Email: August 11, 2025 Presidential Search Update – Search Committee Announced, Listening Sessions Scheduled, and More
FROM: The Office of the President on Behalf of Ken Rickson, Presidential Search Committee Chair
Dear Members of the WNE Community,
The Western New England University Board of Trustees is pleased to announce the formation of a Search Committee to lead Chartering the Future: The Presidential Search at WNE.
Search Committee Members
Chair
- Ken Rickson ’75
Trustees
- Lynn Agata
- Dianne Doherty G’81
- Stanley Kowalski III ’92
- Christopher Mathieu ’87
- Ashley Randle L’14
- Deborah Saremi L’95
Faculty
- Daniel Covell, Business
- Haissam Haidar, Engineering
- Zelda Harris, Law
- Daniel Kennedy, Pharmacy
- Lisa Muftic, Arts & Sciences
- Tim Vercellotti, At-large
Staff
- Margaret Boyle, Chief of Staff
- Robert Spellane, Director of Development
Students
- Jessica Cloutier
- Camden Kaufman
To support this important work, the Board has engaged WittKieffer, a nationally recognized executive search firm. In late August, the Search Committee will meet with Senior Partner Lucy Leske, Principal Shelley Arakawa, and Senior Associate Natalie Song.
As part of this process, WittKieffer will facilitate a series of listening sessions for faculty, staff, and students. Open forums will also be held via Zoom (links will be shared soon). We strongly encourage your participation so that the Search Committee and search firm can hear your perspectives on:
- The Agenda for the Next President – What key opportunities and challenges lie ahead for WNE?
- Ideal Candidate Profile – What qualifications, qualities, and attributes are most important for our next president’s success?
- Points of Pride – What makes you most proud to be part of the WNE community, and what might inspire a candidate to join us?
Listening Session Schedule
| Date | Time | Audience | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 28 | 12:30 PM | Faculty | Rivers Memorial Hall |
| August 28 | 12:30 PM | Students | St. Germain Campus Center – Room A |
| August 28 | 1:30 PM | Staff | Rivers Memorial Hall |
In addition to attending the sessions, you may share feedback via our confidential online survey, open through August 29. Access the survey here.
We have also launched a Presidential Search website here, where you will find updates, FAQs, and other resources throughout the process.
Finally, we invite nominations or candidate suggestions for the presidency. Please send all recommendations—held in strict confidence—to: PresidentWNE@wittkieffer.com.
Thank you for your engagement and support as we begin the important work of identifying the next president of Western New England University.
Sincerely,
Ken Rickson