Meredith Goldsmith is a professor of English at Ursinus College, where she specializes in late nineteenth and early twentieth-century US literature. She has published numerous articles on late nineteenth and early twentieth-century American literature in scholarly journals, including Legacy: A Journal of US Women’s Writing, American Literary Realism, American Literary History, Mosaic: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Literature, and modern fiction studies. She is the editor of three scholarly collections, American Literary History and the Turn toward Modernity (University Press of Florida), Edith Wharton and Cosmopolitanism (University Press of Florida), and Middlebrow Moderns: Popular Women’s Writing of the 1920s (Northeastern University Press). She is the former editor of the Edith Wharton Review and past president of the Edith Wharton Society. Beyond her scholarship, Goldsmith’s expertise lies in faculty development, teaching and learning, strategic planning, and the digital humanities. She has successfully sought support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Duke University Humanities Writ Large Fellowship program, and the Pennsylvania Consortium for the Liberal Arts/Arthur Vining Davis Foundation. At Ursinus, Goldsmith has served as the founding director of Ursinus’s Teaching and Learning Institute, assistant and associate dean of academic affairs, special assistant to the president, and chief strategy and innovation officer.
Cynthia Peterson is the Dean of the LSU College of Science and a Professor of Biological Sciences. Dean Peterson, a protein biochemist, earned a B.S. in biochemistry from LSU A&M, followed by a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the LSU Health Sciences Center Shreveport. She then pursued postdoctoral training at the University of California, Berkeley before assuming an assistant professor position at the University of Tennessee. Peterson was promoted to associate professor with tenure, then to full professor, eventually serving as department head and then Associate Dean of Academic Personnel in the UT College of Arts and Sciences prior to assuming her role at LSU. Dean Peterson is committed to mentoring and professional development across career trajectories and has led several federally funded projects that include a strong focus on inclusive excellence. In addition to being a strong advocate for faculty, she has and has successfully garnered and leveraged resources to support new initiatives and build infrastructure.
Jane Cassidy currently serves as Senior Vice Provost at Louisiana State University and holds the Roy and Margaret Gianelloni Alumni Professorship in Music. Her responsibilities include advising the Executive Vice President & Provost on faculty matters, academic space utilization and allocation, academic policy, institutional accreditation, and budget. The LSU Rural Life Museum, LSU Museum of Art, Brookshire LSU Military Museum, and LSU Press & The Southern Review report to her office. Previously she served as the Director of the School of Music and Interim Associate Dean of the College of Music and Dramatic Arts. She holds an undergraduate degree in music from the University of Hartford and a masters and PhD in music education from Florida State University. Dr. Cassidy’s field of expertise is music education and her research interests center around music therapy for premature infants, musical development of children, and teacher effectiveness.
Tim McMahon leads a team of more than 100 advancement professionals focused on developing, sustaining and growing a university-wide culture of giving. Under McMahon’s leadership, Marquette raised $801.7 million for its historic comprehensive campaign— Time to Rise: The Marquette Promise to Be The Difference — surpassing the campaign’s $750 million goal during its eight-year run that culminated in 2024. Within Time to Rise, McMahon and the Advancement team secured campaign gifts from nearly 72,000 donors, more than half of whom gave their first gift to Marquette during the campaign. More than 850 donors gave gifts of $100K+ and nearly 150 gave gifts of $1M+ in Time to Rise. During McMahon’s tenure, Marquette has realized significant participation increases in the annual 24-hour Give Marquette Day and in undergraduate alumni giving, including the university’s highest percentage of alumni giving during the final year of Time to Rise. Philanthropic resources from Time to Rise support a wide range of strategic priorities from scholarship to funds for student success, experiential learning, faculty research and innovative new programs. Gifts are also transforming the campus environment — including new homes for Marquette Business and Nursing in addition to the Lemonis Center for Student Success, the Wellness […]
Keith joined the Academic Impressions team in 2025, bringing his expertise in technology, problem-solving, and customer support. With a computer science degree from UNLV, he has a knack for making complex technology easier to understand (and maybe even a little fun). As a Customer Solutions Engineer, he helps ensure everything runs smoothly, whether that means troubleshooting tricky issues, optimizing workflows, or figuring out creative solutions to unique challenges. When he’s not untangling tech puzzles, Keith can be found rock climbing, snowboarding, or convincing himself that his morning runs are a great idea. He also enjoys overanalyzing menu choices at restaurants, making oddly specific playlists for every mood, and trying to teach his plants the importance of resilience.
As the Technical Project Coordinator, Enya is focused on supporting the development team to keep projects moving efficiently and ensuring technical solutions are delivered on time. She works closely with our cross-departmental product team to organize project development, manage timelines, problem-solve, and handle task management to meet both internal and external objectives. With a diverse background in real estate, marketing, and a BA in Business Administration from Creighton University, Enya is learning Agile Methodology frameworks to optimize project flow and support the team’s success. When she’s not at work, Enya is helping launch her family’s hydroponic container farm in Nebraska, playing tennis, and values spending quality time with friends and family.
I support faculty and leaders in crafting a clear vision, navigating conflict, and building buy-in—empowering them to manage change, align their purpose with personal growth, and drive meaningful success on their campuses. With over two decades of experience across small regional universities and large public and private R1 institutions, Kevin has navigated the challenges of leadership at every level, serving as a faculty member, assistant chair, research coordinator, director, and dean. Throughout his career, he has focused on coaching and leadership development to cultivate the skills needed to drive change and serve others. As a classically trained musician, Kevin brings a unique perspective to leadership and change management, emphasizing the power of creativity and teamwork in driving progress. The soft skills he honed as an artist—discipline, collaboration, adaptability, connection, and creative problem-solving—help him navigate the complexities of higher education, from managing diverse teams to guiding institutions through organizational change. Kevin is a certified coach through the International Coaching Federation and partners with academic leaders to tackle their most pressing challenges: Through coaching, Kevin helps his clients uncover roadblocks, embrace new perspectives, and move toward their goals. He believes in a collaborative process that fosters self-discovery and empowerment, enabling leaders to […]
Todd Migliaccio presently serves as the Vice Chancellor and Chief Academic Officer, as well as Professor of Sociology, at Penn State Berks for the past four years, which included serving as the Interim Chancellor for seven months. Dr. Migliaccio has studied social relationships, aggression and the culture of institutions. His early work on domestic violence culminated in his ongoing collaboration with domestic violence shelters, including regular workshop for workers and volunteers at shelters, addressing key requirements determined by the state of California for education prior to working in facilities. For the past 16+ years, Dr. Migliaccio has focused on studying bullying as a social problem, which included the development of research-based prevention and intervention programs, having worked with teachers, administrators, schools and districts in implementing anti-bullying and culture change practices. He has published numerous articles and co-authored a book, Bullying as a Social Experience: Social Factors, Prevention and Intervention. More recently, he has studied bullying within academia. Realizing the limited awareness and understanding concerning bullying and incivility within academia, he focused on developing process for supporting administrators, as a key factor in limiting the impact these actions have on success of campus members, in responding to claims concerning bullying and […]
Robyn Betts is the Assistant Vice President of Strategy & Innovation at Bentley University in Waltham, MA, specializing in strategic program and outcome management. Strategy & Innovation acts as a university-wide accelerator, convener, and facilitator of strategic initiatives, furthering Bentley’s commitment to growth and innovation. Shortly after the division’s creation in 2022, Robyn launched an implementation framework for Falcons Forward 2030, Bentley’s strategic plan. This framework introduces enabling structures and processes across the university, ensuring successful implementation to realize desired outcomes and maximize the plan’s collective impact. Through the framework, Bentley is working to tackle some of the most complex challenges in higher education today. Robyn’s leadership currently focuses on market-driven academic program innovation for post-baccalaureate and pre-college students, diversifying revenue streams to bolster financial sustainability, and advancing strategies to increase access and opportunities for underrepresented populations. With more than 20 years of experience in higher education, Robyn has played pivotal roles in establishing program and project management functions at multiple institutions, overseeing a comprehensive undergraduate curriculum reform, and leading complex IT initiatives. She holds an MBA from Babson College and a BA from Grinnell College.
Lisa currently leads the Livingston Innovation Group, a consultancy she founded focused on applying over 30 years of university administrative experience in creating and implementing new initiatives and approaches to higher ed’s most complex challenges. From ways to use co-design methodologies with multiple stakeholders, to strength-based innovation practices to help leaders move teams forward, the Livingston Innovation Group honors the unique cultures and practices of organizations in designing their solutions. Prior to Livingston, she served for over 15 years in various leadership capacities at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. This included Chief of Staff and Vice Provost for Strategic Initiatives in the Office of the Provost. In that capacity, she led the university’s ThinkBig strategic plan as well as worked with teams to realize a new set of General Education Requirements and ways to simplify approaches and structures in support of student advising. While serving within the Case School of Engineering, she led many multi-disciplinary and stakeholder initiatives including the establishment of the Great Lakes Energy Institute, the innovation & makerspace called Sears Think[box], the Veale Institute for Entrepreneurship, and the first Manufacturing USA institute, America Makes. Lisa also led initiatives regionally in partnership with institutions such as […]
