Etown Experts
Elizabethtown College's experts can lend their expertise to a variety of topics. You can search for sources by name or by area of expertise. From Amish Culture to Women in Religion and dozens of topics in between, our Experts are ready to answer questions related to their unique areas of expertise. Whether it is a timely news story or an in-depth feature, our experts can add value to your story. If you know the name of the expert you are trying to reach, search their name below. If you would rather sort by topic, select your topic from the list.
College Leadership Team
Email: Request the President
President Betty Rider was named President of Elizabethtown College on November 2, 2022. Prior to being appointed President, President Rider most recently served as the College’s Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs. As Provost and SVPAA, President Rider specifically restructured academic programs, formed the creation of Schools at the institution, established new five-year programs in Physician Assistant (PA) Studies, Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN to BSN), and expanded the College’s renowned Occupational Therapy (OT) program.
Betty has had a long career at Elizabethtown College, spending the first half as a faculty member in the Department of Psychology and the second half in various administrative positions. Her teaching included courses on Developmental Psychology, Applied Developmental Psychology, Exceptional Children, Educational Psychology, Research in Developmental, and Psychology of Women. Her early research focused on young children's spatial orientation and abilities as well as the construction of gender. She published a textbook on the psychology of women, Women's Voices , with both Brooks/Cole (1st ed) and Wiley (2nd ed). With her colleague Carol Sigelman (The George Washington University), she has also written multiple editions of a popular Life-Span Human Development text, now going into its 10th edition with Cengage Learning.
Email: champolij@etown.edu
Phone: 717-361-3736
John F. Champoli is Vice President for Enrollment Management at Elizabethtown College. Since Aug. 2019, Champoli has been leading the admissions team and enrollment initiatives as the college works to build its student body. Champoli joins Etown from Husson University in Bangor, Maine where he served as Vice President for Enrollment Management and Director of Admissions at Husson since 2015. During his time at Husson, Champoli led his enrollment team to achieve the University’s largest incoming classes for three consecutive years, 2016 through 2018. His wealth of knowledge in enrollment management, data analysis, innovative and targeted recruitment strategies, and a breadth of admissions experiences will all help to grow our enrollment to healthier levels. Prior to Husson, Champoli worked in various roles in Admissions and Enrollment Management at Lycoming College in Williamsport and for six years at the State University of New York. Champoli holds a bachelor of fine art and a minor in psychology from Molloy College and a master of fine art from Long Island University.
Email: falckb@etown.edu
Phone: 717-361-1460
Brian Falck serves as the Vice President for Institutional Advancement. Falck has had a career in higher education for 25 years. He has served in multiple capacities in administrative leadership positions as well as within the classroom for Otterbein University and Ithaca College in arts management. He further developed his fundraising career and campaign experience in developing major and planned giving programs at Ithaca College, Gettysburg College, and Dickinson College. Most recently at Dickinson as Associate Vice President, Falck helped to restructure the Advancement team and strengthen or launch several initiatives including the implementation of a signature donor engagement process for an adaptive campaign. He is honored to be serving his alma mater as Vice President for Institutional Advancement and looks forward to a new era of sustainable growth for Etown. He and his spouse Kelly Calnon Falck ’97, who serves as the Executive Director of The Lion Foundation in Camp Hill, live in Dillsburg and have three daughters ranging from middle school to college-age, where his family is active in serving the community and school activities.
Falck earned his Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Elizabethtown College and his Master of Science degree in arts administration from Drexel University while completing his thesis at Lehigh University's Zoellner Arts Center.
Email: gonzaleznichole@etown.edu
Phone: 717-361-1179
Nichole Gonzalez joined the College in August of 2020 as Director of Title IX, Compliance Programs and Intercultural Affairs. In July 2021, Gonzalez was promoted to the role of Dean of Students. With more than 25 years of experience in the field, she has worked to strengthen the College’s student life culture, programming, and diversity, equity and belonging efforts. Prior to coming to Elizabethtown College, Gonzalez served in the Student Affairs Division at St. Bonaventure University, a small private institution in Western New York. Gonzalez comes with extensive experience in Residence Life and Housing, Student Conduct, Title IX, and Diversity, Equity and Belonging.
Gonzalez holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in English from the State University of New York, College at Fredonia, and a Master in Business Administration from St. Bonaventure University.
Email: kerinr@etown.edu
Phone: 717-361-1220
Bob Kerin joined Elizabethtown College in 2021 and brings a wealth of experience and background in overseeing operations including infrastructure and process efficiency, customer relations, and revenue generation and containment. Prior to joining Etown, Kerin served as the Mobilization and Solution Design Director at Sodexo where he oversaw senior care facilities.
Kerin received his MBA at West Chester University and holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Grove City College.
Email: kneask@etown.edu
Phone: 717-361-1129
As the chief academic program officer of the College, Kneas reports directly to the President, serves as a member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and as liaison to the Academic Mission and Student Experience Committee of the Board of Trustees, and works closely with the School Deans and other academic leaders and Center Directors to provide strategic direction and oversight of the College’s academic and co-curricular programs. She is responsible for educational personnel issues including faculty appointments and tenure and promotion reviews and for advising the President on all major matters of resource allocation within the academic areas of the College including construction and other capital projects, space allocation, and distribution of new positions within the faculty. She has been a member of the Blue Jay community since 2006 progressing through the faculty ranks to Professor of Chemistry, and having worked previously in leadership roles as Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Dean for Academic Affairs and Faculty Development.
Kneas earned an A.B. in Chemsitry from Randolph-Macon Woman's College and a Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Virginia. She has completed Harvard's Institute for Educational Management and the Council of Independent College's Senior Leadership Academy.
Email: silbermang@etown.edu
Phone: 717-361-3737
Gerald “Jerry” Silberman is Senior Vice President of Administration and Finance for Elizabethtown College. Starting in Aug. 2019, Silberman came to Etown with an extensive background in higher education specifically in the areas of finance, information technology, human resources, operations, public safety and security and strategic planning. Working in collaboration with the senior management team, Jerry leads the College’s budget and financial operations, oversees the Human Resources Office, and works closely with the President to develop and execute the College’s Strategic Plan. Silberman previously served as Vice President of Administration and Finance at Kutztown University (KU). Since 2007, he’s managed the state university’s annual operating budget of more than $175 million. He also supervised the College’s Office of Human Resources, Facility Operations and Management, Auxiliary Operations, Construction Services, and Public Safety and Police Services. Prior to his role as VP of Administration and Finance, Jerry served as Assistant Vice President of Administration and Finance, Comptroller, and Director of Accounting at KU since 1991. In addition, Silberman has served as a reviewer on the Middle States Commission on Higher Education evaluating several colleges and universities in the mid-Atlantic region. Silberman holds a Master of Science in Computer and Information Science from Kutztown University, a bachelor’s of arts in Accounting from Muhlenberg College and completed Harvard University’s Institute for Educational Management. He is a commonwealth of Pennsylvania Certified Public Account (CPA).
Email: straubk@etown.edu
Phone: 717-361-6412
Keri Straub is the Associate Vice President for Marketing and Communications and Liaison to the Board of Trustees at Elizabethtown College. For more than 15 years, Straub has worked in both the education and broadcast television industries bringing a wealth of experience in public relations, media relations, marketing, digital, strategic, and crisis communications. A former news reporter and producer, Straub has an extensive background within the media industry and serves as the College spokesperson managing media inquiries, pitches, and editorial content for the College. Straub also leads the institution's enrollment marketing, oversees the digital and web functions as well as the strategic communication efforts for the institution. She also serves as editor of the Elizabethtown College magazine. Straub holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism with a minor in Communication, Arts & Sciences from The Pennsylvania State University. She also holds an Advanced Public Information Officer (PIO) certificate from FEMA.
Email: williamskm@etown.edu
Phone: 717-361-3600
With more than 20 years of academic and programmatic experience, Morant Williams oversees the institution's diversity, equity, and belonging efforts and goals in alignment with the Office of Diversity, Equity and Belonging. In addition, she oversees the Campus Inclusion Committee (CIC). Williams was previously employed at Penn State Berks, where she was an Associate Professor of Communication Arts & Sciences. Her campus involvement with diversity, equity, and belonging led to notable opportunities throughout the university, professional organizations, and the community. She is an active member of the National Communication Association, where she serves in various inclusion-related leadership capacities. Prior to her role at Penn State Berks, she was an Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at Eastern University. In addition, she was a reporter at Lancaster Newspapers and worked for various non-profit organizations.
Morant Williams earned a Ph.D. from Howard University in Communication and Culture, a master's degree in Humanities from Penn State Harrisburg, and a baccalaureate degree in Communication Studies from West Chester University.
Faculty and Staff Experts
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