New leadership announced amid layoffs

CORRECTION: In the Sept. 10 article, The Rider News gave an incomplete title for Kim Barberich, and in addition to serving as director of the Women’s Leadership Council, she was also the assistant vice president of Career Development, Engaged Learning and Leadership. The Rider News regrets this error.

By Grace Bertrand

Rider’s leadership has taken a different direction over the course of the last few months, as administrators have been laid off and a new Senior Leadership Team was formed, spearheaded by President John Loyack. 

New university leadership 

On Sept. 3, the President’s Office sent out a facultywide email announcing the formation of a group of senior leaders that would replace the traditional Cabinet. 

Under Loyack’s authority the email said the team will work closely “to guide the University’s strategic direction, ensure alignment and elimination of silos across divisions, and advance our shared mission to maintain Rider as an independent and viable institution for years to come.” 

Kelly Bidle, provost and senior vice president of Academic Affairs, joins Loyack at the helm of the new leadership team. 

In an email to The Rider News on Sept. 8, Bidle wrote “Every university president has a senior leadership team, and while some call it a cabinet, others name it something different. President Loyack is choosing to use a senior leadership team.” 

The other senior leaders who will guide the university include Vice President of External Affairs Kristine Brown, Vice President for Community Engagement and Belonging Darryl Mace, Vice President of Advancement Keith Richardson, Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel Mark Solomon, Vice President of Human Resources Erika Worthy and Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Planning and Secretary to the Board Debbie Stasolla.

Brown wrote in an email to The Rider News, “I look forward to working alongside a strong and collaborative group of colleagues, some who know Rider deeply and others who bring fresh perspectives. That mix of experience and vision will be powerful as we work together to advance Rider’s strategic priorities, strengthen our community and ensure that our students have every opportunity to thrive.” 

New additions to the leadership team are Mary-Alice Ozechoski, as senior vice president and chief of staff for Student Experience, and Thomas Papa, as interim vice president for finance and chief administrative officer, temporarily replacing his predecessor Jim Hartman. The email announced that Hartman left Rider “to pursue other professional opportunities.” 

Ozechoski brings over three decades of experience in higher education leadership with her at five institutions, most recently serving as senior vice president for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs at Alvernia University, Loyack’s previous employer. She will officially begin her new position at Rider on Sept. 29. 

Papa brings more than 25 years of experience in executive leadership and financial management in higher education, most notably holding a senior position at the New Jersey Department of Human Services, where he managed a $1.7 billion budget and oversaw more than 8,000 employees. He will officially join Rider on Sept. 15. 

The leadership team, additionally, excludes several vice presidents who were part of the former President Gregory Dell’Omo’s cabinet, including Drew Aromondo, vice president of Enrollment Management, Michael Reca, vice president of University Operations, Nicholas Barbati, vice president for Student Affairs and Don Harnum, athletic director. 

Barbati declined comment on the new Senior Leadership Team. 

Administrative layoffs 

The development of this body of senior leaders comes after certain administrators were laid off over the summer, including Kim Barberich, former director of the Women’s Leadership Council, and Heeyoung Kim, former chief diversity officer, director of the Teaching and Learning Center and dean of libraries. 

In an email to her colleagues on July 16, Kim wrote that she had been “impacted by the recent reorganization and layoffs at Rider.” She continued, “I’m grateful for the many wonderful memories of working together — from the changes we made to the impact we had on students, and those sleepless nights during the shift to remote teaching and learning. It was an incredibly fulfilling chapter in my professional journey.” 

Kim, formerly part of the previous Cabinet, declined to comment on the matter to The Rider News, stating that her leave was part of a restructuring business decision. 

Bidle continued in her email, “Instead of focusing narrowly on individual areas, members of the senior leadership team are expected to think very broadly, collaborating to solve problems and advance Rider’s mission. They are the group responsible for turning the University’s vision into coordinated action.”