Team

In 2008, Karen Barrows was promoted to chief of staff in the office of President William Destler. Barrows has been with the Office of the President since 1998.

Barrows manages the president’s office and serve as a member of the Administrative Council. In 2010, she was also named Secretary of the Institute, where she is responsible for the RIT Board of Trustees’ business, including support of the core and sub-committees that are maintained by the board.

Barrows joined RIT in 1989, in the Information Services division of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf. In 1991, she moved to the Office of the Dean at NTID and was eventually named Assistant to the Dean in 1995.

Originally from Massachusetts, Barrows has a Bachelor of Science degree from Fitchburg State College in Early Childhood Education. Barrows earned her MBA from RIT in 2004 through the Executive MBA program in the E. Philip Saunders College of Business.

Barrows was awarded the Student Government President's Award in 2005, the Staff Council Excellence in Service Award in 2007, and is the recipient of two NTID National Advisory Group's Excellence in Service Awards.

Dr. Gerard Buckley has more than 30 years of experience in higher education, including more than 20 years serving in a variety of capacities at NTID. From 1990 to 1993, Buckley served as chairperson and assistant professor of the Department of Educational Outreach at NTID, followed by five years as director of NTID's Center for Outreach and assistant professor on the RIT/NTID Social Work Support Team.

From 1998 to 2003, he served as NTID associate dean for student services, and held the position of NTID assistant vice president for college advancement with responsibility for the admissions, placement, marketing, and outreach operations of the college from 2004 until beginning his role as President of NTID and Vice President of RIT on January 1, 2011.

RIT appointed Enid Cardinal senior sustainability advisor for the university in 2011. Cardinal is a LEED-accredited professional with a background in socially responsible investing and environmental policy.

Cardinal previously served as director of the Office of Sustainability at Illinois State University. She worked to infuse a culture of sustainability at ISU that included a reduction of office paper use, waste reduction and food scrap composting in dining services, installation of permeable parking surfaces, ride sharing and an assessment of hand-drying options. Prior to ISU, she held positions as an independent consultant, social analyst and a project controller. A native of Baldwinsville, N.Y., Cardinal earned a master¹s degree in environmental policy from Bard College and a bachelor¹s degree in biology and history from Binghamton University.

As Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations, Dr. Lisa Cauda has been the architect of the largest two fundraising campaigns in RIT’s history and under her leadership, the university has raised more than $540 million in philanthropic support. Dr. Cauda has served RIT since 2000 and was named vice president for development and alumni relations in July 2006 following the successful completion of the university’s capital campaign which ultimately surpassed its $300 million goal.

Working closely with her senior leadership, her partners across the campus and the Board of Trustees, Dr. Cauda oversees campus-wide fundraising initiatives, major campaigns, annual giving, as well as principal and major gift fundraising. She also works closely with the RIT Alumni Association Board of Directors, together fostering and advancing the RIT for Life commitment and guiding the engagement and activities of the university’s 121,000 alumni worldwide.  Under her leadership, RIT’s Division of Development and Alumni Relations has doubled in size, growing to more than 100 employees. Dr. Cauda manages an annual fundraising goal of $35 million and a working annual budget of $11 million.

Prior to joining RIT, Dr. Cauda spent eight years at Stevens Institute of Technology, ultimately serving as assistant vice president of development and campaign director. At Stevens, Dr. Cauda led the development efforts of two successful campaigns, managing corporate and foundation relations, major gifts, research and the annual fund.

Dr. Cauda earned a doctorate in higher education management from the University of Pennsylvania, a master's degree in corporate and public communications from Seton Hall University, and a bachelor's degree from the University of Delaware.

Bob Finnerty is RIT’s Chief Communications Officer. He joined RIT in 2002 and is responsible for enhancing the university’s internal and external communications while overseeing University News Services.

Finnerty advises the RIT president and administrative team in the areas of public relations, media relations, publications, advertising, branding, marketing communications, social media and crisis communications. He also supervises RIT Sports Information.

Prior to RIT, Finnerty worked at the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle for 12 years, serving as a reporter and an editor. While serving as metro editor, the Democrat and Chronicle won four consecutive “Best of Gannett” awards and was named the Associated Press “Newspaper of Distinction” for New York state.

Finnerty is a graduate of Purdue University and also earned a master’s degree at RIT in multidisciplinary studies, where he focused on marketing as well as communication and media technologies.

Ellen Granberg became RIT’s provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs in August 2018. She is the first woman in the university’s history to serve as provost, which is the university’s top academic officer.

Granberg brings to RIT extensive experience as a leader in both academia and industry. She previously served as senior associate provost at Clemson University.

She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from UC Davis and spent 11 years working for Pacific Bell in the San Francisco Bay area as a project manager and technical director in software development. In 1995, she left industry to pursue advanced degrees, earning her Ph.D. in sociology from Vanderbilt University in 2001. That same year, she joined the faculty at Clemson, one of the nation’s Top 25-ranked public universities, and went on to be promoted to chair of the department of sociology and anthropology, associate provost for faculty affairs and senior associate provost.

To learn more, visit the Office of the Provost website.

Keith Jenkins has been appointed vice president and associate provost for Diversity and Inclusion at the university. Professor Jenkins previously served as Director of Undergraduate Programs in RIT’s College of Liberal Arts. Jenkins, who came to RIT in 1992, has been recognized with numerous awards in both teaching and diversity initiatives. He was given the 2010 Eisenhart Award, given for outstanding teaching, and the 2004 RIT Diversity Trailblazer Award, and in 2005 he was the recipient of RIT’s Isaac L. Jordan Pluralism Award for his commitment to diversity on and off campus. His research work focuses on intercultural communication, political and visual rhetoric, and most recently includes a study of the impact of race on rhetoric and an analysis of the public speeches of President Barack Obama. Plans for a national search for a permanent diversity officer are pending.

Sandra “Sandy” Johnson became RIT’s senior vice president for student affairs on July 1, 2014.

Johnson oversees a $25 million annual budget and a staff of more than 200 people in the university’s Student Life, Wellness, Student Learning and Athletics departments. The office serves students in RIT’s nine colleges, a diverse population of more than 15,000 undergraduates and 2,900 graduate students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries, including more than 1,300 deaf and hard-of-hearing students at its National Technical Institute for the Deaf.

Prior to RIT, Johnson served for nearly eight years as vice president for the Division of Student Affairs at Hofstra University. Her previous work experience also includes an eight-year stint as associate dean in the Division of Student Affairs at Columbia U niversity and eight years as associate dean in the Office of Student Life at Barnard College. She holds a Doctorate of Education from the University of Pennsylvania, as well as a Master of Education from Columbia’s Teachers College and a Bachelor of Arts in political science from State University of New York, College at Oswego.

For more on Johnson, visit http://www.rit.edu/news/athenaeum_story.php?id=50672

Joe Johnston was appointed RIT Ombudsperson by President Munson in June 2018. Joe previously served as Director of RIT’s Center for Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution, and before that he was the associate director. Johnston is familiar with RIT’s systems, campus policies, procedures, and government regulations.  His work on the Student Behavior Consultation Team (SBCT) has afforded him the insight and experiences necessary for assisting students with unique issues and challenges.  Johnson has the experience necessary to provide conflict resolution resources to RIT students, faculty, and staff in leading the Ombuds Office.

Ian Mortimer ’04 (MBA) was named RIT’s vice president of Enrollment Management in June 2018. With an enrollment of nearly 19,000 students, RIT is one of the largest private universities in the nation. Students hail from all 50 states and more than 100 countries. A top 100 national research university, RIT also has international locations in China, Croatia, Dubai and Kosovo.

Mortimer previously served as vice president for enrollment and student experience at Nazareth College in Rochester, where he began in 2013. Prior to that, he served as vice president for enrollment management at Champlain College in Burlington, Vt.

Mortimer earned his MBA from RIT’s Saunders College of Business in 2004. He also holds an MS.Ed. in counseling psychology and a BS degree in English, both from St. Bonaventure University.

Dr. Daniel B. Ornt was named the first Vice President and Dean of the Institute of Health Sciences and Technology at RIT in 2011.

Ornt previously served as  the Vice Dean for Education and Academic Affairs at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland. He has a combined 30 years of experience in medical education programs at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.

As vice president/dean of the Institute of Health Sciences and Technology, Ornt will head the institute’s three components: RIT’s ninth college, the College of Health Sciences and Technology, the Health Sciences Research Center and the Health Sciences Outreach Center. He will facilitate interactions with colleagues and CEOs at other institutions. 

The Institute of Health Sciences and Technology grew from the RIT and Rochester General Health System Alliance. For more information about the RIT-RGHS Alliance, go to www.rit.edu/rghs.

Ryne Raffaelle was appointed vice president for research and associate provost at RIT in 2011. He was formerly the director of the National Center for Photovoltaics at the National Renewable Energy Lab in Golden, Colo., the federal government’s central research organization for solar energy development. Raffaelle returns to RIT after serving in a number of different capacities from 2000 to 2009. His many assignments at RIT included an appointment as the first academic director of the Golisano Institute for Sustainability. He also served as the director of the NanoPower Research Lab at RIT. At the National Renewable Energy Lab in Colorado, Raffaelle provided technical vision, strategic leadership, asset stewardship and personnel management for the center. He worked on developing and enhancing technical capabilities relevant to advancing solar energy technologies while delivering world-class quality research and development, testing and validation.

Deborah Stendardi has served RIT since 1979, originally joining RIT as director of Government and Community Affairs. Since, she has been promoted to interim vice president, associate vice president and now vice president.

Prior to joining RIT, she served in a variety of positions for six years with the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities in Albany.

In addition to her RIT responsibilities, Stendardi is very active in the Rochester community, serving in a number of volunteer and leadership roles for the United Way, Greater Rochester Metro Chamber of Commerce and other organizations. She received the Miller Award given by United Way to the outstanding campaign coordinator of the year in 1996.

Stendardi holds a bachelor's degree from the State University of New York at Cortland and a master's from SUNY Albany.

John K. Trierweiler was named RIT’s first Chief Marketing Officer in 2016 after a nationwide search.

Trierweiler, who has more than 30 years of experience in marketing and advertising, is responsible for creating and implementing an integrated marketing and branding strategy for the university. He also oversees several communications and marketing departments, including University News Services, Production Services, and University Publications.

Prior to joining RIT, Trierweiler served as chief marketing officer for the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. Under his tenure, the school was able to increase its worldwide rankings, and development fundraising efforts and applications both increased significantly. Before working in higher education, he held executive marketing positions at companies including Cablevision Systems, Time Warner Cable, Bumble Bee Seafoods Co., and H.J. Heinz.

Trierweiler is a graduate of Michigan State University and holds an MBA from the University of Michigan.

James Watters joined the RIT team in 1994 as budget director.  He is now the senior vice president of finance and administration and treasurer. At RIT, he oversees the activity of over 850 full-time employees. He is responsible for administering the university’s annual $835 million operating budget and $50 million capital budget, $1.1 billion endowment and working capital portfolios, $1.0 billion pension fund, and $260 million public debt portfolio. Jim is responsible for auxiliary enterprises; human resources; accounting/payroll; insurance; public safety; audit; legal; compliance and ethics; information technology and security; institutional research; real estate; and facilities operations, design, and construction.

Jim is vice chair of RIT’s Global Delivery Corporation and chairman of the board of RIT Croatia. He is also treasurer of RIT Dubai’s board of trustees. Jim serves on several non-profit and for-profit boards, including the Greater Rochester Health Foundation, NY Kitchen, Broadstone Net Lease, Broadstone Residential, Vnomics, Viggi Kids, and the Rochester Regional Heart Care Committee.

He came to RIT from the University of Pittsburgh, where he spent his entire academic and previous professional years and earned a BS, MS, and Ph.D. During his 16 years at the University of Pittsburgh, Watters held the positions of assistant chancellor of real estate and management, assistant vice chancellor of business and finance, as well as captive insurance, and assistant director for administration in the public safety division.