Academic Dean

A highly respected higher education administrator and a first-generation college student born of immigrant parents, Dr. Cronin has served in community colleges for more than two decades. Before beginning her presidency at Delaware County Community College in July 2023, Dr. Cronin spent five years as president of Columbia Gorge Community College in The Dalles, Oregon.

Dr. Cronin is the second woman and the first Latina to lead the College. Since her arrival her priorities have included providing greater accessibility to education to students in eastern Delaware County—via the future Southeast Center in Drexel Hill, Pa.—and in Chester County, where the College is expanding its offerings. She has focused on increasing high school dual enrollment with pilot programs such as the Teacher Education and Social Work programs for high school student. Passionate about inclusion, she has overseen the growth and expansion of the College’s Center for Equity and Social Justice as well as the College’s intercollegiate athletics programs She serves on the boards of the Chester County Economic Development Council and the Riverfront Alliance of Chester County.

Dr. Cronin served as co-chair of the Oregon Community College Association’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, co-chair of the Board for the Oregon League of Minority Voters and president of the Comunidades board, a bi-state organization dedicated to advocating for and empowering Latino women and youth in the region. She also served on the American Association of Community Colleges’ Commission on Small and Rural Colleges, as a commissioner for the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, and on former Oregon Governor Kate Brown’s Regional Solutions Advisory Committee.

Under Dr. Cronin’s leadership, Columbia Gorge Community College secured funding for a $16.4 million capital project, which led to the design and construction of the Columbia Gorge Regional Skills Center and Chinook Residence Hall on its main campus.

Prior to that Dr. Cronin served in administrative and faculty roles at Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, Florida, including vice president of Academic Affairs, dean of the School of Education, department chair and full professor. She also has more than a decade of K-12 teaching experience in Florida. While there Dr. Cronin served on several Florida Department of Education committees and advisory groups, as the Florida Delegate for the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, and as a representative for the college on the Achieving the Dream Core Team and the American Association of Community Colleges' National Guided Pathways Project. She also has more than a decade of K-12 teaching experience in Florida. Among the awards Dr. Cronin has received over her 30-year career in education are a Phi Theta Kappa International Distinguished Advisor Award and a League for Innovation in the Community College Innovation of the Year Award.

Dr. Cronin holds a Doctor of Education with an emphasis on curriculum and instruction from the University of Sarasota, a Master of Science degree in Reading from Barry University and a bachelor’s degree in French from the University of Miami.

Dr. Chato Hazelbaker is the President of Pueblo Community College (PCC) a Hispanic Serving Institution in southern Colorado with a primary campus in Pueblo that is part of the Colorado Community College System (CCCS).  PCC serves over 8,500 students annually across four counties.  The college has an innovative mobile lab program that provides career and technical education opportunities across the state and recently opened a state-of-the-art healthcare education facility in a former hospital.  Hazelbaker was previously the President at Northland Pioneer College (AZ).

Hazelbaker earned his doctorate in Organization Development from the University of St. Thomas (MN), a masters in leadershipfrom Crown College (MN), and a bachelor degree in English from Rocky Mountain College (MT).  Professionally, he has held leadership positions in enrollment management, marketing, information technology and government relations.  He has taught at the associate degree through graduate degree level in organization development, communications, and leadership.   

Committed to service, Hazelbaker is currently the Chair of the Mountain States Association of Community Colleges (MSACC) and serves on the Board of the Pueblo Economic Development Corporation and the Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce.  Hazelbaker has completed several accreditation visits for the Northwest Accreditation Commission (NWAC). Hazelbaker and his wife Shari Hazelbaker, RN have three adult children. 

Ms. Amy Williams joined the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP) as its Executive Director in 2019. NACEP is the nation’s sole dual and concurrent enrollment accrediting body and has more than 23 years of experience in supporting programs, practitioners, and policy to advance early access to quality college courses for high school students. Previously, Ms. Williams was the State Director of Career & Technical Education and Dual Enrollment for Montana and led the state’s efforts to expand access and increase affordability in dual enrollment through college and career pathways. Mrs. Williams has more than two decades of experience in secondary and postsecondary education and a strong background in research science.  She has a passion for exploring policy levers at the institution, state, and national level to build relevancy into education, ignite a passion for learning, and give students an early start on college and career. 

Pervis Evans has devoted over 20 years of his professional career in the fields of education and social services, in an effort to advance access and opportunity for underserved populations. He earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Interdisciplinary Studies from Texas Tech University and a Master of Education degree in Counselor Education from Sul Ross State University. Currently, Pervis serves as the Senior Dean for the School of Liberal Arts and Education at Odessa College, a nationally recognized community college in Odessa, Texas. He oversees six academic departments and provides leadership and support to several campus committees, including holistic advising, curriculum, accreditation, career/transfer, and program review committees. Dean Evans led the development of the college’s first Honors Program and the establishment of a Bachelor of Applied Sciences degree in Early Childhood Education and Teaching.

Previously, Pervis was employed as an academic advisor, an instructor, and a program director at Midland College. He was a regional community relations specialist and an equity specialist with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, and he served as the founding Executive Director of Educate Midland, a nonprofit community impact organization. Mr. Evans serves on the Board of Trustees at Midland Memorial Hospital and was selected as a 2022 Fellow for Deans for Impact, a national network of academic leaders committed to transforming educator preparation. As a performing artist, public speaker, educator, community organizer, and executive leader, Pervis has utilized numerous roles, abilities, and platforms to amplify the voice of hope and to make an impact in his community and abroad.

The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia named Dr. David Schecter the President of East Georgia State College on January 3, 2022. Since that time he has helped lead the College through its “50th Anniversary” year in 2023 and his main focus is on growing enrollment and ensuring students have a terrific experience on campus.

Dr. Schecter leads an outstanding Cabinet that includes the Provost/Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs, Vice President for Business Affairs, Vice President for Information Technology, Chief of Staff/Legal Counsel, Vice President for Institutional Advancement, Associate Vice President for Grants and Data Analytics, Director of East Georgia State College-Augusta, Director of East Georgia State College-Statesboro, Director of Strategic Planning and Institutional Research, Director of Public Safety/Chief of Police, Director of Human Resources, and the Director of Athletics. This team led the successful implementation of the new FY2024 - FY2028 Campus Strategic Plan and is in the process of launching a new Bachelor’s of Business Administration degree.     

Dr. Schecter currently serves on the Boards of the Golden Harvest Food Bank, United Way of Southeast Georgia, Bulloch-Chatham Regional Education Collaborative, Central Savannah River Area/Regional Educational Service Agency, and the Magnolia Midlands Georgia Youth Science & Technology Center. He is most proud to be partnering with Golden Harvest Food Bank to open the Bobcat Food Pantry and work on other projects that support students’ basic needs.

Schecter previously served as Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of South Carolina - Upstate in Spartanburg, S.C., where he managed a budget of $38 million, administered a department of 686 employees and supervised deans of the schools and colleges and the library. Prior to serving at USC Upstate, Schecter served as Associate Vice President for Faculty Affairs and then Vice Provost at California State University, Bakersfield. He provided oversight for the university’s Office of Research and Grants as well as the Kegley Institute of Ethics. Before joining the administration at CSU Bakersfield, Schecter was Chair of the Department of Political Science at California State University, Fresno where he was granted tenure as a full professor and earned the Provost’s Award for Faculty Service. He also previously taught at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

A Florida native, Schecter holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Florida and both a master’s degree in political science and a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies and history from Florida State University. He also holds an MBA from Fresno State. In his spare time, he can usually be found walking on the beach in his hometown of Ormond Beach, Florida, going to a concert to hear one of his favorite 80s bands, playing "No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em," or cringing as he watches his beloved Miami Dolphins in a close game.    

Dr. Roger Parrott is one of America’s most experienced presidents. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Maryland in Higher Education Administration. Dr. Parrott is a third-generation College president and was one of America's youngest college presidents first elected at age 34. He has served on various boards and was Chair of the 2004 Forum for World Evangelization hosted by the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization. Dr. Parrott is the author of The Longview: Lasting Strategies for Rising Leaders and Opportunity Leadership: Stop Planning And Start Leading. His wife, MaryLou, earned her Ph.D. in English and is a Professor at Belhaven. They have two adult children who graduated from Belhaven.

On July 1, 2016, Christon Arthur began serving as the provost of Andrews University following his election to the position by the Andrews University Board of Trustees on May 11, 2016. He is married to Carmelita, and they have one adult son, Christon Arthur Jr.

Proceeding that appointment, Arthur has served as dean of the Andrews University School of Graduate Studies & Research since 2010. In addition to that role, he has also served as associate provost, with responsibilities for faculty policy and faculty development, since 2012.

Prior to coming to Andrews University, Arthur served as an associate professor of Educational Administration and associate dean of the College of Education, at Tennessee State University in Nashville, Tennessee. Arthur has been an educator for more than 30 years. He worked as both an elementary and secondary teacher. He holds a bachelor’s degree in theology from University of the Southern Caribbean (Trinidad & Tobago) and graduate degrees in Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Administration from Andrews University and has completed postgraduate studies at Harvard University’s Institute for Management and Leadership in Education

Dr. Eric Heiser proudly serves as the sixth President & CEO of Coconino Community College (CCC) in Flagstaff, Arizona. He guides a college of passionate faculty and staff who are dedicated to changing the lives of their students. He has worked in higher education nearly two decades starting as a full-time faculty member and progressing to senior leadership. He holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership from Colorado State University

Prior to assuming the presidency at CCC, Dr. Heiser was the inaugural Provost ofCentral Ohio Technical College (COTC). He served as the Chief Academic, Student Support, and Workforce officer for COTC. Dr. Heiser started his career as a faculty member at Central Wyoming College (CWC) and taught in the areas of business, management, and criminal justice.  He also spent time as a director and workforce training coordinator during his time at CWC.  He spent six years at Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) serving first as an Associate Dean and then moving into a Dean role. He and his team built one of the nation’s largest Competency-Based Education (CBE) programs, from which the college was recognized nationally by multiple outlets.  He has delivered over three dozen conference presentations and key notes and published several articles on the topic of CBE and academic innovation over the past seven years.  Dr. Heiser was appointed as a content expert to the U.S. Department of Education’s What Works Clearinghouse to advise the department on best practices in career and technical education and guided pathways.

Dr. Russell Frohardt currently serves as Dean for Academic Success at Northwest Vista College, overseeing the Science & Technology and Health & Biosciences Institutes, include the departments for Natural & Physical Sciences, Mathematics & Engineering, and Computer Science, Technology & Business (CSTB). The CSTB Department houses all of the 15 career and technical education (CTE) programs at the college. Prior to his time at NVC, Dr. Frohardt served as Interim Dean of the School of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience at St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas, where he held various faculty and administrative positions since joining the community in 2003. 

Before his Dean role at SEU, he was an American Council on Education Fellow, hosted by Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, where he learned about administrative, curricular, and co-curricular practices across the country. Dr. Frohardt received his B.A. in Psychology from the University of Colorado, Boulder, his M.A. and Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from the University of Vermont, and he completed a three-year postdoctoral fellowship studying the electrophysiology of head direction cells and their role in spatial navigation at Dartmouth College before coming to Texas. His research interests include the neurobiology of learning and memory, spatial navigation, sexual behavior, models of relapse and addiction, and higher education administration and strategy.

In his free time, Russ enjoys playing basketball, attending live music shows, and spending time with his friends and his wife, Dr. Fay Guarraci, and his seventeen-year-old son, Cole.

Ronald A. Matthews joined Eastern University in 1992 and was appointed the 10th President of Eastern University effective March 1, 2018. Prior to this call, Dr. Matthews served as Professor of Music, Chair of the Music Department, and since 2010, Executive Director of the Fine and Performing Arts Division.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Dr. Matthews graduated from Central High School. Having received a Philadelphia Board of Education music scholarship, he did his undergraduate work in Church Music and Organ at Westminster Choir College where he graduated magna cum laude and received both the Senior Class Conducting Award and the Christian Leadership Award. Dr. Matthews received the Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from Temple University, during which time he was invited to conduct the Jerusalem Chamber Orchestra for a recording project in Tel Aviv.

At the age of 23, Dr. Matthews was invited to join the faculty of Nyack College as the Director of Choral Activities. He received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Combs College of Music in Composition with an emphasis in Orchestral Conducting.

From 1982-1992, Dr. Matthews was the Chair of the Department of Music at what is now Cairn University. For several years, he was a Thomas F. Staley Foundation lecturer/artist and served on professional and denominational boards and task forces. From 2005 until 2018, he was the Pastor of Worship Arts at Church of the Saviour in Wayne, PA.

Dr. Matthews has conducted, recorded, and performed in France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Switzerland and the Vatican. He is a commissioned and published composer. He has performed and recorded regularly with his younger brother, Rev. Dr. Gary Matthews, in concerts and workshops throughout the United States and internationally. His older brother, Dr. John T. Matthews, is Professor of English at Boston University. Dr. Matthews' most recent release is a jazz piano Christmas recording, Holly and Ivory.

Dr. Matthews is married to Pamela R. Matthews, who was raised in Oreland, PA and graduated from Springfield High School. She graduated from Chestnut Hill Hospital's School of Radiologic Technology. Mrs. Matthews is a registered Ultrasonographer and received her training in Ultrasonography from Jefferson University and Chestnut Hill Hospital. For over thirty years she worked in Obstetrics and Gynecology with Abington Hospital - Jefferson Health until 2017. She served as the President of the Home and School Association for the Upper Moreland Round Meadow Elementary School during which she raised funds for new playground equipment. For the Middle School, she organized a campaign resulting in the purchase of a new grand piano for the music program. Mrs. Matthews is an avid tennis player and is also interested in charitable and mission work. She has organized fundraising projects for Haiti and the Cherokee Indians in Cherokee, NC, and she has traveled to Cartagena, Colombia on a sports mission trip. Dr. and Mrs. Matthews have two adult sons.