Mountaintop Campus

The Dean’s Office

Meet the Dean

Robin Hojnoski, Ph.D., is the Acting Dean of the College of Education (COE) at Lehigh University. She was appointed to this position by Provost Nathan Urban for a two-year period beginning July 1, 2024. During this time, COE Dean WIlliam Gaudelli will focus on his appointment as Senior Vice Provost for Educational Innovation and Assessment for the University.

During her nearly 18 years with the COE, Dean Hojnoski has served as a well-regarded professor in the School Psychology program. Early in her time with the COE, Hojnoski was awarded the prestigious Frank Hook Assistant Professorship, an award given to junior faculty members who demonstrate extraordinary dedication to teaching. 

Most recently, she served as Associate Dean of Graduate Education. In her role as Associate Dean, Hojnoski oversaw the development and deployment of the COE’s fully online degrees and certificates. She also led the development of a soon-to-be launched interdisciplinary policy certificate and expansion of undergraduate programming. 

Dean Hojnoski's research interests focus on the application of school psychology principles and practices to early education. She is particularly interested in early identification, prevention and intervention for learning and social behavior. Most recently, she has worked on development and field testing to measure number knowledge and skills in preschoolers.

She has published over 33 scholarly articles in refereed journals and 10 book chapters. Hojnoski has received numerous institutional and research grants, most notably a 2020 multi-site grant from the Institute for Education Sciences for Development of a Responsive Computerized-Adaptive Assessment System for Pre-K Mathematics.

Hojnoski serves as an editorial board member for the Journal of School Psychology, School Psychology Quarterly, School Psychology Review, Assessment for Effective Intervention, Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, Journal of Early Intervention and Perspectives on Early Childhood Psychology and Education.

Dean Hojnoski earned her master’s degree in Child Study and Human Development from Tufts University in 1994. She completed her doctoral degree in School Psychology in 2002 at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She lives in the Lehigh Valley with her family and cats.

Learn more about Dean Hojnoski:

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Dean’s Advisory Council

Our Advocates

The College of Education (COE) Dean's Advisory Council (DAC) consists of noteworthy and influential individuals from a wide range of professions and experiences. The Council meets on campus with the dean three times each academic year, advises the dean and serves as an advocate for the College.

The DAC is an external consultative group to the leadership of the College. This group provides the College with a cadre of professionals, experts and informed lay people who offer guidance, serve as ambassadors and often provide financial support. As such, members are valuable sources of expertise and networking contacts for our leadership. 

Governance and fiduciary responsibility for the University rest solely with University’s Board of Trustees. The DAC fulfills an important role for COE and other constituent groups by serving in an advisory capacity.

COE Dean's Advisory Council Members

Peter Bennett '63
Founder and President, Liberty Partners LP, New York, NY 

Peter Bennett is the founder and chairman of Liberty Partners, a private equity investment firm which provides capital for middle market leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations and growth financings. Liberty currently has over $500 million under management. Mr. Bennett is a member of the boards of directors of several of Liberty’s portfolio companies including EdisonLearning Co. and the World School, and is Trustee Emeritus for Lehigh University. He is also a member of the advisory board of the New York chapter of New Leaders for Schools. Prior to forming Liberty Partners, Mr. Bennett spent 21 years with Merrill Lynch & Co., most recently as a senior vice president of Merrill Lynch Interfunding, Inc. Mr. Bennett received his B.S. from Lehigh University in 1963, after which he served for two years as a lieutenant in the United States Army Signal Corps., including an assignment as commanding officer of the 28th Signal Detachment, U.S. Army Vietnam. He received his MBA from Columbia University in June, 1967. 

Andrew J. Hermalyn '10
President of Partnerships 2U

Andrew Hermalyn is president of 2U’s Degree Program Segment, which specializes in the delivery of world-class degree programs in partnership with leading universities.

Most recently, Andrew served as 2U’s president of partnerships and, previously, as its executive vice president of strategic partnerships. He joined 2U at inception in 2008 as the first intern and director of business development and has been instrumental in helping build 2U from a start-up into one of the world’s leading online education companies. Andrew has played a crucial role in expanding and nurturing the company’s relationships with its network of more than 250 university and corporate partners.

In addition to serving on the COE’s Dean’s Advisory Council, Andrew is a board member of Mantra Health, the leading digital mental health provider for university students.

Andrew graduated from Lehigh University and lives in Manhattan with his wife and two daughters.

Bob Doolittle '65
Retired Investment Banker, J.C. Bradford & Co.

From 1969, Bob worked at J. C. Bradford & Co., investment bankers based in Nashville, starting as an associate in corporate finance and eventually heading the department as managing director until the firm was sold in 2000. In addition to managerial responsibilities, he led merger and acquisition advisory work for companies, with an emphasis on healthcare services in the U.S. and abroad. From 2000 to 2003, he helped lead a new healthcare banking effort as a managing director of Jefferies & Company, investment bankers, based in New York. He retired in 2003 and now sits on several corporate boards and has been a trustee of a private girl’s school in Nashville for a number of years. Bob received his B.S. in Business Administration from Lehigh University in 1965 and his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 1968.

Beall Fowler ’59
Professor of Physics Emeritus, Lehigh University

Beall Fowler is a professor of physics emeritus at Lehigh University. A 1959 graduate of Lehigh, he received his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Rochester and joined the Lehigh faculty in 1966. As a faculty member he was active in teaching and research and served twice as physics department chair and as interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. He and his late wife, Linny, have been strong supporters of the arts, education and community development in the Lehigh Valley. He currently serves on several boards, including the DaVinci Science Center and the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation, and he is a strong advocate for community schools and urban education, especially in south Bethlehem.

Karen O’Donnell VanderGoot ’99
Division Chief, Conflict, Peacebuilding and Governance Division, USAID

Karen O’Donnell VanderGoot is a senior conflict advisor at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). She previously served as a director for African Affairs at the National Security Council and was a member of the U.S. Secretary of State’s policy planning staff. In 2006, she received a Meritorious Honor Award for exemplary advocacy and support to USAID work in the field. She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and French from Lehigh in 1999 and a master’s of public policy degree from Duke University in 2002.

Howard Polsky ’73 
Retired EVP and General Counsel, K12, Inc. 

In 2018, Howard retired as executive vice president, general counsel and secretary of K12, Inc. K12 is America's largest provider of online education for students in grades K-12. Designed to facilitate individualized learning, its products and services are offered to online public and private schools, school districts and directly to consumers. K12 employs thousands of teachers trained for online instruction and offers a curriculum that is accessible to students with disabilities and aligned to state standards. 

Prior to joining K12 in 2004, Mr. Polsky served as vice president and general counsel of Lockheed Martin Global Telecommunications. Before being acquired by Lockheed Martin, Mr. Polsky was at COMSAT Corporation, where he held both legal and government relations positions. As COMSAT’s vice president of federal policy and regulation, he developed corporate policy initiatives and advocated extensively before the FCC, Executive Branch, Congress and within intergovernmental organizations. From 1983-1992, he was a partner at Wiley, Rein & Fielding where he represented a variety of U.S. and international clients in administrative and judicial proceedings. He began his legal career at the FCC and Kirkland & Ellis. Howard received his juris doctor degree from Indiana University in 1976 and was an editor of the Indiana Law Review. He also served on the Lehigh University Advisory Board to the College of Arts and Science from 2012-2018. 

Susan C. Yee '82
Bethlehem, PA

In 1995, as chief operating officer of Twin County Cable Television, Susan orchestrated a $100 million merger with RCN, a publicly held cable television company. Proceeds of that merger were used to fund companies in the Internet industry. In 1995 Ms. Yee launched an internet firm – Regional Network Communications, Inc., which built and operated 13 community websites in partnership with the Media News Group, owner of the Oakland Tribune, and other newspapers across the country. Active Data, Inc. was founded in 1999 as a spin-off of Regional Network Communications to capitalize on the content management, events calendar and content syndication software that was developed to power the community websites. Active Data Exchange provides business-to-business technology solutions to streamline web based publishing and information distribution processes. 

Yee graduated from Lehigh University in 1982 with a B.S. in Finance & Marketing and a minor in International Relations. She currently serves on the Lehigh Valley Hospital & Health Network Board of Trustees and the Lehigh Valley - Muhlenberg Hospital Board. She has also been named one of Pennsylvania’s 50 Best Women in Business.

Jake Schaufeld ’15 
Co-founder, Executive Officer, Curator Solutions, Inc.

Jake Schaufeld is a co-founder and executive officer of Curator Solutions, Inc. Curator is a next-generation learning platform for content curation, migration and distribution for both rapid development of content and disaggregated large scale deployment. Through machine learning, Curator can adapt how that content is presented based on an individual’s distinct learning profile. Curator works with global brands of the Fortune 500 and higher education institutions equipping them with tools that help better train and improve their workforce and learners. 

Prior to founding Curator Solutions, Mr. Schaufeld originally gained business experience working for the private equity group SWaN & Legend located just outside of Washington, D.C. While working in private equity, he focused on due diligence, financial modeling, valuation and financial approval for startups and high growth companies around the U.S. 

Mr. Schaufeld holds a Bachelor of Arts in Earth and Environmental Science with a minor in Entrepreneurship from Lehigh.

Bridget O’Connell ’94, ’98G, ’99G
Superintendent, Palisades School District

Bridget O'Connell, Ed.D. has served as the superintendent of the Palisades School District (Bucks County, PA) since August 2011. During her tenure she has demonstrated student-centered leadership with a focus on promoting academic excellence, customized learning and community partnerships. Dr. O’Connell was recognized as the 2022 Pennsylvania Superintendent of the Year. She was also recognized by the Patriot League (collegiate athletics) as a Trailblazer of Distinction during the 50th Anniversary of Title IX as well as the PIAA for paving the way and continuing to advocate for female student athletes. Dr. O’Connell has received leadership awards from the Red Cross for coordinating efforts with the community during Hurricane Sandy, National School Development Council and Blended Schools Network. She was also named a top five Superintendent to Watch in 2015 by the National Academy of Education Arts and Sciences. She has collaborated with colleagues at both Google NYC and the U.S. Department of Education on issues related to technology in education and the U.S. Department of Education on COVID response. 

She serves as a board member for St. Luke’s Quakertown Hospital, the DaVinci Science Center and the Washington Crossing Council of the Boy Scouts of America. In addition, she was elected to the AASA Governing Board in 2020. Dr. O’Connell earned her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from Lehigh University.

In addition to her work at Palisades, she has served as an adjunct faculty member at Lehigh in the College of Education since 2008 and is an avid scuba diver. Dr. O’Connell lives in Bethlehem, PA with her husband and four children.

Emeritus Members

  • Richard A. Anderson, President and CEO, St. Luke's Hospital & Health Network
  • Beth E. Barnett, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Ramapo College of New Jersey
  • Joanne Barnette, '76, Community Activist
  • Leanne Bergey, Chief Strategy Officer, BoardEffect
  • Claire Birney, Director of Philanthropy- Pennsylvania Chapter at The Nature Conservancy (deceased)
  • Michael H. Danjczek, Past President and Executive Director, Children's Home of Easton (deceased)
  • Kim Frock, '82, Chief Administrator, Alternative School for Math and Science
  • Susan Freed Gadomski, Retired Speech Pathologist
  • Michael Gausling, Co-founder and former CEO of OraSure Technologies
  • Michael Golden, '74, Vice Chairman and Board of Directors, New York Times
  • Heidi R. Gore, P'13, Director of Admissions, St. Bernard's School, New York, NY 
  • Nathaniel S. Gore, '75, P'13, Founder and Managing Partner, Zukerman Gore Brandeis & Crossman, LLP, New York, NY 
  • Rahul Mahna '93, Founder and CEO, Class Compete, Somerville, NJ
  • Mary Jane McKeever, Vice President of Finance, St. Luke's Hospital and Health Network
  • Luis Ramos, Community Relations Manager, PPL (deceased)
  • Sharon Kanovsky Richter '86 - Certified Focal Point Business Coach and Area Developer.
  • Nan Ronis, Manufacturing Company Executive/Owner of Suntex, Easton, PA.
  • Dr. Joseph Roy, '09G, Superintendent, Bethlehem Area School District, Bethlehem, PA
  • Ana Sainz de le Pena, Educational Consultant for Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN)
  • Arthur L. Scott, Past President, Northampton Community College
  • John Tersigni, '04G, Sierra Resins, Inc., Bloomsbury, NJ
  • Steven A. Villas '75, VP of Oil and Gas Marketing & President of Hess Trading Corporation, Hess Corporation, New York, NY
  • James Wassel, President, Wassel Realty Group 
  • Edmond Watters, III, President, Quality Professional Consulting
  • E. Belvin Williams, Executive Director Emeritus and Trustee, The Turrell Fund
    • Michael Golden, Vice Chairman, '71, '74G, The New York Times Company Board of Directors