Our Board

The College of New Jersey
(Ewing)

Dr. Kate A. Foster, President
Maria Falca-Dodson

Ramapo College of New Jersey
(Mahwah)
Dr. Cindy R. Jebb, President
Adam J. Sabath, Chairman

Kean University
(Union)
Dr. Lamont Repollet, President
Linda Lewis, Trustee

Stockton University
(Galloway)
Harvey Kesselman, President
Madeleine Deininger, Vice Chair

Thomas Edison State University
(Trenton)
Merodie Hancock, President
Dr. Kemi Alli, Trustee

New Jersey City University
(Jersey City)
Andres Acebo, Interim President
Carlos Lejnieks, Trustee

William Paterson University
(Wayne)
Richard J. Helldobler, President
Frederick Gruel, Trustee

Adam J. Sabath, Trustee
Ramapo College of New Jersey
  • Is a past chair of Ramapo College’s Board of Trustees, having served as chair from 2009 to 2012 and as vice chair from 2007-2009.  He joined the board in 2005.
  • Is owner of the Advocacy Group, LLC, a lobbying and government affairs firm.
  • Received a bachelor’s degree in social work from Ramapo College.
  • Previously worked as the Chief of Staff to Senate President Richard J. Codey, and prior to that served as Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
  • Mr. Sabath is currently Chair of NJASCU.
Madeleine Deininger, Trustee
Stockton University
  • Member of the Stockton University Board of Trustees since 2007.  Ex-Chairperson of the Board, current Executive Committee member and Chair of the Development Committee
  • Founder and President of the Sonoma, California-based Kismet Wines, Inc. where she has developed highly successful national marketing and sales programs for Californian and European fine wines
  • A 1980 alumna of Stockton where she received her baccalaureate in Liberal Studies.  Upon graduating from Dartmouth College in 1985 with a Master’s Degree in Liberal Studies, she founded Kismet Wines, Inc.
  • Recipient of an Honorary Degree, Doctor of Humane Letters from The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey.
  • Institute of Governmental Studies/University of California, Berkeley Visiting Scholar 2017 – 2019 Shared Governance in Higher Education
  • General Partner at Bedrock Vineyard, which supplies premium grapes for Ravenswood, Bedrock Wine Company, Carlisle, Ridge, Turkey, Biale and other wineries in Sonoma and Napa Counties.
  • Member of the Board of Trustees for Stevenson School (pre-K through 12th grades) in Carmel and Pebble Beach, California, Maybeck High School in Berkeley, California and was recently named to the National Advisory Council of the Institute of Governmental Studies at University of California, Berkeley.
Dr. Kemi Alli, MD, Trustee
Thomas Edison State University

  • Appointed to the NJASCU Board in September, 2018.
  • Dr. Alli assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer of Henry J. Austin Health Center (HJAHC) in May 2015.  She previously served as Chief Medical Officer from 2008.  She has been a Pediatrician with HJAHC going on 20 years.
  • Dr. Alli obtained her undergraduate and medical degrees from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.  She completed her residency from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Pediatrics in 1998.
  • Dr. Alli serves on the Board of the New Jersey Primary Care Association, New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute and Thomas Edison State University.
  • Dr. Alli is devoted to the Trenton community and works with organizations like Trenton Health Team and serves on committees like Horizon New Jersey Health’s Quality Committee.  In her free time, Dr. Alli enjoys cycling and has taken part in the annual Anchor House Ride, riding over 500 miles in one week to raise funds and support for those children in the community that need it most.
Maria Falca-Dodson
The College of New Jersey
  • Major General Maria Falca-Dodson was Assistant Adjutant General – Air, New Jersey National Guard.
  • She also served as Commander, New Jersey Air National Guard which includes the 108th Wing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and the 177th Fighter Wing in Egg Harbor Township.
  • General Falca-Dodson served for seven years as the Deputy Adjutant General for the State of New Jersey where she was responsible for daily oversight and management of over 8,300 members of the New Jersey Army and Air National Guard, as well as state operations of the Department.
  • Vice President for Strategic Initiatives for MDAdvantage assisting with the expansion of New Jersey-based Affordable Care Organizations (ACOs) on behalf of physician groups.
  • Vice President for MIIX Healthcare Group responsible for the overall consulting operations including the management of all staff and a $1.3 M operating budget.
  • Assistant Commissioner at the New Jersey Department of Health responsible for the overall organization, development and administration of the operations of the Division of Health Care Systems Analysis.
Frederick L. Gruel, Trustee
William Paterson University
  • Recently retired as President and CEO of AAA New Jersey Auto Club.
  • Previously, Mr. Gruel held several positions in higher education including Vice President of Administration and Finance at Thomas Edison State College, and Assistant Director, Office of Community College Programs for the State of New Jersey, Department of Higher Education.
  • Earned a BS from Fordham University and an MBA from Florida State University.
  • Appointed to the William Paterson University Board of Trustees in 1992.  He served as its chair from 1996-2000 and again since 2012, and vice chair from 2000-2004.  He has also chaired several board committees, including Finance and Audit, and Institutional Development.
  • Chair of the Newark Regional Business Partnership (NRBP).
  • Mr. Gruel is Immediate Past Chair NJASCU.
Dr. Merodie A. Hancock, President
Thomas Edison State University
  • Assumed office in March 2018 as the fourth president of Thomas Edison State University.
  • Served as president of SUNY Empire State College in New York from 2013-2018.  Served as vice president at Central Michigan University Global Campus and held teaching and administrative leadership positions at the University of Maryland University College and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
  • Currently serves on the boards of Greater Trenton, Inc. and Choose NJ.  Also serves on the American Council on Education’s Council of State Representatives.
  • Holds a PhD in urban services and education administration from Old Dominion University, an MBA from Claremont Graduate University and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Scripps College.  Earned a certificate from the Institute of Educational Management from Harvard University, a certificate from the University Professional Continuing Education Association Leadership Academy at New York University, a certificate in Process Design and Implementation:  Reengineering and Change Management from Michael Hammer and Company and a certificate in Nonprofit Board Leadership from the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy.
Dr. Richard J. Helldobler, President
William Paterson University
  • Assumed office on July 1, 2018 as the eighth president of William Paterson University.
  • Dr. Helldobler brings 30 years of higher education experience through a variety of academic and administrative roles along with prestigious fellowships to the University. As a first-generation student of immigrant heritage, this lens grounds his work in serving students for whom education is a means of social mobility and economic progress.
  • Previously served as interim president of Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago from July 2016 to March 2018. During his tenure there, he led the institution through an historic two-year budget impasse, as well as a number of significant initiatives. Most notably, Northeastern received a 10-year reaffirmation from the Higher Learning Commission.
  • Prior to his appointment as interim president at Northeastern, he served as provost and vice president for academic affairs, overseeing all matters related to academics, including the oversight of four colleges, the library, admissions, recruitment, and other areas. He spearheaded the creation of academic programming for its El Centro location, which opened in 2014, worked to increase retention and recruitment efforts, and established the Center for College Access and Success which significantly increased research grants brought to the University.
  • Prior to joining Northeastern, he served as vice president for academic affairs at Shepherd University in West Virginia from 2009 to 2012. His leadership at Shepherd focused on academic alignment to the Association of American Colleges & Universities Liberal Arts and America’s Promise (LEAP) standards, a redesign of all academic programs to meet a 120-credit degree requirement, restructuring of the academic catalogue in an electronic format, and increased retention and licensure pass rates. A new general education program was designed and approved and Shepherd received a 10-year reaffirmation accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission.
  • President Helldobler joined Shepherd after nearly two decades at California University of Pennsylvania, where he served as chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, and associate provost/associate vice president for academic affairs. During his tenure there, he led successful accreditations from the Higher Learning Commission, National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education, Council on Social Work Education, and Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. Among his administrative accomplishments were the establishment of a university-wide faculty mentoring program and a faculty handbook. He chaired numerous committees, including the Administrative Council, General Education, Institutional Self Evaluation, and the Department Chairs Forum.
  • He was the founding artistic director for CalRep Pennsylvania, a pre-professional summer theatre program, and The Mon Valley Ballet Theatre, the resident ballet company at California University of Pennsylvania. The Mon Valley Ballet Theatre was the first university company invited by Ukraine’s Minister of Culture to perform at the famed National Operate House in Kiev. His numerous credits include choreography for The Nutcracker, Cinderella, and Symphonic Led Zeppelin, and direction of Candide, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Fiddler on the Roof. His research has resulted in articles in the Journal of Dance Medicine and Science, among others, and Quick Tips for Civic Engagement with Indiana University Press.
  • President Helldobler has served as a mentor for the Leadership Institute for the Association for Theatre in Higher Education and chaired the association’s task force that retooled the national standards for promotion and tenure for theatre faculty.
  • A 2005-2006 American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow, he has remained closely connected to the Fellows Program having served as co-chair of the Professional Development Committee, secretary of the Executive Board, and as a nominator, and was presented with the Fellows Service Award in 2015 for exemplary continued service.
  • He recently completed Harvard’s Institutional Executive Management Program, and was invited to be part of a think tank at the University of Pennsylvania on the changing nature of public higher education.
  • He has served on the board of directors for the Auditorium Theatre, the Contemporary American Theatre Festival, the Renaissance City Choirs, the Persad Center, and the Pennsylvania Arts Collaborative.
  • President Helldobler earned his PhD in theatre and master of arts in speech and theatre from Bowling Green State University, and a bachelor of business administration degree in marketing from the University of Toledo.
Dr. Cindy R. Jebb, President
Ramapo College of New Jersey
  • Cindy R. Jebb, Ph.D. became Ramapo College’s fifth president on July 6, 2021.
  • Dr. Jebb retired from the U.S. military after 39 years of service.
  • As the first woman Dean of the Academic Board at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Dr. Jebb’s responsibilities included service as Dean of the Faculty and Chief Advisor on all curricular matters.
  • She provided leadership, management, and supervision to the Academic Division’s approximately $80M annual budget, 869 faculty and staff, 4,400 undergraduate students, and seven academic buildings.
  • Over the course of her career with West Point as professor, department head, and dean, Dr. Jebb successfully led the complex, diverse, and mission-oriented organization through two crises: the federal hiring freeze that adversely impacted appointed civilian professors and phase one of the COVID 19 pandemic, emerging stronger each time. During these crises, Dr. Jebb reorganized and transformed roles and responsibilities through deliberate functional analyses, best practices of talent management, and strategic planning–all while fostering student achievement.
  • Prior to her appointment as Dean, Dr. Jebb fulfilled roles as Director of Comparative Politics and as Professor and Head of the Department of Social Sciences at West Point. In these roles, she led efforts to redesign curriculum, grow student internship opportunities, launch student and faculty mentoring programs, advance diversity and inclusion initiatives, and develop donor support. Further, she co-chaired West Point’s Middle States Accreditation Self Study and assisted in establishing West Point’s Combating Terrorism Center and Conflict and Human Security Studies Program.
  • A former military intelligence officer, an active member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a well-regarded scholar and instructor, Dr. Jebb has taught courses in Comparative Politics, International Security, International Relations, Cultural Anthropology, Terrorism and Counterterrorism, and Officership. She is the author and co-author of three books, two monographs, and a variety of journal articles, book chapters, and conference papers. Dr. Jebb has also served in command and staff positions at home and abroad; conducted human security research in Africa; and completed study projects in Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition, Dr. Jebb has led and moderated speaking engagements across the globe alongside prominent individuals such as the late Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, presidential advisor David Gergen, Secretary Madeline Albright, and journalist Tom Brokaw.
  • A native New Yorker, Dr. Jebb earned a B.S. from the United States Military Academy at West Point, a M.A. in Political Science from Duke, an M.A. in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College, and a Ph.D. in Political Science from Duke University. She is married to Dr. Joel Jebb, and they have four adult children (including their daughter-in-law) and one grandchild.
Dr. Harvey Kesselman, President
Stockton University
  • Dr. Kesselman is the President of Stockton University and has more than 30 years experience in higher education.  His leadership roles at Stockton include: Provost and Executive Vice President; Dean, School of Education; Interim Vice President for Administration and Finance; CEO of the Southern Regional Institute (SRI) and Educational Technology Training Center (ETTC); and Vice President for Student Affairs.
  • Dr. Kesselman remains involved in many national academic organizations.  He serves on both the Board of Directors of the American Council on Education’s Association of Chief Academic Officers (ACAO) and on the Educational Testing Service (ETS) Higher Education Advisory Council.  He is a frequent presenter at the American Assoication of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU).
  • Has been active in the New Jersey educational landscape for many years.  He has been appointed by five different governors to serve as the senior college representative on a number of authorities, committees and task forces.  He served on the Executive Committee of the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA), which oversees New Jersey’s $1 billion student financial aid program.  He has been the senior public college representative on that board since the mid-1990s.
  • Served on the Governor’s Task Force to improve the NJ STARS program; participated on the New Jersey College and Career Readiness Task Force; advised the New Jersey State College and University Presidents’ Council regarding accountability and assessment; represented the senior public colleges and universities in the NJ Committee of Experts on Campus Sexual Assault Issues; served as one of six representatives appointed by the Chancellor of Higher Education to author and develop the NJ Student Unit Record Enrollment (SURE) statewide data and monitoring system; founded and chaired the SRI & ETTC Consortium, which includes more than 90 school districts throughout New Jersey; and serves as a reviewer for the Middle States Association Commission on Higher Education.
  • Dr. Kesselman has also served on numerous national grant reviews, authored and promoted policies for legislation, maintains a strong record of successful grant preparation, and continues to serve as a consultant and speaker.  He is actively involved in his community, having been elected to Township Committee, the School Board, and has been appointed to various other community and civic organizations.
  • He received his bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Stockton, his master’s degree in Student Personnel Services/Counseling from Rowan University, and his doctorate in Higher Education Administration from Widener University.
Andres Acebo, Interim President
New Jersey City University
  • Andrés Acebo is a Hudson County native who grew up in Union City, N.J., and has maintained strong ties to the community. He is only the second Hispanic to serve as the leader of a four-year public institution in the state of New Jersey — following in the legacy of another NJCU leader, Dr. Carlos Hernandez, who led the institution as its 11th president from 1993-2012. Acebo is also the youngest known president to ever lead a public university in the State of New Jersey.
  • He most recently served on the vetting and due diligence team for the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) and Alliance for Latinx Leadership and Policy (ALLP) partnership to identify U.S. Department of Justice presidential nominees for the Biden/Harris transition.
  • Acebo currently serves as a Deputy Regional President of the Hispanic National Bar Association and Chair of the Special Committee on Cuba. He serves on the board of the Cuban American Alliance for Leadership and Education (CAALE) — a non-profit board that serves first-generation students in the NJCU community.
  • Furthermore, he serves on the board of the North Hudson Community Action Foundation, which helps underserved members of Hudson County with equitable access to healthcare and social services.
  • Acebo has been recognized as a Rising Star by New Jersey Super Lawyers, a Top Latino Lawyer by Latino Leaders Magazine, a Top Lawyer under 40 by the Hispanic National Bar Association, and as a Diverse Attorney of the Year by the New Jersey Law Journal. In Fall 2022, he was recognized as a 2022 “Latinos 40 Under 40” award recipient by Negocios Now, in recognition of leadership by young Latinos in the New York metropolitan area. This fall, Acebo was also honored by the Boys Scouts of America-North Jersey Council with the 2022 Good Scout Award, in reflection of his service to his community.
  • Acebo holds a B.A. from Brown University and a Juris Doctor from Rutgers Law School. He is a proud product of Union City public schools in Hudson County. He resides in North Jersey with his wife — an NJCU alumnae — and three children.
Carlos Lejnieks, Trustee
New Jersey City University
  • President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Essex, Hudson & Union Counties, to the university’s Board of Trustees.
  • Serves on the Finance & Audit Committee and Mission Committee.
  • Became CEO of the Newark-based organization in 2008 and within four years, saw it flourish — expanding its service from approximately 100 youth to over 1,100 annually. Under his leadership, BBBS has received numerous awards from local, state and national entities, including a formal recognition by President Obama. In 2016, he was asked to ring the Closing Bell at the Nasdaq in celebration of National Mentoring Month.
  • He is the immediate-past Chairman of Big Brothers Big Sisters of New Jersey.
  • He was given the inaugural Presidential Medallion from NJCU where he also delivered the institution’s commencement address.
  • Also serves on the Brown University Alumni Association Board, the Board of Regents for Saint Peter’s University and is a Trustee for Jersey City Medical Center/RWJ Barnabas Health) and St. Benedict’s Prep.
  • He has served as a Commissioner for the New Jersey Department of Banking & Insurance Real Estate Commission since 2018.
  • He is immediate-past Chairman of the NJ Charter Schools Association and is also co-founder and Vice Chair of Democracy Prep Public Schools — a high performing network of schools serving over 5,000 youth based in Harlem, N.Y. In 2006, he received Democracy Prep’s “Change the World” award for helping create the school.
  • Served on President Barack Obama’s Regional Finance Committee, Governor Chris Christie’s Education Transition Team and Newark Mayor Cory Booker’s Transition Team.
Linda Lewis, Trustee
Kean University
  • Appointed to the NJASCU Board in January 2019, having served on Kean University’s Board of Trustees since February 2003.
  • She is a Guidance Counselor at Elizabeth High School in the Elizabeth, NJ school district where she also serves as a member of the school-management team.  In addition, Ms. Lewis is an education and management consultant, providing services to private, public and nonprofit organizations.
  • Ms. Lewis served the federal government in the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights from 1978 to 1986.  She was charged with supervising equal-opportunity specialists and secretarial staff in the Post-Secondary Division.  Ms. Lewis was also charged with overseeing written and verbal information to the division’s director and the regional director regarding complaint investigations and compliance reviews.  In addition, she conducted workforce analysis of the utilization and underutilization of the handicapped, women and minorities in the workforce and reviewed post-secondary institutions in Region II to determine whether or not they were in compliance.
  • From 1978 to 1984, Ms. Lewis conducted investigations under the authority of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1965, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Age Discrimination Act of 1975, Americans with Disabilities Act and the Vocation Rehabilitation Act.
  • Ms. Lewis was director of Affirmative Action at the Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY from 1977 to 1978.  After obtaining a Master of Arts in guidance and counseling from Atlanta University in 1974, she began her career as a psychological counselor at Bloomsburg State University in Bloomsburg,
Dr. Lamont Repollet, President
Kean University
  •  Was selected as the 18th leader of Kean University by the Kean Board of Trustees on May 11, 2020.
  • Previously served two and a half years as the Commissioner of Education under New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy before becoming Kean’s president. During his time as commissioner, he oversaw the shift to remote education amid the COVID-19 pandemic and played a key role in planning for the 2020-2021 school year.  He also oversaw the expansion of early childhood education; promotion of a school culture that embraces social and emotional learning; and the strengthening of STEM opportunities for students. During his tenure, New Jersey’s public schools were ranked number one in the nation in the Education Week “Quality Counts 2019” report, which captures key data to assess a state’s educational performances.
  • From 2014 to 2018, Dr. Repollet served as superintendent of the Asbury Park School District. New instructional and organizational approaches that he brought to the district helped increase the graduation rate by 30 percent.
  • Before that, Dr. Repollet served as principal of Carteret High School, where his leadership garnered national recognition, earning him a reputation for decreasing the achievement gap.
  • Previously served on the Kean Board of Trustees from 2011 until 2018, assuming the role of secretary as well as chair of the Academic Policy and Programs Committee. While on the board, he visited Wenzhou, China in 2012 when Wenzhou-Kean University first opened and returned again to speak at WKU’s second commencement in 2017.
  • In 2018, Dr. Repollet was honored as an Outstanding Human Rights Educator by Kean’s Human Rights Institute. Most recently, he received the 2019 Medal of Excellence for Distinguished Service from The College of Education at Rowan University, the 2019 Trailblazer Award from the Innovation for Equity Summit and the 2019 Conclave Image Award from Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.
  • Dr. Repollet received his bachelor’s degree in communication from The College of New Jersey, his master’s degree in education administration from Kean University, and a Doctorate in Education from Nova Southeastern University.