Plenary Speakers

Jonathan Alger

Jonathan Alger is president of James Madison University (JMU) in Virginia, a public comprehensive university with 22,000 students.  Under his leadership, JMU has developed a new vision to be “the national model of the engaged university:  engaged with ideas and the world,” and a strategic plan focused on engaged learning, community engagement, and civic engagement. 

President Alger’s higher education service has included positions at Rutgers University (as Senior Vice President and General Counsel), the University of Michigan, the American Association of University Professors, and the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.  At the University of Michigan, he helped coordinate the defense in two landmark Supreme Court cases regarding diversity in admissions, and has provided leadership for many initiatives related to access and inclusion. 

President Alger currently serves on the national Campus Compact Board of Directors (focused on community and civic engagement); the American Association of State Colleges and Universities’ Council of State Representatives; and the Council of Presidents for the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges.  He was previously board chair for the National Association of College and University Attorneys, which recognized him with Life Membership and the Distinguished Service Award. 

A nationally recognized scholar on higher education policy and law, President Alger has given presentations at many conferences and campuses across the U.S. and abroad, and has published extensively in legal and higher education journals and periodicals.  He is a member of the editorial board of The Journal of College and University Law, and has been a contributing editor to the treatise, The Law of Higher Education.  He co-teaches a leadership seminar in the JMU Honors College and has previously taught courses in law, higher education and public policy at the undergraduate and graduate levels. 

President Alger graduated with High Honors and Phi Beta Kappa from Swarthmore College as a political science major, and with Honors from Harvard Law School.

Wayne A. I. Frederick

After serving as Provost and Chief Academic Officer for more than a year, Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick was selected as Howard University’s interim president in October 2013. On July 21, 2014, the Board of Trustees voted to appoint Dr. Frederick as Howard’s 17th president, after a unanimous recommendation by the University's Presidential Search Committee.

As an undergraduate student, Frederick was admitted to Howard University’s B.S./M.D. dual degree program and completed the requirements for both the B.S. and M.D. degree in six years, allowing him to earn both his Bachelor of Science and his medical degree by the age of 22. 

Following his post-doctoral research and surgical oncology fellowships at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Dr. Frederick began his academic career as Associate Director of the Cancer Center at the University of Connecticut. Upon his return to Howard University, his academic positions included Associate Dean in the College of Medicine, Division Chief in the Department of Surgery, Director of the Cancer Center and Deputy Provost for Health Sciences. He also earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Howard University’s School of Business in 2011. Dr. Frederick continues to actively operate and lecture to the second-year medical students of Howard University’s College of Medicine. The focal point of his medical research is to narrow the disparity in all cancer-care outcomes, with a focus on gastrointestinal cancers.

A distinguished researcher and surgeon, Dr. Frederick is the author of numerous peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, abstracts and editorials. He has also received various awards honoring his scholarship and service. In January 2017, The Federal Reserve System Board of Governors elected Dr. Frederick to the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond’s Baltimore Branch. In May 2016, President Barack H. Obama elected Dr. Frederick to the Board of Advisors for the White House Initiative on HBCUs. Dr. Frederick has also received the National Association of Health Services Executives’ Congressional Black Caucus Distinguished Leadership in Health Care Award, Congressional Citation for Distinguished Service presented by the Honorable Barbara Lee on the Occasion of Caribbean-American Heritage Month. In April 2016, Dr. Frederick became a member of the American Surgical Association, known as the nation's oldest and most prestigious surgical organization. 

As Howard’s 17th president, Dr. Frederick’s goal is to enhance the Howard University legacy, ensure that the University maximizes its impact and that its students receive a well-rounded educational experience. Through his experience as a scholar and an administrator, Dr. Frederick strives to develop innovative approaches to focus on the institutional priorities of his beloved alma mater and support the success of its students.

Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick is a true son of Howard University—a proud and loyal exemplar of Howard University’s motto: Truth and Service.

Fred P. Pestello

Fred P. Pestello, Ph.D., became the 33rd president and chief executive officer of Saint Louis University in 2014. He is the first permanent lay president of Saint Louis University since its founding in 1818.

As president, Pestello oversees one of the nation’s leading Jesuit research universities with nearly 13,000 students, more than 7,000 employees, an annual operating budget of more than $775 million and an endowment of $1.1 billion.

SLU accomplishments during Pestello’s tenure include a $115 million investment in student housing and a historic partnership with SSM Health that includes the building of a $550 million hospital and outpatient facility at the SLU Medical Center. During his tenure, SLU has enrolled its most talented first-year class. Pestello actively sustains a campus-wide focus on inclusivity, having peacefully resolved a major campus protest in fall 2014.

Pestello currently serves on the board of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities and is a former member of the Executive Committee of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. In St. Louis, he serves on the boards of Civic Progress and the Cortex Innovation Community. He is a founding member of the board of the Foundation for the Pontifical Institute of Theology at Posillipo in Italy.

Pestello is the only person to be elected as the first lay president of two U.S. Jesuit institutions. He joined SLU after serving six years as president of Le Moyne College, achieving record-breaking levels of enrollment, endowment and campus construction. Prior to that appointment, Pestello was faculty member, department chair, associate dean and provost and senior vice president for educational affairs during his 25-year career at the University of Dayton.

Pestello earned his bachelor’s degree at John Carroll University and completed his graduate work in sociology at the University of Akron.

Teresa A. Sullivan

Teresa A. Sullivan is the University of Virginia’s eighth president. Since taking office in 2010, she has led UVA through a period of significant progress. In fall 2012, she launched a planning effort to provide a road-map for the University’s future, while gathering input from 10,000 alumni, parents, students, faculty, staff, and others.  This effort produced a new strategic plan for the University, the Cornerstone Plan.  President Sullivan is leading the University’s bicentennial commemoration, which began in October 2017.

President Sullivan is a respected scholar in labor force demography. The author or coauthor of six books and many scholarly articles, her most recent research has focused on measuring productivity in higher education. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

President Sullivan came to UVA from the University of Michigan, where she was provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. Prior to her work at Michigan, Ms. Sullivan was executive vice chancellor for academic affairs for the University of Texas System, a position she held from 2002 until May 2006.

She is a graduate of Michigan State University’s James Madison College, and earned her doctoral degree in sociology from the University of Chicago. 

Framroze "Fram" Virjee

Framroze “Fram” Virjee is president of California State University, Fullerton, the largest institution in the California State University (CSU) system, serving more than 40,000 students with an operating budget of almost half a billion dollars. As chief executive officer, Fram provides leadership for over 4,000 educators within an inclusive shared governance environment, overseeing all aspects of the University’s operations — from academic and administrative to finance and technology — in close collaboration with faculty, staff, students, alumni, and the extended Titan family.

Fram previously served as executive vice chancellor, general counsel and secretary to the board for the CSU system. In that position, he led a staff of attorneys, paralegals and support personnel who were collectively responsible for all legal services throughout the CSU — the largest system of public higher education in the country. In addition to representing both the system and each of its 23 campuses in areas as varied as litigation, labor and employment, business and finance, and academic and student affairs, Fram served as chief legal officer to the Board of Trustees, advising them on all legal issues including open meeting laws, board rules and procedures, and education code compliance.

Prior to joining the CSU in January 2014, Fram was a partner in private practice for almost 30 years at O’Melveny & Myers, the oldest firm in Los Angeles and one of the largest in the nation. At O’Melveny, Fram specialized in labor and employment law, with an emphasis in, among other things, representing educational institutions in the areas of collective bargaining, Education Code compliance, and discrimination and employment litigation. He also spent multiple years as the national Chair of O’Melveny’s Labor and Employment Practice Group, and served as as the firm’s diversity and inclusion partner, lateral hiring partner, and chair of the firm’s summer program.

Fram and his wife, Julie, are co-founders of Yambi Rwanda, a non-profit 501(c)3 dedicated to improving the lives of Rwandans through the sustained provision of basic human needs — clean water, adequate nutrition, and healthcare — along with equitable access to quality education and the celebration of Rwanda’s culture and arts. Fram and Julie have three sons — Braunson, Cameron, and Connor — and recently welcomed their first grandchild into the world.

A first-generation college student, Fram received his J.D. (cum laude) from the University of California, Hasting College of Law in 1985; and his bachelor of arts degree (summa cum laude) in political science and sociology from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1982.

Featured Session Speakers

Kathleen Santora

Kathleen Curry Santora has been President & Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA) since February 2001. Before coming to NACUA, she was Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the American Association for Higher Education (AAHE). She previously served in various positions at Georgetown University - as Secretary of the University, Assistant to the President for External Relations, and Assistant to the President/Chief of Staff for the President's Office. For nearly ten years prior to that, Kathleen worked for the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) in various senior-level positions where she handled tax policy and other legislative issues, state relations with state associations of independent colleges and universities, and management of association internal operations. She also served as the first Director for Public Policy and External Relations at the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB). 

Kathleen earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from the University of Scranton and a Juris Doctor from the Columbus School of Law, The Catholic University of America. She is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar and currently serves on the boards of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), the Association Mutual Health Insurance Company (AMHIC) and the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA). She previously served on the boards of the University of Scranton, EDUCAUSE (the association for IT professionals), the American Council on Education (ACE), and Academic Search; as a member and Chair of the Washington Higher Education Secretariat (WHES) Steering Committee; as a member of the Council of Higher Education Management Associations (CHEMA) Steering Committee, and as a member of the Western New England College (now University) board.

Shauna Ryder Diggs

Shauna Ryder Diggs, a Democrat from Grosse Pointe, is chair of the Board of Regents of the University of Michigan and incoming Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges. She received her B.S. degree from the University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts in 1991 and her M.D. degree from the University of Michigan Medical School in 1994, and completed her internship and residency at the University of Michigan Medical Center.

A board-certified dermatologist, Regent Ryder Diggs is a physician in solo private practice at Cosmedic Dermatology in Grosse Pointe Farms, practicing general, laser, and cosmetic dermatology. She previously practiced in the Oakland Aesthetic Dermatology Group in Farmington Hills and served as the medical director of the Laser Treatment Center at the Detroit Medical Center’s Sinai-Grace Hospital. Regent Ryder Diggs is a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology and the American Society of Dermatologic Surgeons.

Regent Ryder Diggs is personally and professionally involved in her community. She serves as chair of the board of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation and has served on the boards of the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Detroit Zoological Society, and Forgotten Harvest.  She is involved in numerous additional professional and community organizations.

Steve Dunham

Steve Dunham is the Vice President and General Counsel of The Pennsylvania State University.  He previously served as Vice President and General Counsel of Johns Hopkins University.  Earlier he served as Vice President and General Counsel of the University of Minnesota and as a litigation partner and Chair of the law firm of Morrison and Foerster resident in their Denver and San Francisco offices.  He has taught at several different law schools and currently serves as Chair of the Board of Soka University of America.  He  graduated from Princeton University and Yale Law School. He has served as a member of the NACUA Board of Directors.

Terry W. Hartle

Terry W. Hartle is one of America’s most effective and experienced advocates for higher education. At ACE, where he has served for more than 20 years, he directs comprehensive efforts to engage federal policymakers on a broad range of issues including student aid, government regulation, scientific research and tax policy. His work involves representation before the U.S. Congress, administrative agencies and the federal courts. As an expert voice on behalf of colleges and universities, he is quoted widely in both the national and international media on higher education issues. Given ACE’s historic role in coordinating the government relations efforts of some 60 associations in the Washington-based higher education community, Hartle plays a central part in developing public policy positions that impact all colleges and universities. He also oversees the Council’s external relations functions, as well as Higher Education for Development (HED), which supports the global development goals of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), primarily by coordinating the engagement of the higher education community to address development challenges. Prior to joining the council in 1993, Hartle served for six years as education staff director for the Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources, then chaired by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. Prior to 1987, Hartle was director of social policy studies and resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and a research scientist at the Educational Testing Service. Hartle has authored or co-authored numerous articles, books, and national studies and contributes regular book reviews to The Christian Science Monitor.Hartle received a doctorate in public policy from The George Washington University (DC), a master’s in public administration from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University (NY) and a bachelor’s degree in history (summa cum laude) from Hiram College (OH). He was awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree by Northeastern University (MA). He has received the Hiram College Alumni Achievement Award, and has been inducted into the Hiram College Athletic Hall of Fame. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Julie H. Sullivan

Julie H. Sullivan became the 15th president – and first layperson and woman to serve as president – of the University of St. Thomas on July 1, 2013. With campuses in St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Rome, St. Thomas is a comprehensive university encompassing seven schools and colleges serving over 10,000 students and grounded in the liberal arts and Catholic intellectual tradition. 

Sullivan’s prior academic experience includes service as executive vice president and provost at University of San Diego (2005-2013) and as professor and administrator at the University of California-San Diego (2003-2005) and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1987-2003).  Her research and teaching has focused on issues related to corporate and global tax planning and financial reporting to shareholders.  
Sullivan is an innovative academic leader with a purpose. She is passionate about learning and scholarship grounded in the needs of an ever-changing and more complex world. She is a champion for social innovation and has been a leader in the Ashoka Changemaker movement. She also is known for her commitments to globalization and intercultural understanding.  

Sullivan shares her education, financial, and business strategy expertise with public companies and nonprofit organizations. She currently is a board member of TCF Financial Corp., Catholic Charities, Loyola University Chicago, Greater Twin Cities United Way and Greater MSP.  She also is a member of the Minnesota Business Partnership, the National Association of Corporate Directors and Minnesota Women’s Economic Roundtable.  

A native of Florida, Sullivan has three degrees from the University of Florida, including a Ph.D. in business.