Leadership Searches

Pacific University is seeking outstanding leaders to serve on the President's Council and advance our mission of inspiring students who think, care, create, and pursue justice in the world. 

Vice President for Finance & Administration

Finalists will be on campus Feb. 15 and Feb. 16. Faculty and staff are invited to attend the open forums to meet the finalists for the role of vice president for finance & administration at Pacific University. This is an excellent opportunity to get to know the candidates and provide valuable feedback in the hiring process. During each forum, a candidate will share key financial trends, areas of opportunity, and insights into how Pacific might be able to respond to the changing higher education landscape. Presentations will be 20 to 25 minutes, followed by time for questions.

Brandon Gatke is filling this role in an interim capacity. Amy Eaton, vice president of university advancement, is chairing the search committee which includes the following members:

  • Amy Eaton, Search Committee Chair, Vice President of University Advancement
  • Mark Bailey, Professor of Education, Director, Early Child Learning and Development Center, College of Education
  • Fan Chen, Associate Professor of Finance, College of Business; University Finance Committee
  • Amy Coplen, Director, School of Dental Hygiene Studies, College of Health Professions
  • Natona Derleth, Staff Senator; Area Coordinator, Enrollment Management and Student Affairs
  • Lucy S. Dubin , Vice President of Human Resources
  • Jamie Haag, Associate Professor of Economics, College of Arts & Sciences
  • Fraser Horn, Dean, College of Optometry
  • Martin Moll, Trustee, Pacific University Board of Trustees
  • Katie Morgan , Senior Business Analyst-Project Manager, UIS
  • Cindy Schuppert, Director of Facilities Management & CPS
  • Renee Vanzant, Director of Student Accounts, Business Office
  • Rachel Cadd, Committee Staff Support, Executive Assistant to Development & University Advancement
  • Karla Staihar, Committee Staff Support, Chief of Staff

Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs

Current Provost and Vice President Ann Barr-Gillespie has announced her plans to retire at the end of the 2023-2024 academic year. A search for her replacement launched this Fall, in partnership with the search firm WittKieffer.

WittKieffer is the premier executive search and advisory firm developing inclusive, impactful leadership teams for organizations that improve quality of life. For more than 50 years, they have operated exclusively at the intersection of not-for-profit and for-profit healthcare delivery, science, and education – the Quality of Life Ecosystem. Their search process and deep experience in higher education will allow them to quickly and effectively identify candidates suited to our strategic needs, mission, values, and be a cultural enhancer. Their clients include the nation’s top liberal arts schools, flagships and campuses across state systems, and major national and international research institutions.

Search consultants, Mercedes Chacón Vance, Senior Partner and Greg Duyck, Principal, are leading our search. They conducted key stakeholder meetings with the university community including at open meetings for all interested in providing feedback. The goals for those meetings were for the search consultants to become more intimately informed about the culture, strengths, and opportunities at Pacific University, and to establish the candidate criteria for this important role. They will continue to work with the search committee and candidates are expected to be invited to campus in early February 2024.

Kerry Mandulak, university faculty chair and professor of communication sciences & disorders, is chairing the search committee which includes the following members:

  • Kerry Mandulak, Search Committee Chair, University Faculty Chair, Professor, College of Education
  • Keith Buckley, Director Athletics
  • Lucy Dubin, Vice President of Human Resources
  • Katelyn Eisenhooth, Assistant Director, International Programs
  • Kaitlyn Guild, Staff Senator, Assistant Registrar
  • Ramona Ilea, Professor of Philosophy, College of Arts & Sciences
  • Jo Isgrigg, Director, Office of Scholarship and Sponsored Projects
  • Dan James, Trustee, Pacific University Board of Trustees
  • Michela Kenning, Faculty Senator, Associate Professor and Director of Hillsboro Eye Clinic, Optometry
  • Theresa Lafavor, Associate Professor, School of Graduate Psychology, College of Health Professions
  • Hossein Rikhtehgar Berenji, Assistant Professor, College of Business
  • Sarah Phillips, Interim Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs
  • Al Weiss, Director of Educational Technology and Curricular Innovation, Library
  • Mary Von, Vice Provost and Executive Dean, College of Health Professions
  • Kim Greenwood, Committee Staff Support, Senior Executive Assistant to the Provost & VP AA
  • Karla Staihar, Committee Staff Support, Chief of Staff