​Johnnella E. Butler is professor of comparative women’s studies at Spelman College, where she also served as provost and vice president for academic affairs from 2005 to 2014. Previously, she served as professor and chair of American ethnic studies and associate dean and associate vice provost of the graduate school at the University of Washington, Seattle, and as a faculty member and department chair at Smith College. Butler’s scholarly work focuses on pedagogy, ethnic studies, African American literary theory, institutional change, liberal education, and democracy, diversity, and civic engagement in higher education. She is at work on a fourth book tentatively titled Diversity, the First Liberal Art.

​Katie Conboy is provost and senior vice president at Simmons College. Previously, she spent 26 years at Stonehill College, where she was professor and department chair of English and then for 13 years the chief academic officer. Her scholarly interests include British fiction, feminist theory, and Irish literature. Conboy is a regular presenter at national higher education association meetings on topics such as the future of the liberal arts and liberal education, strategic planning, change management, and faculty work. She has served on the CIC Chief Academic Officer Task Force, the board of directors of the American Conference of Academic Deans, and the advisory board for the National Institute for Technology in Liberal Education.

​Beth Tyner Jones is a partner with Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice LLP in the firm’s Raleigh, North Carolina, office. Jones practices primarily in the areas of employment and education law and uses her experience as a human resources professional and in-house legal counsel to assist both public and private institutions of higher education. She has experience representing these colleges and universities in a broad range of issues, including tenure denial, faculty discipline and dismissal matters, discrimination and harassment, program closures, wrongful termination, student discipline, FERPA compliance, accommodation requests, investigations, and governance matters.

​Rita E. Knuesel is provost emerita of the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University, from which she retired in 2015. She also served the joint institutions as chair of the music program and the College of Saint Benedict as dean of the college. Knuesel is a frequent presenter on topics such as collaborative approaches to improving teaching and learning, faculty governance, and administrative reporting structures. She has served as a mentor in CIC’s Workshop for New Chief Academic Officers and has presented at CIC’s annual Institute for Chief Academic Officers. Knuesel was the recipient of the 2013 CIC Chief Academic Officer Award.

​Michael McDonald is provost of Kalamazoo College, where he oversees all educational programs and activities, academic personnel, and athletics. Previously, he served at Occidental College as professor of mathematics and in a variety of administrative positions, including associate dean for curriculum and academic affairs. McDonald is a former coordinator of CIC’s Workshop for New Chief Academic Officers.

​Tarshia L. Stanley is associate professor and chair of the English department at Spelman College, where she has been a faculty member since 1999. She teaches courses in film and media studies, particularly focusing on images of women of African descent. Stanley has written several articles on black women in African, African American, and Caribbean cinema as well as on black female iconography in American popular culture. She edited The Encyclopedia of Hip Hop Literature, published by Greenwood Press in 2008. In addition, she is completing two manuscripts: one that explores how to help girls navigate the messages they receive about femininity from the mass media; and the second on a viable definition of African diaspora literature through the work of writer Octavia Butler.

​Andrew Workman is provost and senior vice president for academic affairs for Roger Williams University, where he has served since 2012. Previously, he held various positions at Mills College, including vice provost, associate provost, associate dean of academic planning and development, dean of social sciences, and chair of the department of history. Workman was a participant in both CIC’s Executive Leadership Academy and Senior Leadership Academy, and was the recipient of the Phi Beta Kappa Northern California Association Award for Teaching Excellence. His research interests include 20th-century U.S. history; intellectuals and public policy; African American history since emancipation; and history of the U.S. Supreme Court.