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Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
fredette@pennwest.edu
As PennWest’s chief academic officer, Fredette is responsible for assisting the president in achieving the mission, vision, and values of the university. She serves as a strategic leader for the Academic Affairs division through collaboration with other university divisions, serving as a university representative at functions with external constituents and organizations, and creating community relationships.
Deputy Provost
engstrom@pennwest.edu
Engstrom is responsible for advising the provost on matters within Academic Affairs and directing the individuals within the division. He provides leadership and oversight for operational activities, including working with the deans to create and execute a student-focused academic schedule, implementing and assessing student success and academic support programs, monitoring program enrollments, and engaging in discussions with APSCUF, the faculty union. He also is responsible for monitoring implementation of the synthesized graduate and undergraduate academic programs.
Associate Provost and Associate Vice President for Faculty Relations
dhartley@pennwest.edu
Hartley provides leadership on contractual issues and faculty-related questions. Before being named associate provost and associate vice president for faculty relations, he served as interim associate provost and veterans services coordinator at Clarion. Hartley was dean of the College of Business Administration at Clarion from 2005-2019. He also he served in the U.S. Army for 20 years.
Interim Dean, College of Arts and Humanities
Before being named interim dean of the College of Arts and Humanities, Carden was a faculty member at Edinboro for 20 years. During that time she served for eight years as chair of the Department of English and Philosophy, and she was twice named Scholar of the Year. Carden, who previously taught at SUNY Binghamton and Southeastern Oklahoma State University, is the author of two books and co-editor of a third; a second collection of co-edited essays is under contract.
Interim Dean, College of Natural Sciences and Engineering Technology
wickham@pennwest.edu
Wickham moved to his current role after serving as associate dean of PennWest’s College of Natural Sciences and Engineering Technology. A faculty member at California for 20 years, he also served as interim assistant dean of Cal U’s Eberly College of Science and Technology from 2020-2022.
Dean, College of Business, Communication, and Information Sciences
pfrese@pennwest.edu
Before being named dean of PennWest’s College of Business, Communication, and Information Sciences, Frese served as dean of Clarion’s College of Business Administration and Information Science, beginning in 2013. At Clarion he strengthened the business core by incorporating data analytics to meet employers’ needs. He also developed graduate programs in accounting and data analytics, as well as an online MBA with added concentrations. Frese increased fundraising to support faculty research at Clarion and restructured the college’s Business Advisory Council to increase participation and input. He led the college’s American Association for Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) reaccreditation process and is active in AACSB, where he has been a peer reviewer.
Interim Dean, College of Education
tstevenson@pennwest.edu
Before becoming dean of PennWest’s College of Education, Stevenson was associate dean for the college. He previously led the Clarion Office of Field Studies. Prior to joining Clarion, Stevenson taught as an adjunct instructor at Gannon University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and Butler County Community College. Prior to joining the university in 2017, he was a music educator in the Brookville Area School District for 15 years.
Interim Dean, College of Health Sciences
dkelly@pennwest.edu
Before her appointment as interim dean, Kelly was a faculty member in Clarion's Department of Nursing for 18 years. During her career at Clarion, she served as department chair and nursing administrator, and she oversaw five programs that spanned the nursing career ladder from the associate to the doctoral level, including Clarion's in-person A.S.N. and B.S.N. degrees and online R.N.-B.S.N., M.S.N. and D.N.P. programs. Kelly also is a certified hospice and palliative care administrator.
Interim Dean, College of Social Sciences and Human Services
jdfisher@pennwest.edu
Before his appointment as interim dean, Fisher spent more than 20 years as a professor of politics and legal studies at Edinboro, including six years as chair of the Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice. He also served as Edinboro's associate provost and interim provost and vice president for academic affairs.
