Nursing Practice) was completed and approved under her tenure. As Dean of the College of Science at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), Dr. Morrobel-Sosa proposed and established the College Office of Undergraduate Research Initiatives (COURI), which was later expanded and renamed as the Campus Office of Undergraduate Research Initiatives. Dr. Morrobel-Sosa oversaw the completion and final approval of six new degree programs at UTEP (2 PhD, 1 MS, and 3 BS degrees) and proposed a fast-track program for graduate study that led to the development of professional science master’s program composed of two graduate certificates, one in science and the other in a different discipline. Prior faculty and administrative positions include: Dean of the Allen E. Paulson College of Science and Technology at Georgia Southern University, professor of Materials Engineering at California Polytechnic State University, and assistant professor of Chemistry at the University of Alabama. A native of the Dominican Republic, Dr. Morrobel-Sosa is the first in her family to attend college. Having broken several barriers in holding some of the academic and administrative posts at the institutions where she served, Dr. Morrobel-Sosa founded The Micaela Group, a firm committed to the development and advancement of women and underrepresented minorities in academia, especially in STEM disciplines. Dr. Morrobel-Sosa received a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Southern California, M.Sc. in Chemistry from the State University of New York – Stony Brook, and a B.Sc. in Chemistry from the University of Puerto Rico – Rio Piedras.
Salem State Presidential Finalists Campus Interview Schedule