On Thursday, September 21, President Shirley M. Collado announced several staffing changes in the Office of the President and an update on the service of Nancy Pringle, senior vice president and counsel.
In an email sent to the campus community, President Collado reaffirmed her intention to be a hands-on, responsive leader and announced changes to her office that would enable her to fulfill her commitment to serve the college “fully, authentically, and deeply.”
“To be that leader, I need to be present and engaged within our extended community as much as possible, and my team and I need to be highly responsive to the many needs, requests, communications, and issues that come through our office,” President Collado explained.
The changes in the Office of the President are as follows:
Minnie Lauzon has been promoted from administrative assistant to assistant to the president. In this capacity, Lauzon will be the point person for internal and external constituencies, and manage the president’s calendar, coordinate presidential events, and prepare the president for the many tasks and responsibilities of the office.
Lauzon joined Ithaca College in the Office of the President in January 2017. In addition to providing administrative support to the president and chief of staff, she assisted with the presidential transition and has engaged in committee work, communications to internal and external constituencies, and other duties necessary to ensure the smooth operation of the office.
Lauzon had previously worked as an adjunct instructor of kinesiology at SUNY Cortland and as a residential coordinator for the TRIO Upward Bound program at SUNY Plattsburgh, where she managed a staff of 15 tutor counselors. She holds a BA in history from SUNY Potsdam and MS degrees in recreation and exercise science from SUNY Cortland.
Melissa Daly will join the president’s office on Monday, November 6, as the chief of staff. She will oversee the operations of the president’s office and will work very closely with the vice presidents to help organize and focus the strategic work.
Daly is an administrator with more than 15 years of experience in higher education. Prior to joining Ithaca College, she served as a senior executive assistant in the chancellor’s office at Rutgers University–Newark, where she played an integral role for the executive leadership team by operationalizing key strategic initiatives such as the Honors Living-Learning Community and the Chancellor’s Commission on Diversity and Transformation. Daly has also held executive management positions in Rutgers Biomedical and Health Services, formerly the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ). In these multiple roles, she supported two past presidents of UMDNJ as well as the board of trustees. Through these positions, Daly developed extensive experience in strategic management and organizational structure, providing guidance in operationalizing new departments and units, and administration of board-driven committees.
Daly holds an MBA with a concentration in music business from Southern New Hampshire University and Berklee College of Music, and BA in sociology from Montclair State University.
Daly will be joined in Ithaca by her husband and their three children.
The president will be creating the position of executive director of government and community relations. The focus of the position will be to provide strategic direction and leadership in promoting strong and productive relationships between the college and the local community as well as state and federal governments; and to provide support, coordination, and advocacy for campus-wide civic and community engagement. This person will work in the Office of the President to advance institutional objectives and planning initiatives.
“Given the growing nature of our work in federal, state, and local government relations, as well as our dedication to strengthening ties to the local community, [this position] is necessary and timely, and reflects an emerging strategic need,” President Collado said.
A search will start soon to fill this role.
In her September 21 announcement, President Collado also shared the changes related to the scope of Nancy Pringle’s work at the college. Pringle has agreed to continue her tenure at IC for two more years, through June 2019, before she retires from the college. During this time, Pringle will serve as executive vice president and general counsel and secretary to the Board of Trustees, a reflection of her strong leadership over 23 years of service. Pringle is the most senior leader on the college’s leadership team, and, in addition to continuing to oversee the offices of the general counsel, equal opportunity compliance, and risk management, Pringle will serve as senior advisor to the president. Prior to her retirement, she will also develop a succession plan for her division.