The Messiah University President's Cabinet is comprised of senior administrators representing the various facets of the University's day-to-day operations. The cabinet meets weekly throughout the academic year and serves in an advisory role to the president.
Vice President for Diversity Affairs
Dr. Allen fulfills a key role on the President's Cabinet by giving focused attention to the institution's diversity plan. He leads the Office of Diversity Affairs, which includes Multicultural and International Student Programs. Dr. Allen is the founder of the Common Ground Project, a nonprofit dedicated to teaching the history of the Civil Rights Movement. He also teaches in Messiah's communication department.
Vice President for Human Resources and Compliance
As vice president for human resources and compliance, Ms. Coffey oversees all aspects of professional employment for faculty and staff at Messiah University. Her office is charged with responsibility for the employment strategies and practices of the University. As such, human resources manages activities such as recruiting, professional development, employee relations, compensation and benefits so as to support the productivity and engagement of the University's employees.
Provost
As provost, Dr. Gardner provides administrative oversight to the University's curricular and cocurricular programming. In this role, she gives leadership to all educational program development and the hiring, evaluation and development of the University's faculty and cocurricular educators.
Dr. Gardner earned her doctorate in communication studies from Northwestern University and holds a master's degree in communications from the University of Washington. Before coming to Messiah, she served as dean of the School of Graduate, Professional, and Extended Studies and as chair of the Department of Communication Arts, Theatre, and Art at Gordon College. Dr. Gardner is an award-winning scholar and teacher, with research focusing on the intersection of rhetoric and cultural sociology; exploring the role of religious rhetoric in the public sphere; narratives of identity and belonging; and the cultivation of empathy in civil dialogue.
Vice President for Finance and Planning
Gary Nowicki holds a master's degree (MBA) in Industrial Administration/Finance from Carnegie Mellon University and worked for many years as a Managing Director in the Higher Education department of a brokerage and investment banking firm. In that role, he worked with dozens of institutions on a variety of areas like enrollment management issues, asset monetization considerations, debt capacity analyses, economic impact of new programs, existing program disruptions, legal reviews of related documents and pro forma cash flow testing. Mr. Nowicki joined Messiah University's leadership team in 2022, where he provides oversight to the business office, endowment team, purchasing, and institutional research.
Vice President for Operations
Ms. Shafer oversees the division of the University that significantly impacts students' and employees' everyday life including the dining, custodial, facilities maintenance, conference and event services, safety and grounds keeping teams. She also has responsibility for Messiah's sustainability initiatives, Messiah Press, the campus bookstore and crisis management protocols.
Interim Vice President for Enrollment Management
Sarah Wade oversees undergraduate and graduate admissions, recruitment and financial aid efforts. Areas of oversight include: Undergraduate Admissions, Graduate Enrollment, Financial Aid, Enrollment Management Operations, Enrollment Partnerships and Admissions Hospitality. She and her team work closely with colleagues from across campus to ensure excellence in service to prospective students, families and partner organizations.