CGS Employer Roundtable Biographies

Roundtable Members

	Suzanne Ortega serves as president of the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS). The only U.S. higher education association devoted solely to graduate study, CGS has nearly 500 U.S. and Canadian members and 28 international affiliates. A sociologist by training, Ortega’s research focuses on social inequality, mental health, and graduate education. Prior to assuming her current position, she served as the University of North Carolina Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs (2011-14). Previous appointments included the Executive Vice President and Provost at the University of New Mexico, Vice Provost and Graduate Dean at the University of Washington, and the University of Missouri. Ortega's masters and doctoral degrees in sociology were completed at Vanderbilt University. She has served on review panels for NSF and NIH and has been the principal investigator or co-investigator on grants totaling more than $12 million in state, federal, and private foundation funds. Ortega also has served on a number of professional association boards and committees, including the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), the National Academies of Science Committee on Revitalizing Graduate STEM Education for the 21st Century, and the NSF’s Human Resources Expert Panel.
	Chair, CGS Employer Roundtable Earl Lewis is the Thomas C. Holt Distinguished University Professor of history, Afroamerican and African Studies, and Public Policy and director of the Center for Social Solutions at the University of Michigan. From March 2013-2018, he served as president of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. An author and esteemed social historian, he is past President of the Organization of American Historians. A fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2008) and the recipient of eleven honorary degrees, he has held faculty and administrative appointments at Michigan (1989-2004) and the University of California, Berkeley (1984-89). From 2004-2012, he served as Emory University’s Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Asa Griggs Candler Professor of History and African American Studies. In addition to prior service on a number of nonprofit and governmental boards, Lewis chairs the board of Regents at Concordia College, is a trustee of ETS, and a director of 2U and the Capital Group, American Funds.
	Charles R. Craig is senior vice president, science & technology, administration & operations with Corning Research & Development Corporation. In this position, he leads the operations chief of staff responsibilities for the chief technology officer and the administrative and operations functions of science & technology. Since 1990, he has been chief of staff for five consecutive CTOs. Craig joined Corning in 1974 as a senior chemist and has 45 years of experience in technology management in various leadership positions. Craig received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Dickinson College, and completed four years of graduate studies and research in analytical chemistry and materials science at the University of Minnesota. Craig is Corning’s representative on the Board of Trustees for Clarkson University and is a member of the Executive Committee. He is a member of the College Council at SUNY Alfred State College. He serves as chairman of the board of trustees for IncubatorWorks – the organization responsible for the Ceramics Corridor incubators in Alfred and Corning, NY.
	Roger W. Ferguson, Jr., is president and chief executive officer of TIAA, a Fortune 100 financial services organization. Ferguson is the former vice chairman of the Board of Governors of the U.S. Federal Reserve System. He represented the Federal Reserve on several international policy groups and served on key Federal Reserve System committees, including Payment System Oversight, Reserve Bank Operations, and Supervision and Regulation. Prior to joining TIAA in April 2008, Ferguson was head of financial services for Swiss Re, Chairman of Swiss Re America Holding Corporation, and a member of the company’s executive committee. Ferguson is a member of the Smithsonian Institution’s Board of Regents and serves on the New York State Insurance Advisory Board. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and co-chairs its Commission on the Future of Undergraduate Education. He serves on the boards of Alphabet, Inc.; General Mills, Inc.; and International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc.
	Betty Fleurimond is a managing director in Deloitte’s Higher Education practice with responsibility for market leadership and client relations, nationally. With 20 years of professional experience, she has a strong and proven track record of successfully driving large-scale and complex business strategies across technology, operations, cybersecurity, and strategy and change leadership. Under Fleurimond’s leadership, Higher Education earned the distinction of becoming a dedicated sector across all four of Deloitte businesses—Consulting, Advisory, Tax, and Audit. Today, Deloitte proudly serves more than 100 colleges and universities across the U.S., with an ever-increasing global network. Fleurimond also chairs the governing board of Deloitte’s Center for Higher Education Excellence, a research center located in Washington D.C., dedicated to scholarship and thought leadership in higher education.
	Phil Komarny is the vice president, innovation for Salesforce.com. Komarny has held multiple leadership roles both inside higher education as the Chief Digital Officer for The University of Texas System, as well as outside as the CEO of Robots and Pencils. He is an award-winning senior executive with a 20+ year track record of delivering innovative, high value solutions by aligning existing problems with emerging technologies. Komarny was the first technology leader to introduce the Apple iPad as a platform for business transformation. He has won the CIO100 for his work at Seton Hill University, grew Robots and Pencils to the 34th fastest growing technology company in 2015, and is a member of Constellation’s Business Transformation 150 (BT-150), an elite list that recognizes the top global executives leading business transformation efforts in their organizations. Komarny has also won multiple Apple Distinguished Program Award for the ‘iPad for Everyone’ initiative at Seton Hill University.
	Richard Kurin is the Smithsonian Distinguished Scholar and Ambassador-at-Large, the first person so designated in the 171-year history of the Institution. As a member of the Smithsonian’s senior leadership team, Kurin focuses on strategic direction, institutional partnerships, public representation, philanthropic support, and special initiatives. Prior to his current role, Kurin served as acting provost and under secretary for museums and research from 2015, and from 2007, as under secretary for history, art, and culture. An anthropologist with a doctorate from the University of Chicago, Kurin specialized in the study of South Asia, conducting years of fieldwork in India and Pakistan. He has held Fulbright and Social Science Research Council fellowships, taught at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, and authored six books, including Reflections of a Culture Broker: A View from the Smithsonian, Hope Diamond: The Legendary History of a Cursed Gem and the best-selling Smithsonian’s History of America 101 Objects. He is an elected fellow of the American Academy of the Arts and Sciences.
	Stanley S. Litow is a professor at both Columbia and Duke University. At Duke University, he also serves as innovator in residence. Litow is the author of The Challenge for Business and Society: From Risk to Reward. He previously served as president of the IBM International Foundation and as deputy chancellor of schools for the City of New York. Before his service at IBM and the NYC public schools, he served as president and founder of Interface and as executive director of the NYC Urban Corps, operated out of the mayor’s office. He has served on multiple Presidential and Gubernatorial Commissions and on the SUNY Board of Trustees; he also serves on the board of Roosevelt House and the Citizens Budget Commission. Litow helped devise the innovative school to college to career program called, PTECH, as well as the IBM Corporate Service Corps, often referenced as the corporate version of the Peace Corps. He has received multiple awards for his community service, from organizations such as the Anne Frank Commission, the Martin Luther King Commission, and the Center for an Urban Future, as well as the Corning Award from the New York State Business Council.
	Walt MacDonald is president and CEO of Educational Testing Service (ETS). Over the course of his career, he has led nearly every major program — guiding each to grow and achieve the mission of ETS. MacDonald came to ETS in 1984. As a science assessment specialist, he redesigned the College Board's Advanced Placement® biology curriculum and exam. In the late '80s, he directed test development for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), known as the "Nation's Report Card." Rising through the organization, he directed the Advanced Placement program through incredible growth, and later led the College Board®, Higher Education, K–12 and Teacher Licensure divisions of ETS. MacDonald was appointed executive vice president in 2009 and took on more responsibilities when chief operating officer was added to his title the following year. As COO, he was responsible for all of ETS's business and operational divisions. MacDonald earned an associate degree in science at Camden County Community College, a bachelor's degree in biology at Rutgers University in Camden, and a doctorate in ecology at Rutgers University in New Brunswick.
	Marian Roberge is senior vice president of Global Human Resources with ProQuest, a global information-content and technology company, where she leads organizational development, talent acquisition, total rewards, talent management and development, and employee experience. Roberge has 25 years of U.S. and international HR experience. She previously led human resources at Plastipak, a global packaging and recycling company. She has also been a director and officer at the Abu Dhabi National Energy Company and Entertainment Publications. In addition to her HR responsibilities, Roberge has overseen other corporate functions including legal, accounting and finance, IT, operations and supply chain. Roberge holds a master’s degree in human resources and labor relations from Michigan State University and a bachelor’s degree in English and psychology, with honors, from the State University of New York at Potsdam. She is based in ProQuest’s Ann Arbor office.
	Lesli Rotenberg is chief programming executive and general manager, Children’s Media and Education at PBS. With a focus on kindergarten readiness, Rotenberg leads a cross-disciplinary team charged with content production, digital development, multi-platform asset distribution, licensing, educational product creation, and marketing and communications for PBS KIDS, the #1 children's educational media brand. Rotenberg leads the development and distribution of top-rated PBS KIDS media properties that help children ages 2-8 build science, literacy, math, critical thinking, and social-emotional skills, among others. Rotenberg oversees PBS’ efforts to support and empower PreK-12th grade educators, helping improve learning outcomes for students across America. Rotenberg has positioned PBS and local member stations as key partners for teachers through content, community, and professional learning resources tailored to their needs. An educational media expert, Rotenberg was named one of the nation’s top 15 “Women to Watch” by Advertising Age and invited to participate in the prestigious FORTUNE Most Powerful Women in Business Forum. Rotenberg has received numerous honors, including 28 Emmy Awards since 2015.
	Ron Townsend currently leads Battelle’s Global Laboratory Operations business, where he oversees Battelle’s role in the management of seven national laboratories with annual R&D expenditures of $8B involving 28,000 lab staff; six national laboratories for the U.S. Department of Energy (Brookhaven National Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory); and a laboratory for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (National Biodefense Analysis & Countermeasures Center). He also manages Battelle’s role as an integrated subcontractor at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. From 1997 to January 2009, he served as the president of Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU), a national consortium of doctoral-granting colleges and universities. Before joining ORAU, Ron served as Commandant of the Air Force Institute of Technology located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics from Kansas State University and completed his doctoral degree in atmospheric science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
	Chris Valentino currently serves as vice president of the Global Cyber Solutions business unit within Northrop Grumman Mission Systems’ Cyber and Intelligence Mission Solutions (CIMS) division. In this role, Valentino is responsible for the overall growth and program execution of the division’s global cyber business portfolio, as well as leadership of the company’s cyber campaign. Valentino has more than 20 years of domestic and global cyber expertise. He most recently served as the director of joint cyberspace programs for the Global Cyber Solutions business unit, where he was responsible for the development and delivery of full-spectrum cyberspace solutions. Prior to this, he served as the CIMS division’s director of strategy where he led the division’s strategic planning efforts, resource management, and initiatives for Northrop Grumman’s cyber and intelligence business. Valentino holds a bachelor’s of science degree and master’s of science degree in information systems from the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC). Valentino serves on the UMBC College of Engineering and Information Technology (COEIT) external advisory board.
	Chair, CGS Board of Directors (Ex-Officio) Christopher Sindt has served as provost and dean of graduate studies at Lewis University since 2018. Prior to his tenure at Lewis, he served for 17 years at Saint Mary’s of California as Professor of English and in various administrative capacities, including as the graduate dean. In 2011-2012 he served as an American Council for Education Fellow. He is currently chair of the board of directors of the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) and vice president of the board of directors of the Squaw Valley Community of Writers. Sindt earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of California, Los Angeles, and his master’s and doctoral degrees in English from the University of California, Davis. He is the author of two collections of poetry, The Bodies, and most recently, System and Population. He has been the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships for his poetry, including the James D. Phelan award and fellowships at the Macdowell Colony and the Blue Mountain Center.

Search form

You are on CGS' Legacy Site.