Senior Leadership Team
Colby-Sawyer College's Senior Leadership Team is composed of the president, her vice presidents, and representatives from the faculty and staff. Together, they review all academic, administrative and financial issues associated with the institution and work closely with the Board of Trustees to fulfill the college's mission of preparing students to thrive in, and make a positive impact upon, a dynamic, diverse and interdependent world.
Susan D. Stuebner
President of the College
Volanakis Family Presidential Chair
Susan D. Stuebner took office July 1, 2016 and is the ninth president of Colby-Sawyer College. With more than 20 years of experience in higher education, she brings considerable knowledge about strategic planning, collaborative decision making and institutional effectiveness. Most recently, she was the executive vice president and chief operating officer at Allegheny College in Meadville, Penn., where she supervised financial services, human resources, development and alumni affairs, student affairs, college relations, admissions, financial aid, retention and enrollment planning. President Stuebner earned an A.B. in psychology from Dartmouth College and an Ed.M. and an Ed.D. from Harvard University. President Stuebner enjoys spending time with her spouse, Amanda, and their two children; walking with her Labradoodles; sea kayaking; hiking, reading; traveling and cheering for the New England Patriots. Read more about President Stuebner.
sue.stuebner@colby-sawyer.edu
603.526.3451
Pete Berthiaume
Associate Dean of Students & Director of Emergency Management
Pete joined Colby-Sawyer in 1993 as the Director of Campus Safety and was appointed Associate Dean of Students and Director of Emergency Management in July of 2021. In this role, Pete oversees the college’s Residential Education programs, as well as the Baird Health and Counseling Center, Campus Safety and the Department of Citizenship Education. Pete is passionate about student safety, and over the past 30 years, he has developed and facilitated numerous crisis intervention and emergency management training programs; not only for Colby-Sawyer, but also for other institutions throughout the Northeast. From 2007-2011, Pete was the Emergency Management Director for the Town of New London, N.H., and he has also served as President and Vice-President of the New Hampshire Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators, as well as spending many years as a co-director and instructor for the New Hampshire Campus Safety Academy. Pete holds a Bachelor of Science in security management from Bellevue University and a master’s of public administration from the University of New Hampshire. In his free time, he enjoys music, spending time with his family and staying busy on his farm.
pberthia@colby-sawyer.edu
603.526.3791
Karen I. Bonewald
Vice President for Finance and Administration
Karen Bonewald was named Vice President for Finance and Administration and Treasurer of the College in May 2018 and oversees Financial Services, Facilities and Dining Services. Karen was hired as assistant controller in 2001, promoted to business manager in 2002 and to controller in 2004. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from New Hampshire College and an M.B.A. from Plymouth State College. Karen enjoys volunteering as a trustee at Proctor Academy, spending time with her family, practicing yoga, and walking the campus with her two Bernese Mountain Dogs, Rudy & Ridge.
kbonewald@colby-sawyer.edu
603.526.3748
Robin Burroughs Davis
Vice President for Student Development and Dean of Students
After a brief period as interim Vice President for Student Development and Dean of Students, Robin Davis was named the permanent chief student development officer in November 2016. Robin oversees athletics, the Baird Health and Counseling Center, student activities, campus safety, citizenship education, the Hogan Sports Center, residential life, and retention and student success. Robin has served the college since 1996 and held the roles of Director of Citizenship Education and Associate Dean of Students. Robin also serves as the Title IX Coordinator and holds certifications as a Title IX investigator and in advanced Clery Training. She has also been an adjunct instructor for writing and taught a first-year seminar course on leadership for many years. Robin received a B.A. in English education and an M.S. in college and community counseling from Longwood University, and she earned a J.D. from Northwestern California University School of Law. Outside of work, Robin supports our students at any number of events as well as completing road races and baking her famous treats.
rdavis@colby-sawyer.edu
603.526.3752
Valerie Leclair
Vice President for Admissions and Financial Aid
Valerie Leclair joined Colby-Sawyer College in January 2023 as vice president for admissions and financial aid. Valerie is tasked with designing and implementing a holistic strategic plan for Colby-Sawyer’s long-term enrollment success to include a growing number of graduate programs and pre-professional tracks that complement its undergraduate offerings. Valerie, who has more than 20 years of experience in higher education enrollment, previously served as the executive director of undergraduate and graduate admissions at Rivier University in Nashua, N.H. Prior to Rivier, Valerie spent nearly a decade as the director of admissions at Hesser College in Salem, N.H., and three years in the same role at The Salter School in Tewksbury, Mass. She holds a Master of Science in higher education administration from Southern New Hampshire University and a Bachelor of Arts in theater from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Valerie lives in Windham, N.H., with her husband and two children.
val.leclair@colby-sawyer.edu
603.526.3655
Gregg Mazzola
Vice President for Marketing and Communications
Gregg Mazzola joined Colby-Sawyer as vice president for Marketing & Communications in July 2019. He oversees the college’s current admissions and advancement outreach efforts, directs how the institution articulates value about its mission and core outcomes, establishes priorities and production goals for the marketing and communications team, and enhances the college’s messaging for all constituencies. Gregg has over 25 years’ experience in enrollment management, admissions, communications, and marketing experience in both higher education and in private industry. Before joining Colby-Sawyer he was the Vice President of Enrollment Management and Marketing at Southern New Hampshire University. Gregg earned his B.A. in communications from the University of Dayton (Ohio) and M.S. in Organizational Leadership from SNHU. He began his post-college career with the New York Yankees, first as their Assistant Director of Publications and then as Director of Publishing, and spent the following five years working as an editor and marketing director for Scholastic Inc.’s Coach magazine before joining ACS Sports in New York City as Director of Content and Project Management. Gregg enjoys skiing, hiking, running, and kayaking and spending time with his wife, Diane, and children Jordan and Eli.
gregg.mazzola@colby-sawyer.edu
603.526.3725
Daniel B. Parish
Vice President for College Advancement
Dan joined Colby-Sawyer in August 2017 as Vice President for College Advancement to lead alumni relations, development and community partnerships programs. Dan has more than 25 years of experience in higher education; he began his career in undergraduate admissions and has worked at Connecticut College, Phillips Exeter Academy and Dartmouth College. After serving as the Director of Admissions Recruitment at Dartmouth College for a decade, Dan was the inaugural director of the Dartmouth for Life program in the Office of Alumni Relations. In this role, he was a member of the advancement management team and coordinated a number of alumni initiatives. Dan earned his A.B. in history at Dartmouth College and an Ed.M. in administration, planning and social policy from Harvard University Graduate School of Education. Dan grew up hiking and camping with his family, and he loves to get outside as often as he can to hike, run and ski.
daniel.parish@colby-sawyer.edu
603.526.3729
Ron Price
Chief Diversity Officer
Vice President of Human Resources
Ron Price joined Colby-Sawyer College as chief diversity officer and vice president of human resources in June of 2022. Ron oversees the college’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives with the goal of increasing the proportion of underrepresented groups within the college community. He also collaborates with faculty and administrators to promote the development of an inclusive and effective learning environment and also evaluates and develops hiring policies and practices that advance equitability. Ron comes to Colby-Sawyer with more than 25 years of experience in diversity, equity and inclusion programs and both human capital management in K-12 and higher education settings. Before Colby-Sawyer, he served as vice president of human resources for Chattahoochee Technical College and as the President of the Georgia Association for Diversity Officers in Higher Education. Ron earned a bachelor’s degree in business and political science and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Virginia. He enjoys mountain biking, hiking, fishing, playing guitar and spending time with his sons, Corey and RJ, and daughter, Lauren.
ron.price@colby-sawyer.edu
603.526.3069
Laura A. Sykes
Academic Vice President and Dean of Faculty
Following a national search, Laura was appointed Academic Vice President and Dean of Faculty in June 2017 to oversee the faculty, academic departments and academic support services. Laura began her faculty career at Colby-Sawyer in 2001 and holds rank as Professor of Environmental Science. She also served as department chair from 2013 to 2016 and was interim Academic Vice President in 2016-17. Laura received the college’s Jack Jensen Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2009 as well as the N.H. Educator of the Year Award in 2014. Her research interests center on alpine flora in the Mount Washington region. Prior to her academic career, Laura was an administrator in the Hogan Sports Center from 1993 to 2001. Laura received her B.S. in exercise and sport science from Colby-Sawyer College and her M.S. and Ph.D. in environmental studies from Antioch University New England. She was born and raised in New Hampshire and is a skilled rock climber and mountaineer.
laura.sykes@colby-sawyer.edu
603.526.3760
Peter White
Professor, School of Arts & Sciences
Sonja C. and William H. Davidow Endowed Chair
Peter is the faculty representative to the Senior Leadership Team. Peter joined the faculty in 2001 and earned a B.S. from the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth and a Ph.D. in cellular and molecular biology from Indiana State University. Peter is the Director of Liberal Education and recently served on both the Strategic Planning Committee and the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Task Force. His professional interests include physiology, cell biology, and immunology. Peter is the Principal Investigator of a National Science Foundation Scholarship Grant Award that supports STEM education for low-income, academically talented students in biology.
pwhite@colby-sawyer.edu
603.526.3681