Ashford University^® – Board of Trustees

Dino D'Auria, Chairman

Dino D'Auria is the Senior Vice President/Commercial Division Manager of San Diego National Bank, and serves as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees. In this position at San Diego National Bank, Mr. D'Auria also serves on the Bank's Senior Management Team. Mr. D'Auria brings 16 years experience in banking to his post. Mr. D'Auria served as past board president for the Association for Corporate Growth and was the former chair of the Junior Achievement board of directors. He received his MBA from the University of Southern California, and his bachelor's degree from California State University, Fullerton.

Sister Ruth Cox

Sister Ruth Cox presently serves as an Adjunct Faculty at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Previous to her role with Kirkwood Community College, Sister Ruth served as President and CEO of The Alverno in Clinton, Iowa. She has served professionally in many roles, including the Leadership Council of the Sisters of St. Francis and the Iowa Advisory Board for the Iowa Foundation for Medical Care. Sister Ruth has delivered numerous papers and presentations on the topic of nursing. Her many academic assignments include the Curriculum Committee for the College of Nursing at Loyola University of Chicago, among others. Sister Ruth holds a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa, and earned her MA and BS from Loyola University of Chicago.

Peter Ewell

Dr. Peter Ewell is Vice President of the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS). He has served professionally as Member of the Board for the American Association of Higher Education (AAHE), the Council on Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) and the Board of Governors of Truman State University. Dr. Ewell was honored with the Virginia B. Smith Innovative Leadership Award, and has published numerous papers on higher education. He earned his Ph.D. and M.Phil. from Yale University, and his BA from Haverford College.

Paula Kelly

Dr. Paula Kelly is currently the Vice President of Development for the Monarch School. Dr. Kelly served as the Dean of the College of Extended Studies at San Diego State University and has a background in entrepreneurial education and international business. She traveled to more than 30 countries in Asia, Europe, South America, and the Middle East to market and develop the College's international training and development programs. Dr. Kelly earned her MBA and doctorate at the University of San Diego and later served as the Director of Development at that institution. She has served on the Boards of the World Trade Center, Asian Business Association, and St. Vincent de Paul Village.

Meredyth A. Leahy

Dr. Meredyth A. Leahy has over 30 years experience working with adult educators and adult learners in basic literacy, secondary, continuing and higher education, in both public sector and military education venues, including Temple University and the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Cabrini College, Muhlenberg College, and Excelsior. From 1994 to 2008 she served as Dean, School of Liberal Arts, Excelsior College, Albany, New York. Since her retirement, she has served as distance education adjunct faculty for Excelsior College teaching an undergraduate course on the history and philosophy of American education, and North Carolina State University where she taught a graduate course on the adult learner. She recently joined the American Council on Education's Military Installation Voluntary Education Review (MIVER) as a program review team member. Dr. Leahy earned her Bachelor's degree from Edinboro State Teachers College and her Master's and Doctorate degrees in adult education from Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Jane McAuliffe

Dr. Jane McAuliffe currently serves as CEO and President of Ashford University. She is also the Senior Vice President/Chief Academic Officer for Bridgepoint Education. She earned a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction/Special Education from Arizona State University. She also earned her Master's and Bachelor's degrees focused in the area of Special Education. Her professional career began as a special education teacher and her experience includes both public and private K-12 schools. Prior to her appointment with Ashford University, she served as President of the Sarasota campus of Argosy University in Sarasota, Florida. She held various positions at Argosy University including Vice President for Academic Affairs in Sarasota and Department Head for Education in Atlanta. Her experience also includes serving as Vice President for Academic Affairs at American InterContinental University, Dean, Associate Dean, and Program Chair in the College of Education at the University of Phoenix. She is the co-author of one book and has presented numerous scholarly presentations in the course of her professional career.

Peter J. Negroni

Dr. Peter J. Negroni is Senior Vice President of Relationship Development at the College Board. A career educator with more than 30 years experience as a teacher and administrator, Dr. Negroni began his career in education as a New York City teacher before moving into administrative roles, including principal and community college district superintendent. From 1989 through 2000 he was superintendent of the Springfield (Mass.) public school system. In 1998 he was named Superintendent of the Year by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Dr. Negroni earned a bachelor's degree from Iona College in New Rochelle, N.Y., a sixth-year certificate in student administration from City College of New York and a doctorate from Fairleigh Dickenson University in Teaneck, N.J.

Donna Oliver

Donna Oliver is the President and CEO of Mercy Medical Center in Clinton, Iowa. Previous to joining Mercy Medical Center, she held various senior level positions in the health care industry. Ms. Oliver has earned several prestigious awards, including the St. Joseph Health System Excellence Award. She is active in the community, currently serving as a Board Member of the Clinton Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Oliver holds an MBA from Pepperdine University and a BA from Central Washington.

Karen Steinberg

Ms. Steinberg is the Executive Vice President for the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL). As Executive Vice President, she acts as the CFO of the organization and has responsibility for operations. Previous to her current position with CAEL, Ms. Steinberg was a Senior Vice Chancellor with the United States Open University (USOU). Ms. Steinberg holds an MBA from the University of Nevada and earned her BA from the California State University at Chico.

J. William Wenrich

J. William Wenrich, PhD, is Chancellor Emeritus of the Dallas County Community College District, the largest undergraduate institution in the state of Texas. As Chancellor, Dr. Wenrich oversees seven community colleges, an economic development institute, and an advanced center for educational telecommunications. He is the author of more than 20 scholarly research articles, studies, and reports on subjects relevant to academia and higher-education administration. He also serves as Vice Chair of the Alliance for Higher Education in North Texas, and is a former board member of the American Council on Education. Dr. Wenrich completed his undergraduate studies through an academic scholarship to Princeton University, and while earning his PhD at University of Michigan, he was awarded the Hinsdale Scholar Award for top PhD candidate in Education.