Academic Dean

Since June 2014, Dr. Michael J. McDonough has served as Raritan Valley Community College’s (RVCC) eighth president. The College, with an enrollment of 6,600 students, serves the residents and businesses of Somerset and Hunterdon counties, offering more than 90 associate degree and certificate programs. In addition, the College offers a dynamic set of workforce programs, a full range of professional development opportunities, innovative and customized business training, and enrichment programs for the entire community.

Prior to joining RVCC, McDonough served as provost and vice president of academic services at Monroe Community College in Rochester, NY (2011-2014); as dean of Liberal Arts at Monroe Community College (2007-2011); and as the Fred H. Gertz Professor of English at Alfred University in Alfred, NY (1987-2007).

Currently, McDonough serves as the chair of the NJCC Consortium for Workforce and Economic Development; he is the chair of the Academic Issues Committee; and is a board member for Engage NJ. He is a past chair of the College Board’s National Academic Council and a former College Board Trustee.

McDonough received his B.A. (Hons) in Film and Drama and a Post Graduate Certificate of Education from Reading University in England; an M.A. in English from Oklahoma State University; a Ph.D. in English from Pennsylvania State University; and an I.E.M. from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education. 

Lynn LaGrone assumed the role of Provost and Vice-President of Academic Affairs at Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo, IA in August of 2020. Undaunted about starting a new role at Hawkeye, Lynn had the additional challenge of tackling the unknowns in the middle of the pandemic. She previously served as District Chair of Humanities, the Ankeny Campus Group Leader for English Composition, and an associate professor of English and literature at Des Moines Area Community College for over six years. In addition to several years of teaching for both Houston Community College and Lonestar Community College in Texas, she was an assistant professor at Five Towns College in Dix Hills, New York, and has experience teaching at Dowling College in New York. 

Ms. LaGrone holds an MFA from Southampton College of Long Island University in New York, a bachelor’s degree in journalism and broadcast communication from Eastern Michigan University, and an associate degree in liberal studies from C.S. Mott Community College. She completed additional graduate coursework at Colorado State University. Lynn’s career in higher education goes to back to 2001 after a dozen years as an award winning broadcast journalist where she worked as a news anchor and reporter for stations in Flint and Grand Rapids, MI, Sacramento, CA and Memphis, TN.

With her husband of 30+ years and two adult “kids,” the family moved to Iowa in 2010, after living in Texas, New York, Colorado, Tennessee, Florida, California and Michigan. A self-proclaimed nerd, she likes to read for fun, work jigsaw puzzles, listen to old school hip-hop and R&B and is an avid fan of Wordle.

Michele Poulos has been in education for the past twenty-two years, working in elementary, secondary and post-secondary settings. She has a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education, a Master's Degree in Psychology and is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in Psychology.   She has learned and taught in traditional and online environments. She currently serves as Dean for the College of Arts and Sciences with ECPI University. She was recently initiated into Marquis’s Who’s Who in America for 2022 and 2023.

She resides in Naples, Florida with her husband, nine-year-old son, Trenton, and seven-year-old daughter, Eliana. One fun fact about her is that she was a contestant on the Price is Right. While she never made it out of “contestant’s row,” she did win a year’s supply of Ivory soap and a vacuum.

Dennis is in his third year as Chancellor of Missouri State University-West Plains and in his 30th year as a Missouri State-West Plains staff and faculty member. Over the past three decades, he has served in several capacities including Dean of Academic Affairs, Assistant to the Chancellor, Director of the William and Virginia Darr Honors Program, Assistant Coordinator of Public Relations, Special Projects Coordinator, and throughout his career, as a teacher. Teaching is important to Dennis, and he maintains his assistant professor of letters status and continues to teach when he can and connect with students throughout the year. Dennis obtained his bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Philosophy from Drury University in 1984, a master’s degree in Journalism with an emphasis in political communication and media ethics from the University of Missouri in 1996, and an Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration from Lindenwood University, St. Louis, Mo., in 2014.

Prior to coming to Missouri State-West Plains, Dennis worked as a reporter/photographer for a small town daily newspaper, owned a bookstore, and worked as a waiter during college, all three formative experiences in his life and career. For the past 40 years, Dennis has been married to Rita, and they have four children, Seth (and daughter-in-law Beth), Leslie, Kori (and son-in-law Jarred), and Nicholas (and daughter-in-law Sarah), and seven grandchildren who he loves dearly and is amused by constantly. In his spare time, Dennis enjoys traveling, hiking, writing and working to restore his family’s 100-year-old farmhouse and grounds.

Dr. Laurie Borowicz has served as the 5th President of Kishwaukee College since January 2016.  She has led the College through some of its most challenging times, including the state of Illinois two-year budget impasse and the COVID-19 pandemic. Fiscal constraints, declining enrollments, and the changing landscape of higher education has allowed Dr. Borowicz to demonstrate transformational leadership.

As an advocate of student success and with a focus on continuous quality improvement, Dr. Borowicz championed expanded student and academic support services, increased the use of technology for both internal and external stakeholders, and joined the Partnership for College Completion to eliminate the achievement gap for students of color.  Under her leadership, partnerships were forged with the business community to serve local workforce needs.  Partnering with other educational institutions, dual credit and transfer options were expanded for students.

Before coming to Kishwaukee College, Dr. Borowicz served as Vice President of Student Services at Northcentral Technical College (NTC), in Wausau, WI.  With a 16 year career at NTC, she held two earlier positions at the college, focusing on student success and partnerships with local K-12, higher education, and employers.  Prior to entering higher education, she worked as a high school guidance counselor and county social services specialist.  Dr. Borowicz has demonstrated a commitment to helping others achieve their personal and educational goals throughout her professional career.

Dr. Borowicz holds a Bachelor of Science in Retailing from the University of Wisconsin-Madison; a Master of Science in Guidance and Counseling from the University of Wisconsin- Stout; and a Doctorate of Education in Higher Education Leadership from Edgewood College, Madison, WI. Her doctoral dissertation was an examination of Leading Organizational Change. 

Flashback to 1991.

As a graduate of Bloom-Carrol High School, 18-year-old Brown, a student-athlete, packed up his car to head to Capital University, where he would play football while setting his sights on pre-med and athletic training degrees. Following a devastating knee injury during his sophomore year while playing football, he became increasingly interested in athletic training and helping others with their sports careers. Brown moved north to continue his education at the University of Michigan (for OSU fans, don’t hold that against him!) to pursue a Master’s in kinesiology. “I’ll never forget my first game at Michigan,” he explained, “running out of the tunnel, jumping to touch the famous ‘Go Blue’ banner. Graduate school was crazy busy, working full time as an athletic trainer with football and wrestling, carrying a full-time graduate course load in kinesiology, and even teaching classes.” 

Flash forward another eight years.

Dr. Brown earned a Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership from Ohio University. He was ready to take on a leadership role, only switching up the playbook a bit. Instead of staying on the field, he expanded his career goals inside the walls of a community college where he could make a difference in the lives of students and the community. Arriving at Zane State in 2005 as Dean of Health, Public Service, and Service-Related programs, he earned promotion after promotion over the years. And in 2015, he was appointed the sixth president of Zane State College. This role is rewarding as well as increasingly challenging. “My outlook on my community college president profession can be summed up by one of my all-time favorite heroes, President Teddy Roosevelt. He said, ‘Far and away, the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.’ And even on the hardest and longest days, I enjoy my work and the people I work with. I love the work we do.”

Dr. Brown is a servant leader who is passionate about empowering his employees in a creative and compassionate workplace culture. His leadership style shows a commitment to building trust, igniting passion, and caring deeply about the success of others. Keeping the local community at the forefront, he is involved in various boards and organizations that collectively benefit those most in need. While Dr. Brown’s academic accomplishments are honorable and respected, they do not truly explain who Dr. Brown is. 

Family First.

With his wife, Dr. Susan Farus-Brown, Dr. Brown raised a son, Joey, who has taken on his parents’ passion for football. A student-athlete himself, Joey is earning a bachelor’s degree in business at Muskingum University.

Must Love Dogs.

As a dog dad to three lovable pups, Dr. Brown enjoys watching football and taking naps with English Bulldog named Lincoln and French Bulldogs named Ike and Churchill.

Being Present.

Having a chronic neurological condition called dystonia means Dr. Brown is thoughtful with every step he takes, every conversation he has, and every interaction he makes. Even on the toughest of days, he always sees our students as a source of inspiration. As he says, they are the purpose behind our vision of creating A Promising Future for Every One.

Work Hard. Play Hard.

This bio wouldn’t be complete without a plug for Dr. Brown’s woodworking talent and appreciation for bourbon. In his free time, he likes woodworking projects that range from cabinetry to wine racks to raised beds for his garden.

Dr. Christine Webster-Hansen is Dean of the Humanities Institute at Brookdale Community College in NJ. After earning her B.A. in Communication at Rowan University, she earned an M.A. in English from Rutgers University and a Ph.D. in English from Temple University. After teaching as an adjunct instructor for four years, she became a tenured, full professor and department chair at Camden County College. Eventually, she served as Assistant Dean of e-Learning at Ocean County College, and now she proudly serves the students, faculty, and staff at Brookdale.

Beth Brunk Ph.D. is Dean of Extended University at the University of Texas at El Paso. Extended University supports Professional and Public Programs; the Center for Instructional Design; The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute; UTEP Connect, UTEP’s suite of fully online degree programs; and the Office of Youth Program Development and Support.

Dr. Brunk is professor of Rhetoric and Writing Studies and has served in several other administrative roles at UTEP including Director of First-Year Composition and Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts.

A member of the inaugural class of University of Texas System Academy of Distinguished Teachers, Dr. Brunk is also a recipient of the University of Texas Academy Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award. Dr. Brunk has served on several national boards, task forces, and committees and has published in the areas of online teaching and learning, online collaboration, student retention and persistence, serving diverse student populations, and academic administration. She has served on nearly 40 dissertation committees and chaired 24 of them.

She is PI, co-PI, or supporting staff on several awarded grants and gifts from the Department of Education, American Public and Land-Grant Universities, the University of Texas System, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, and HCA.

Dr. Brunk holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Texas at Arlington, A Master of Arts in English from the University of Texas at El Paso, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communications/Advertising from New Mexico State University. She previously taught at James Madison University.

Leigh B. Goodson has served as president and chief executive officer of Tulsa Community College since July 2014. Under her leadership, the college launched and met the College’s $20 million campaign, developed Oklahoma’s first “early college high school program,” and gained TCC acceptance into the Aspen Institute Unlocking Opportunity: The Post-Graduation Success and Equity Network. Dr. Goodson is a key contributing member of the Tulsa Higher Education Consortium, a collaborative partnership with local universities.

Dr. Goodson earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Education Research and Evaluation from Oklahoma State University, a Master of Science in Organizational Communication from Fort Hays State University in Hays, KS, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from OSU. She is a graduate of Leadership Oklahoma class XXIII and Leadership Tulsa Class 35 and completed an Aspen Presidential Fellowship in 2016. In 2020, The Journal Record recognized Goodson as Oklahoma’s Most Admired CEO in the public category and inducted her into the Circle of Excellence for being honored three times as a 50 Making a Difference honoree at its annual Woman of the Year event. In addition, Dr. Goodson received the Leadership Oklahoma 2023 Distinguished Graduate Award. She is an active member of her community, and currently serves on the boards of AACC, Tulsa Area United Way, Oklahoma Business Roundtable, Jobs for the Future Policy Trust, CCCSE National Advisory Board and Tulsa Regional Chamber. She is a sought after local and national guest speaker on various topics including leadership development and community college student success. Goodson has invested herself and her career in education, having served previously as a university faculty member, university administrator and school board member for Tulsa Public Schools. Her priority and passion is student success.

Dr. Marc Seigar earned a B.Sc. in Physics from Imperial College London in the U.K. in 1993 and a Ph.D. in Astrophysics from the Liverpool Astrophysics Research Institute in 1998. Marc joined The University of Toledo as Dean of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics in August of 2021.

After obtaining his Ph.D., Marc went onto various research positions at Ghent University (in Belgium) and the Joint Astronomy Center (in Hilo, Hawaii). He was hired into his first faculty position at the University of Arkansas, where he worked his way through the academic ranks. In 2014, he was hired as Head of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Minnesota Duluth, where he also spent three years as Associate Dean of the Swenson College of Science and Engineering. Just before joining UToledo, from 2020 to 2021, Marc served as a Program Director (rotator) in the Division of Astronomical Sciences in the National Science Foundation.

Marc’s area of scholarship is astronomy and astrophysics. He studies nearby galaxies and is particularly interested in galaxy dynamics, structure and morphology. Throughout his career, Marc has used data from various astronomical observatories, such as the Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer, Gemini, and facilities at Kitt Peak and Lick observatories.