December 19, 2018
Chancellor fills key positions to advance State System’s transformation efforts
Contact: Kevin Hensil, khensil@passhe.edu
Harrisburg – Three senior-level staff will join the Office of the Chancellor in January, taking
on key roles as Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education moves forward with
its redesign effort intended to ensure students have continued access to a high-value
educational experience.
Sharon Minnich of Lewisberry will serve as vice chancellor for administration and
finance; Kate Shirley Akers of Lexington, Ky., will serve as assistant vice chancellor
for educational and business intelligence; and Cody Jones of West Chester will serve
as chief strategic relations officer.
“These three individuals bring with them exceptional skills to help us reshape and
redesign the System to better serve our students and the Commonwealth,” said Chancellor
Dan Greenstein. “I’m excited they are joining us at a time when everyone is focused
on charting a new path for the State System far into the future.”
The State System redesign began last year following a top-to-bottom review of the
universities and the Office of the Chancellor. As a result of that review, the Board
of Governors established three priorities: ensuring student success; leveraging the
universities’ strengths; and transforming the System’s governance structure. Greenstein
was hired earlier this year as the System’s fifth chancellor, in large part to lead
the redesign effort.
“I am impressed by how quickly our new chancellor has mobilized the entire System
to advance System Redesign. Building his team is a key component,” said Board Chair
Cynthia D. Shapira. “This is just one more example of the sense of urgency he brings
to the job—a sense of urgency that is critical and that is propelling our redesign
effort forward.”
The System’s commitment to transformation has been evidenced by the progress that
was made in phase one of the System Redesign, according to Shapira. Phase two of the
redesign also has been moving at a “healthy pace,” with task groups created this fall
scheduled to bring recommendations to the Board in January. “Having these new leaders
in place is vitally important to our forward momentum,” Shapira said.
Greenstein also will present his vision for the future of the State System at that
meeting, and during his scheduled “State of the System” address.
“This Board’s clear commitment to transformative change is what captured my attention
and drew me to the State System,” said Greenstein. “And I’m convinced that is why
we’ve been able to attract such stellar talent as we searched—both inside and outside
the state—to fill these roles.”
The appointments are part of the chancellor’s broader efforts to realign vacant positions
and existing staff within the office to better serve the State System’s students,
faculty and staff.
Minnich currently serves as secretary of the Governor’s Office of Administration,
a position she has held since 2015. In that role, she has implemented a shared service
model involving both human resources and IT that produced initial savings to the state
of more than $30 million. She also has worked in other key roles in the public and
private sector.
“Sharon has demonstrated an ability to lead change within complex, people-centric
organizations,” Greenstein said. “Frankly, that describes us pretty well, and I’m
confident she can do the same here.”
Akers has served as executive director of the Kentucky Center for Statistics for the
past four years—leading the agency responsible for evaluating education and training,
conducting research and helping policy makers make data-informed decisions. She will
lead the fusion of the System’s educational intelligence and business intelligence
data operations “to leverage all of our data in a more cohesive way to help us make
better decisions,” said Greenstein. “Every strategic move we make must be supported
by sound data.”
Jones is an experienced public affairs professional who has led or advised a number
of political campaigns in Pennsylvania, after launching his career in West Virginia
and Kentucky. He will work to enhance relationships with elected officials, business
and community leaders, university trustees and others to help expand their appreciation
for the value of public higher education and—more specifically—how State System universities
deliver a high-value, high-quality educational experience to students.
“Cody is a natural connector, and his primary task will be to help better connect
our stakeholders to the System so they understand their role in helping to shape its
future,” Greenstein said.
(NOTE: Exact start dates and compensation for the new appointments are being determined.)
Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education oversees 14 four-year public universities
educating more than 90,000 students across the Commonwealth. The State System offers
more than 2,300 degrees and certificates in more than 530 academic areas.