Office of the President
The Office of the President brings together the president’s cabinet and the office’s executive staff. Albion College’s chief officers and vice presidents collaborate closely with the president to lead focused areas of executive responsibility around key institutional priorities.
Interim President
Joseph Calvaruso
Email: joecalvaruso@albion.edu
Joseph Calvaruso graduated from Albion College in 1978. Upon graduation, he continued his studies earning his M.B.A. from Western Michigan University. Prior to retiring, Calvaruso served as the executive director for the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Before joining the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation in 2008, Calvaruso spent 29 years in the banking industry. Most recently, he served as senior vice president, director of risk management at Mercantile Bank.
Calvaruso serves on numerous non-profit boards. He and his wife Donna live in Galesburg, Michigan.
President's Cabinet
Chief Financial Officer
Gary Black
Email: gblack@albion.edu
Phone: (517) 629-0289
Leadership: Accounting Office, Bookstore, Business Office, Human Resources
As chief financial officer, Gary Black oversees the planning, implementation, management and running of the College’s financial activities. He leads the Business Office, Accounting Office, Human Resources and the Albion College Bookstore.
Black has more than 25 years of experience in senior executive roles in finance, accounting and I.T. resources, manufacturing and logistics. He joined Johnson & Johnson as a Sr. Financial Analyst out of school before relocating to Switzerland, Austria and Germany, where he spent 15 years, first with Johnson & Johnson and then as a private management consultant. He is an experienced chief financial officer and chief executive officer.
Black earned his B.Sc. in Economics from Pennsylvania State University and has completed graduate coursework at the London Business School and the International Institute for Management Development, Lausanne, Switzerland. He is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management.
Vice President for Enrollment Management
Mandy Dubiel
Email: adubiel@albion.edu
Phone: (517) 629-0600
Leadership: Division of Enrollment Management (Office of Admission and Office of Financial Aid)
Vice President for Institutional Advancement
Marc Newman
Email: mnewman@albion.edu
Phone: (517) 629-0446
Divisional Team
Areas of Responsibility: Annual Fund, Alumni Engagement, Planned Giving, Major Gifts, Stewardship.
Marc Newman has 20 years of experience leading in the areas of major fundraising campaigns, grant writing, fiscal management, governmental relations, board development, special events planning and staff supervision.
As vice president for Institutional Advancement, Newman develops and implements fundraising strategy to support the College’s bold redevelopment plan for physical and programmatic infrastructure. He cultivates, stewards and engages alumni and donors and builds relationships with major foundations, creating a culture of philanthropy for all stakeholders.
Prior to coming to Albion, Newman served as vice president of advancement, research and economic development at Grambling State University. In this role, he led the vision and implementation of fundraising, communications, sponsored programs and economic development initiatives. Newman is credited with increasing alumni giving by 255%, creating over 70 new scholarships and endowments and developing a new athletic sponsorship platform. Newman is also responsible for the organization of the Grambling University Foundation and the creation of the Doug Williams Center for the Study of Race and Politics in Sports.
Prior to his time at Grambling State University, Newman spent more than nine years as the vice president of institutional advancement and development at Saint Augustine’s University in Raleigh, North Carolina. He has served two separate stints with the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) serving as the area development director for the UNCF Illinois/Wisconsin campaign and most recently as the regional development director of the UNCF North Carolina and Virginia campaigns, where he was responsible for a market with seven UNCF member institutions.
Newman received his Bachelor’s Degree from Chicago State University and holds an M.B.A. from the University of Phoenix. He is currently pursuing his doctorate in developmental education with a concentration in higher education administration at Grambling State University.
Vice President for Marketing and Communications
Catherine Cole
Email: ccole@albion.edu
Phone: (517) 629-0749
Cell: (269) 832-8454
Divisional Team
Areas of Responsibility: Events, Marketing and Communication
Catherine Cole is a higher education professional with more than 30 years’ experience in enrollment management, marketing and communications at several institutions around the country. She completed the integrated marketing communication program at West Virginia University, earning an M.S. degree. She also earned a B.S. in Journalism from Eastern Michigan University. Through her career, Cole has overseen double-digit increases in first-time, full-time enrollment, transfer enrollment and in retention. She is also the author of three non-fiction books, the mother of five humans and one slightly rambunctious puppy.
Vice President for Student Development and Dean of Students
Leroy Wright
Email: lwright@albion.edu
Phone: (517) 629-0226
Divisional Team
Areas of Responsibility: Anna Howard Shaw Women’s Center, Athletics, Campus Life, Campus Safety, Community Living, the Cutler Center for Student Success and Academic Achievement, Integrated Wellness, Metz Dining Services.
Leroy Wright has 26 years of experience working with students in a higher education setting. Before coming to Albion College, Wright served as associate vice chancellor and interim vice chancellor for student affairs at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. Wright also served 10 years as dean of student life at Ferris State University, in Michigan. His roots are in residential life and community living, where he has served in a variety of roles at Ferris State University, Northern Arizona University and the University of Dayton.
As a first-generation college student, Wright was born and raised in Detroit and still has family in Belleville, Roseville and Detroit, Michigan. He earned his undergraduate degree in human resource management with a minor in multicultural relations in America from Ferris State University, and his graduate degree in counseling and human relations with an emphasis on college student development from Northern Arizona University.
A unique and highly skilled educator, Wright believes that as professionals, we have a responsibility to support a high level of student development by empowering students to do three simple things: take care of themselves, take care of each other and take care of their community.
Office of the President Staff
Executive Assistant to the President
Jen Selleck
Email: jselleck@albion.edu
Phone: (517) 629-0210
Jen Selleck brings with her a decade of experience in supporting leaders across academic, religious, and business sectors. She’s passionate about personalized and collaborative efficiency strategies and aims to smooth any speed bumps to organizational wins.
Soon after graduating from the University of Wisconsin, Selleck spent a year teaching English in St. Petersburg, Russia. Following her return stateside, she enrolled in seminary, earning her graduate degree from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington D.C. where she also worked in the Business Office.
Since then, Selleck has been growing her administrative skills in academia. Her last role was supporting the Senior Associate Dean of Education and Academic Affairs of Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University. As a recent Michigan transplant, Jen enjoys finding the local hidden treasures of the area with her husband, spoiling her dog, and creating stained glass art.
Executive Assistant to the Provost
Luann K. Shepherd
Email: lshepherd@albion.edu
Phone: (517) 629-0222
Luann Shepherd has worked at Albion College since 1987 when she started as a temporary clerical for the Provost’s Office. Since then, she has served as an Administrative Secretary for Communications and later, Marketing and Communications. There, she was responsible for the College’s photo archiving system, writing class notes for Io Triumphe! magazine and managing office responsibilities. In 2016, she became the administrative assistant to the vice president for alumni relations and advancement. In this role, she served as supervisor to the office’s clerical support staff while managing all office needs. In 2020, Luann moved to a new role in the Office of the President as an executive assistant with focused support for the Provost’s Office.
In her spare time, Shepherd likes spending time with her family, her cats, reading and painting bisque at a local pottery studio.