HEPAC Board of Directors

IT Specialist
Department of Defense
Columbus, OH

Cass Ramsey, holds a B.A. in Psychology from Lycoming College (2004) and a M.Ed. in College Student Affairs (2006) from Penn State University.Cass spent 10 years in the higher education environment, including Student Activities and Community Service at Penn State University and Capital University from 2004-2008 and Academic Advising at DeVry University and Franklin University from 2008-2014. At Franklin University, Cass had an opportunity to serve on the technical team while the university was implementing CampusNexus® CRM software in the Division of Student Affairs. During this role, she focused on user training and interface design, taking into consideration what students needed, what staff needed, and how that translated into a technical system interface. In 2014, she accepted a position with Campus Management, a software company specifically focused on student information systems in college environments. In her role as an Implementation Consultant, she was responsible for developing and delivering technical training to university administrators. In addition, she consulted with and traveled to universities which implemented the software, assisting with installation, design, and training. In 2017, Cass took her technical knowledge gained from working in university environments to the Department of Defense, where she is now in System Operations.

Director, Football Letterman's Club
Penn State University
Berks, PA

Wally Richardson is a two-time Penn State graduate (1996 B.S. Administration of Justice, 2003 Master’s of Higher Education). He has worked in Higher Education for the past 17 years. His first job was as an academic counselor at Penn State. He worked with football student-athletes in his role with the Morgan Academic Center for Student-Athletes. Wally left Penn State and accepted a position at the University of Georgia as an Assistant Director with the Rankin M. Smith, Sr Student-Athlete Academic Center. There he worked with the following sports: football, women’s volleyball, baseball, equestrian, and track & field. After spending four years at UGA he moved on to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was named the Director of Football Academics for the Tar Hell football program. He worked in that capacity two years before returning to Penn State as the Director of the Penn State Football Letterman’s Club in the position he currently serves.

Assistant Director of Recruiting and Employer Engagement
Career Services
Penn State University
University Park, PA

Assistant Dean of Assessment
College of Education
DePaul University
Chicago, IL

Jordan R. Humphrey currently serves as the Assistant Dean of Assessment at DePaul University, Chicago, IL.  In this role she is responsible for the College's federal and state-mandated reporting, the evaluation of student learning and field experiences, and other program and college assessment needs. Humphrey also teaches courses within the College’s Educational Leadership graduate program, serves as a University Supervisor for Master's students in this program, and chairs and serves on dissertation committees for Educational Leadership doctoral students. She also serves as a member of the Higher Learning Commission’s Peer Corps.  Shehas over 15 years of administrative and teaching experience within higher education. In addition to her current work at DePaul, she has held administrative positions in academic and student affairs with specific emphases on institutional accreditation, curriculum design, teaching and learning, leadership and student involvement, service-learning and civic engagement, and university events. Her administrative and research interests explore the areas of course design, student learning, assessment, civic engagement and community-university partnerships; institutional mission, culture, and identity; and the history of higher education.  She earned her Ph.D. in Higher Education from Penn State University (University Park, PA), her Masters of Education in Higher Education Administration from the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA), and Bachelor’s degrees (Government & Spanish) from Franklin & Marshall College (Lancaster, PA).

Stefani Bjorklund is the Vice President for Internal Relations (VPIR) and Senior Executive Associate at Rankin Climate, LLC. She has worked in research assessment focusing on campus climate for almost 25 years. A mixed methods—quantitative and qualitative—researcher with a focus on social justice, Stefani has extensive experience in survey development, administration, and analysis as well as qualitative data gathering and analysis methods in higher education and non-profit settings. As a Senior Executive Associate, she is responsible for all aspects of project management, and focuses on building partnerships with postsecondary institutions to work collaboratively in gathering and analyzing campus climate data. As VPIR, Stefani is an integral part of the team that oversees the systematic development and review of internal processes and deliverables to maintain and improve quality and efficiency, as well as supporting and communicating with associates on all aspects of company processes. She has also held positions at National Academy of Engineering’s Center for the Study of Engineering Education (CASEE), Planned Parenthood, and other social service agencies. Stefani earned a B.A. in Psychology from Villanova University and a Ph.D. in Higher Education at Pennsylvania State University. 

Elizabeth Clark is a Certified Educational Facilities Professional (CEFP) working as the Education Program Manager for the Penn State Facilities Engineering Institute in State College, Pennsylvania. Prior to that, she spent 18 years as an Analyst in the Administrative & Financial Services Division of the Office of Physical Plant at the University Park campus of Penn State University. She arrived at Penn State in 2004 from T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., an investment firm based in her hometown of Baltimore, Maryland. Beth received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Towson University in 1997 and a Master of Education degree in College Student Affairs from Penn State University in 2008.

Beth serves on the Board of Directors for APPA’s Certification Program. She served as APPA’s last Vice President for Professional Development prior to the organization’s governance changes. She is a Past-President for the Eastern Region of APPA, Past President of the Keystone Chapter of APPA, and a former Vice President for Annual Meetings for the Eastern Region of APPA. She is the recipient of the APPA Meritorious Service Award, as well as ERAPPA Rising Star, Merit Service, and President’s Awards. Beth is a graduate of APPA’s Institute for Facilities Management and APPA’s Leadership Academy and is a member of the Academy Faculty.

Beth is a Pennsylvania Master Naturalist and a Certified Interpretive Guide; she leads a natural history book club in conjunction with the county library system. Beth and her husband Chris live in Stormstown, Pennsylvania on a small homestead where they produce maple syrup. Beth enjoys cycling, cooking and baking, gardening, hiking, and being a rockstar aunt to niece Mallorie and nephew Liam.

President Emeritus
Dutchess Community College
Poughkeepsie, NY

Director, Varsity S Club
Penn State University
University Park, PA

Kirk Diehl is the Director of the Varsity `S' Club and an Annual Giving Specialist for the Division of Development and Alumni Relations for Penn State University Intercollegiate Athletics. Diehl was Penn State's Director of Football Operations from September 2012- June 2014 where he worked closely with head coach Bill O'Brien and the coaching and football staffs on all aspects of the football program, including team planning and travel, budgets, home game arrangements, recruiting operations, camps and special projects. Prior to his promotion to Director of Football Operations, Diehl served as the Coordinator of Practice Facilities from 1999- 2012 for the football program under head coach Joe Paterno. He assisted the Director of Football Operations in several aspects, as well as the in the planning and coordination of the football team's equipment needs and supervision of 12 student managers.Diehl was also one of Penn State's primary contacts in the implementation of the University's contract with Nike, he held these duties from July 1997-June of 2014. Diehl was a football student manager with the Nittany Lions and was a senior manager in 1996. He earned a degree in broadcast journalism in 1996 and a master's degree in higher education from Penn State in 2005.

Executive Vice Chancellor
Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education
Harrisburg, PA
 

Dr. Peter H. Garland served as executive vice chancellor of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education from 2006 to 2019.  In this role he served as chief academic officer while overseeing employee and labor relations, information technology strategy, and System research and planning.  In addition, he served as liaison to university presidents, trustees, and the Board of Governors.  Dr. Garland served as the State System’s acting chancellor from March through September 30, 2013.

Currently Dr. Garland serves as an adjunct professor in the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania, where he teaches and advises in the master’s and executive doctoral programs in higher education administration.  Dr. Garland is a trustee of Central Pennsylvania College, chairs the Development Board of the School of Education at William and Mary, serves on the State (PA) Board of Private Licensed Schools, and leads PennHUB, a consortia of Pennsylvania colleges and universities and partner schools, colleges and foundations in India.

Prior to his service with the System, Dr. Garland served as Executive Director of the Pennsylvania State Board of Education, the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Assistant Commissioner for Higher Education and Acting Commissioner for Higher Education. In addition, he held positions in student affairs administration at The Pennsylvania State University and The College of William and Mary in Virginia.

Dr. Garland completed a B.A. and M. Ed at William and Mary and earned an M.A. in Political Science and the Ph.D. in Higher Education at The Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Garland has authored more than 25 articles, chapters and papers on public policy for postsecondary education, community college education, and student affairs administration including two research monographs on student affairs published by the Association for the Study of Higher Education/ERIC Clearinghouse on Higher Education. 

Jen Grossman Leopard, D.Ed. serves as the Director of Student Life at James Madison University with oversight of Fraternity and Sorority Life, Off-Campus Life, Student Activities and Involvement, and the Student Leadership Center.  These four units provide support and services for student organizations, programming board, large campus programming, student basic needs, support and programming for commuter students and students living off campus, leader development, and leader coaching. Her department will soon merge with the university unions department under leadership.

Jen earned her Bachelor of Art in History from Wittenberg University in 2003, her Master’s of Education in College Student Affairs from The Pennsylvania State University in 2005, and her Doctor of Education degree from The Pennsylvania State University in 2017.  Her first role out of graduate school was as the Assistant Director of Student Life at the Penn State Altoona campus.  She then served the Student Activities office for roughly 15 years supporting recognized student organizations.

 Dr. Jen Grossman Leopard has 19 years experience in higher education and has been at JMU since August of 2021.

Director, Education Data Services
Southern Regional Education Board
Atlanta, GA

Susan Lounsbury joined the Southern Regional Education Board in February 2014, as the Director of Education Data Services. She has over 30 years of experience in higher education policy and practice. As the Director of Education Data Services at SREB, Susan is responsible for coordinating the collection of data for the SREB-State Data Exchange survey, analyzing data collected in the Data Exchange and through other means, and producing publications such as the SREB Fact Book on Higher Education and Featured Facts. Prior to joining SREB, Susan was the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research and Policy Analysis with the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. She has also held positions in education program evaluation and student affairs in higher education. Susan holds a B.S. in Psychology from Louisiana State University, a M.S. in Higher Education and Student Affairs from Indiana University, and a Ph.D. in Higher Education from Pennsylvania State University.

Associate Dean for Policy and Planning
Penn State University
Altoona, PA

Peter is the Associate Dean for Policy and Planning and an assistant teaching professor at Penn State Altoona. Peter heads Penn State Altoona's Office of Planning and Institutional Research and is responsible for providing leadership to institutional research, strategic planning, assessment, and student success initiatives. Dr. Moran earned his PhD in Higher Education at Penn State, his JD from Brooklyn Law School, and his BA in History from Colgate University. During his doctoral studies at Penn State, Peter served as editor of Higher Education in Review and as a fellow with the Penn State Alumni Association. Dr. Moran also had an assistantship in the Office of the Chancellor at Penn State Altoona. Peter's research interests include land grant history and legal issues in higher education.

Chair, Department of Business and Computer Science
Associate Professor of Management
Lock Haven University
Lock Haven, PA

In her 29th year of service at Lock Haven University (LHU), Dr. Cori Myers serves as a professor of management and for 10 years, held responsibilities for department chair of business and computer science. Since 2005, she has taught business administration in such courses as financial accounting, human resource management, international business, management concepts and strategies, and strategic management. Recently, she has held leadership roles in both specialized program and institutional accreditation. Previously, Dr. Myers worked in private industry (hotel management) and held positions at LHU in such areas as human resources, continuous improvement, strategic planning, and assessment. As LHU’s Director of Planning and Assessment (2000-2005), Dr. Myers held responsibilities for institutional assessment, strategic planning, and action planning for the System Accountability Plan. Her teaching draws heavily on these experiences in human resources and strategic planning as well as her academic background. Dr. Myers earned her BS degree in Management Science from LHU. She received her Master’s and PhD degrees in Higher Education Administration from The Pennsylvania State University. She is active in the community as a member of Big Woods Bible Church, serving on worship team, and as a volunteer fitness instructor at the Lock Haven YMCA.

President; Executive Director
Office of Planning and Institutional Research
Villanova University
Villanova, PA

Assistant Vice President, Academic & Student Affairs
Association of Public & Land-Grant Universities (APLU)
Washington, DC