Administration | Clarkson University

President Marc Christensen

President Marc P. Christensen, Ph.D. P.E.

The Clarkson University Board of Trustees appointed Marc P. Christensen, Ph.D. P.E. to serve as the 17th President of Clarkson University, effective July 1, 2022.

President Christensen's passion for innovative teaching, collaborative multidisciplinary research, proven entrepreneurship, successful fundraising and community outreach are in excellent alignment with Clarkson's active community of faculty, staff, students and alumni.

A well-regarded leader in photonics research and technology development, he most recently served as the dean of the Lyle School of Engineering at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas.

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Goodarz Ahmadi, Interim Provost

Dr. Goodarz Ahmadi was appointed Interim Provost in June of 2022. The Clarkson Distinguished Professor and Robert H. Hill Professor of Mechanical Engineering joined the Clarkson faculty in 1982. Since then he has become known throughout the Clarkson community for his devotion to students, teaching, and research. He has previously held positions including Vice Provost for Research, Dean of Engineering, and Chair of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

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Goodarz Ahmadi

Kelly O. Chezum, M.B.A. '04, Vice President for Marketing & External Relations

Kelly Chezum

Dr. Kelly O. Chezum leads Clarkson’s comprehensive integrated marketing, communications, government and external partnership initiatives and has stewarded the University’s long-range planning activities since 2003. She is also Assistant Secretary of the Board of Trustees, serving as the professional staff liaison to the corporate officers and members of the Board’s Executive Committee.

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Kelly Chezum

Brian T. Grant '93, Vice President for Student Affairs

Brian Grant

After serving roles of increasing responsibility with the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at Clarkson, Brian T. Grant now serves as Vice President for Student Affairs. He is charged with engaging the entire Clarkson community to optimize the synergies between areas and continue to move student engagement toward best in class. He has a great breadth of experience in admissions, student engagement, financial management and service excellence.

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Brian Grant

Amy McGaheran, Chief Human Resources Officer/Deputy Inclusion Officer

Clarkson University Chief Human Resources & Deputy Chief Inclusion Officer Amy McGaheran

Amy McGaheran, Chief Human Resources Officer/Deputy Inclusion Officer, began her career at Clarkson University in December 2010. In May of 2018, McGaheran became Interim Chief Human Resources & Employee Inclusion Officer, with a focus on cultivating the University's recruitment, employee engagement and inclusion efforts. In February 2019, she moved into the role on a permanent basis.

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Amy McGaheran

Bill McGarry, Interim Chief Financial Officer

Bill McGarry rejoined Clarkson in 2023 as interim CFO. Sourced through the Registry, which specializes in interim senior higher education appointments, he has been consulting for more than a decade and held prior executive positions in higher education at Franklin Pierce College, Rider University, Fairleigh Dickinson University and Southern New Hampshire University. McGarry was the interim CFO at Clarkson from January 2021 - January 2022, and therefore has important corporate knowledge about Clarkson’s financial systems.

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Bill McGarry

Matthew E. Draper, Vice President for Development & Alumni Relations

Matthew Draper is Clarkson's Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations

Matthew E. Draper, Vice President for Development & Alumni Relations, returned to Clarkson in October 2010 to launch the Shipley Center for Innovation after spending 8 years at W.W. Grainger, the world's largest industrial distributor. In August 2016, Draper became Director of Corporate Engagement at Clarkson University with a focus on cultivating relationships with key industry partners for recruitment, research, and philanthropy. Draper became Interim Vice President for Development & Alumni Relations in March 2018 and moved into the role full time in July 2019.

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Matthew Draper

Susan E. Powers '83, Director of the Institute for a Sustainable Environment

Dr. Susan Powers, director of the Institute for a Sustainable Environment

Susan E. Powers, PhD, PE is the Director of the Institute for a Sustainable Environment and is the Spence Professor in Sustainable Environmental Systems. She was appointed as the Director in 2017, and in the role works with leaders from facilities, finance, marketing, research, inclusion and other campus offices to assure that we truly integrate sustainability in everything we do. She also continues to teach classes related to Industrial Ecology, Climate Change and design of sustainable systems. Her research work takes a systems perspective to assess the impact of energy systems on the environment.

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Susan Powers

Laurel Kane, Director of Athletics and Recreation

Named Director of Athletics and Recreation in 2023, Laurel has been with Clarkson since 2001 when she came to Potsdam to coach women's soccer and lacrosse teams. She has served as Assistant and Associate Athletic Director/Senior Woman Administrator (SWA), and in 2019 was named Senior Associate Athletic Director. During her time as a senior level administrator, the Athletic Department experienced remarkable growth by adding varsity and intramural offerings, and raising the level of competitiveness in all 20 of our varsity programs.

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Laurel Kane

Joshua A. Fiske '03, MS '04, Chief Information Officer

Clarkson Chief Information Officer Josh Fiske leads the Office of Information Technology

Joshua Fiske has served as the Chief Information Officer at Clarkson University since 2013. In this role, he oversees the Office of Information Technology as well as sets IT direction and coordinates infrastructure and service delivery across the University. Josh excels at solving challenging problems using appropriate technology.

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Josh Fiske

Jennifer L. Ball, Ph.D., Chief Inclusion Officer

Jennifer Ball

Dr. Ball is the University’s Chief Inclusion Officer. She holds a joint appointment as an associate professor of history and social documentation in the Humanities and Social Sciences Department. She has been involved in diversity, equity and inclusion work for the past twenty five years and holds board positions with the Association for Title IX Coordinators and the Difficult Dialog National Resource Center. She has a BA from Saint Vincent College and a MA & PhD from Purdue University.

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Jennifer Ball

Alexander Cohen, Chair of the Faculty Senate

Alexander Cohen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences and currently serves as the Chair of the Faculty Senate. He holds a BA in political science from New York University and a MA and PhD in political science from the UNiversity of Iowa. In addition to his duties on the senate, he also serves as the Associate Director of Faculty Support. He primarily teaches courses on American government, with an emphasis on gaming and active learning. His published research includes work on pedagogy, intersections between the weather and public opinion, assessments of student learning, Shakespeare, and zombies.

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Alexander Cohen

Scott Smalling, Vice President of Operations

Long-time member of the Clarkson University Athletic Department Scott Smalling was appointed Vice President of Operations in April, 2023. In his new role, Smalling will oversee Facilities, Custodial Services, Capital Projects and Vendor Relationships. Additionally, he will act as Director of Athletics Strategy and fundraising initiatives within the department. Smalling’s background in the business sector, combined with his leadership experience in the Athletic Department, make him an ideal fit for these important roles.

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Scott Smalling

Carrie Capella, Assistant to the President

Carrie Capella has served in the Office of the President at Clarkson since 2010. She worked as an Administrative Assistant and was promoted to Assistant to the President in 2019. In her role she oversees the day to day function of the office, providing comprehensive support to the President and serving as the primary point of contact for internal and external constituencies on all matters pertaining to the President. She has also served as the Assistant to the Chief Financial Officer since 2018. Capella is a graduate of The University of Vermont with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration.

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Carrie Capella