Steering Committee | The Coalition for Life Transforming Education

Gilda Barabino

President of Olin College of Engineering

Gilda Barabino is a Professor of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering and succeeded Richard Miller as President in 2020. Previously she served as Dean of The Grove School of Engineering at the City College of New York (CCNY). She also served as Daniel and Frances Berg Professor, with appointments in the Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering, as well as the City University of New York School of Medicine.

Keith Buffinton

Professor of Mechanical Engineering and former Dean of Engineering at Bucknell University

Prof. Buffinton has been a professor at Bucknell from 1987 to present becoming full professor and Associate Dean along the way. In 2003 he received Bucknell’s Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching.

Archie Holmes, Jr.

Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs of The University of Texas System

Archie Holmes, Jr. is a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Holmes also serves as the Executive Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs for The University of Texas System.

Thomas Katsouleas

Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and former President of the University of Connecticut

A leading plasma scientist and engineer with deep academic roots in teaching and research, became UConn president in 2019. He has a special interest in ensuring the quality of the student experience through diversity, respect and responsibility, and recruiting highly talented and representative faculty.

Rogan Kersh

Professor and Provost of Wake Forest University

Professor of Political Science with three published book on Public Policy, Kersh has experience in the U.S. Congress, the British Parliament, and think tanks in Tokyo and Washington, DC. In Winston-Salem, he serves on the boards of the United Way and chairs the Mayor’s Thought Force on Poverty.

Richard K. Miller

President Emeritus of Olin College of Engineering

Richard K. Miller was appointed President and first employee of Olin College of Engineering in 1999 where he served as the college’s founding president until June 2020. Beginning September 2020 he will join MIT as the Jerome C. Hunsaker Visiting Professor of Aerospace Systems

Clayton Spencer

President of Bates College

One of Bates’ signature initiatives is Purposeful Work, launched in 2014. Built on the premise that preparing students for lives of meaningful work has always been a central purpose of the liberal arts. Spencer is a former Chief Education Counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources.

John Volin

Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost at University of Maine

Prior to joining the UMaine community in August 2020, he served as Vice Provost for Academic Affairs at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Volin was a Professor of Natural Resources and the environment at UConn. He served a decade as department head and conducted research in ecosystems around the world, focusing on invasive species and restoration ecology. He had been awarded more than $27 million in extramural funding for both research and foundational activities.