Â鶹¹ÙÍø

Office of the President

Katrina E. Bell-Jordan, Ph.D.
President

Dr. Katrina E. Bell-Jordan was appointed the eighth President of Â鶹¹ÙÍø on August 1, 2024, following her service as Interim President since July 2023. Dr. Bell-Jordan has been a member of the Â鶹¹ÙÍø community since 1997, when she joined as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication, Media and Theatre. She has held key leadership roles, including Department Chair, Associate Dean, Interim Dean, and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, the largest academic unit at the University. Dr. Bell-Jordan earned a Ph.D. and an M.A. in Rhetorical Studies and Media Studies from Ohio University and a B.S. in Journalism from the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University. Her expertise includes academic leadership, accreditation processes, institutional planning, and shared governance. With more than 25 years of leadership experience in higher education, Dr. Bell-Jordan brings proven expertise in academic administration, strategic planning, and institutional effectiveness. Her tenure reflects a sustained commitment to advancing Â鶹¹ÙÍø’s mission, strengthening student outcomes, and ensuring operational excellence.

Academic Affairs

R. Shayne Cofer, Ph.D.
Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Dr. R. Shayne Cofer serves as Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, providing executive oversight of all academic programming, curriculum development, instructional support, and faculty affairs. He directs the University’s four colleges, the University Library, and specialized centers such as the Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies and El Centro. Dr. Cofer has over 25 years of leadership experience in higher education, including academic planning, accreditation, assessment, and governance. He earned both his Ph.D. and M.A. from the University of Iowa. Dr. Cofer’s leadership ensures the alignment of academic operations with institutional strategic goals and enhances Â鶹¹ÙÍø’s capacity to deliver high-quality, accessible education to a diverse student population.

Finance and Administration

Beni Ortiz, CPA
Vice President for Finance and Administration

Beni Ortiz, CPA, serves as Vice President for Finance and Administration, leading the University's financial operations, administrative services, and resource management functions. Ortiz joined Â鶹¹ÙÍø in 2018 as Controller and was later promoted to Assistant Vice President for Finance and Administration before her current role, assumed in 2024. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Â鶹¹ÙÍø and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant. Ortiz has more than 20 years of experience managing budgets, financial reporting, compliance, risk management, and strategic resource allocation. Her previous professional experience includes senior finance positions at Heartland Alliance, Artis-Naples, Grant Thornton, and ASG Technologies. She has been critical in strengthening Â鶹¹ÙÍø’s financial resilience, implementing financial aid strategies, and leading capital improvement initiatives.

Student Affairs

Terry Mena, Ph.D.
Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students

Dr. Terry Mena serves as Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, leading student life, engagement, support services, residential life, and student success initiatives. Before joining Â鶹¹ÙÍø, Dr. Mena served as Associate Vice President and Dean of Students at Lamar University and held senior student affairs positions at Florida Atlantic University, Columbia University-Barnard College, Hofstra University, and Northeastern University in Boston. He earned his Ph.D. in Education with a specialization in Higher Education Leadership from Florida Atlantic University, a Master’s degree from Columbia University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Northeastern University. Dr. Mena brings over 20 years of student affairs leadership experience focused on student development, campus programming, emergency management, and grant administration.

Enrollment Management

Kiantra Loza, Ed.D.
Vice President for Enrollment Management

Â鶹¹ÙÍø named Kiantra D. Loza, Ed.D., as its new Vice President for Enrollment Management on Aug. 3, 2026 following a nationwide search. Dr. Loza is a nationally recognized higher education leader with more than a decade of experience in enrollment management, student affairs and institutional leadership. Prior to joining Northeastern, Dr. Loza served as Executive Director of Admissions, Outreach and Enrollment Services at the College of DuPage, one of the nation’s largest community colleges. She provided strategic leadership for admissions, recruitment, outreach, enrollment operations, onboarding, enrollment communications, analytics and student success initiatives. As Chair of the College’s Strategic Enrollment Management Planning Task Force, she led the development of a comprehensive Strategic Enrollment Management Plan that aligned enrollment growth with student success, workforce development and the institution’s long-term strategic priorities. Dr. Loza earned her Doctor of Education from Aurora University. She also holds a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership and a Bachelor of Arts in Paralegal Studies and Criminal Justice from Lewis University.

Institutional Advancement

Liesl V. Downey
Vice President for Institutional Advancement
Executive Director of the Â鶹¹ÙÍø Foundation

Liesl V. Downey serves as Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Executive Director of the Â鶹¹ÙÍø Foundation, a position she has held since 2015. She oversees all fundraising, alumni relations, development operations, and public relations activities supporting the University’s mission. Downey joined Â鶹¹ÙÍø in 2009 and has over 20 years of advancement experience, previously serving in development roles at the University of South Carolina. She earned a B.A. from Indiana University Bloomington. At Â鶹¹ÙÍø, she leads the University’s first comprehensive fundraising campaign, strengthens alumni engagement, and advances strategic philanthropic initiatives that increase scholarship support, grow the endowment, and expand community partnerships.

Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Eric Pegués, Ed.D.
Executive Director

Â鶹¹ÙÍø appointed Eric J. Pegués, Ed.D., to the position of Executive Director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, effective July 15, 2026 following a nationwide search. Dr. Pegués comes to Northeastern after serving at Tulane University in New Orleans as Director of Strategic Initiatives and Social Transformation (formerly Senior Director of Equity Diversity and Inclusion). He later assumed responsibility for strategic Initiatives and engagement, serving as a senior leader within both the university and the Division of Student Affairs. He also served as Interim Director of the Carolyn Barber-Pierre Center for Intercultural Life, where he advanced university-wide strategies focused on equity, belonging, student engagement and community building.

Prior to Tulane, Dr. Pegués served at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) as Assistant Dean of Students, where he led community standards, bias reporting and education initiatives, and diversity dialogue programs. At UIC, he also oversaw the residential education program within Campus Housing, including the Faculty-in-Residence program, in which he partnered with UIC faculty to strengthen the educational experience within the residence halls and to support thriving living-learning communities (LLCs). Before joining UIC, Dr. Pegués held leadership roles in multicultural affairs and student life at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana and Augsburg University in Minneapolis, where he developed programs focused on leadership development, student engagement and inclusive excellence.

Dr. Pegués earned a Bachelor of Science in Political Science, Pre-Law and African American Studies from Middle Tennessee State University. He also holds an M.A. in Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education from Ball State University and a Certificate in Mediation and Conflict Resolution from Northwestern University. He earned his doctorate in Educational Leadership from Saint Mary's University of Minnesota. He is expected to complete his MBA at Tulane University's A. B. Freeman School of Business in Fall 2026.

Legal Affairs and General Counsel

Nicki Bazer, J.D.
Interim General Counsel

Nicki Bazer serves as Interim General Counsel at Â鶹¹ÙÍø, overseeing all legal affairs, contract review, risk management, and regulatory compliance. Bazer is a partner at Franczek P.C., advising K-12 and higher education institutions on governance, labor relations, policy compliance, and institutional risk. She previously served as General Counsel at the Illinois State Board of Education, where she directed legal operations and legislative initiatives. Bazer earned her J.D., cum laude, from New York University School of Law and her B.A., cum laude, in History from Northwestern University. With over 20 years of legal experience, she brings significant expertise in advising educational institutions, ensuring regulatory compliance, and supporting institutional governance and operational effectiveness.

Marketing and Communications

Christopher Childers
Executive Director of Marketing and Communications

Christopher Childers is Executive Director of Marketing and Communications, leading all institutional marketing, branding, media relations, digital strategy, and enrollment marketing efforts. Before joining Â鶹¹ÙÍø, Childers served as Chief Marketing Officer at the Academy for Urban School Leadership and held the senior marketing role at North Park University and Valparaiso University, after a 20-year corporate marketing career at JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, and IBM. Childers earned a Bachelor of Science from Marquette University’s Olin School of Engineering and an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business. He brings over 20 years of professional experience in marketing leadership, brand development, and strategic communications for higher education and corporate organizations.

Government Relations

Blanca E. Jara
Interim Executive Director of Government Relations

Blanca E. Jara serves as Interim Executive Director of Government Relations, leading the University's legislative relations, advocacy efforts, and government partnership initiatives. Jara brings over 15 years of professional experience in public relations, government affairs, and nonprofit management. Before joining Â鶹¹ÙÍø, she served as Chief of Staff at the Partnership for College Completion and as Vice President of Institutional Advancement at Morton College. She is an alumna of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) Academia de Liderazgo and a Fellow of the National Community College Hispanic Council. Jara’s responsibilities at Â鶹¹ÙÍø include developing government strategies, monitoring legislative developments, securing state and federal support, and advancing policies that benefit higher education institutions and students.