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Members of the President's Leadership Team
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
Dr. Kathryn LaFontana is a seasoned academic leader in her 30th year in Catholic higher education, with expertise in mission-focused strategic planning, new program development, data-informed decision-making, and innovative instructional technology solutions. She came to Ursuline in 2017 from The College of New Rochelle, where she served in academic leadership roles over her six-year tenure. Widely published in academic journals, the former Sacred Heart University psychology professor has more than two dozen peer-reviewed presentations and publications and is the 2024 recipient of the Collegium Visionary Award. She has a doctorate in social psychology from the University of Connecticut.
Vice President for Enrollment Management
Mike Brown has more than 20 years of experience as an admission and enrollment management professional. Prior to his appointment at Ursuline College in 2021, he served as vice president of enrollment at Lake Erie College. He’s also led the admission offices of Heidelberg University and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College after moving up the ranks of Eckerd College and his alma mater, Hanover College. He started his professional career in social work before switching to higher education. A native of Indiana, he holds an MA in higher education from the University of Louisville.
Co-Lead, Institutional Advancement
With over 30 years of experience in the communications field, Amy Castelli has held various roles, including news broadcaster in Cleveland and Washington, DC and public relations business consultant to a diverse clientele. A co-lead of Ursuline’s Institutional Advancement team and consultant to the President, Amy leverages her expertise in strategic communications, crisis management, and media strategy. A co-founder of Lois Consulting, Amy previously served as Assistant Vice President of Communications at Ohio Guidestone and hosted the Weekly Pulse Television Show. She is also the President of Castelli Media Group and a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh.
Director of the Office of Mission
Sister Virginia DeVinne, OSU entered the Ursuline Sisters in 1967 and has served as a member of the Sisters’ Leadership Team in various capacities including eight years as its General Superior. An Ursuline College alumna, she became to the director of the Office of Mission in 2021 after serving 10 years as the associate director of the College’s Resources for Success in Academics Office. She is currently responsible for the integration of the Ursuline Sisters’ heritage and Ursuline College mission across campus with emphasis on working with faculty and staff. A former teacher and principal at Villa Angela, she is a board member of Urban Community School and Incarnate Word Academy.
Vice President for Student Affairs
For 35 years, Deanne Hurley played an important role in the wellbeing of Ursuline College students. She serves as the Vice President for Student Affairs and a Civil Rights Investigator for Ursuline College. She earned her master's degree in Higher Education from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Centre College in Kentucky. She has also earned certificates from the Institute for Educational Management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education Center for Enrollment Research, Policy, and Practice in Leadership in Enrollment Management. She has been recognized by the YWCA as a Women of Professional Excellence for her work with inclusion and diversity.
Interim Chief Financial Officer, Secretary & Treasurer
An influential, analytical, and experienced finance executive with a demonstrated history of delivering profitable growth and meeting financial targets, Doug Kennedy joined the Ursuline leadership team in the summer of 2024. He has done extensive consulting work focusing on strategic planning, M&A, FP&A, compliance, risk management, and leadership support. He previously served as the SVP Finance & CFO for Global Assessments at Pearson Education and has also held financial leadership positions at Pearson VUE, Cray Inc., and Northwest Airlines. He holds an MBA in Finance from the University of Minnesota - Carlson School of Management and a BA in Accounting from the University of Minnesota Duluth.
Assistant Vice President for Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging
Yolanda King manages Office of Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging, leading the development of the College’s strategic diversity plan and providing support and services to students, staff, and faculty to create an inclusive community. King also serves as the administrator of Ursuline’s First-Generation Program and as the primary Designated School Official for international students. Previously, she spent 15 years as Tufts University’s Director of Residential Life and Learning in addition to serving in various Student Affairs positions at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, University at Buffalo, and Ohio University. A graduate of the College of Wooster, she earned a Master of Arts, Student Development in Higher Education from Howard University and was named as one of Cleveland’s Emerging Black Leaders in 2024 by The Plain Dealer.
Assistant Vice President for Marketing & Communications
A member of the Ursuline College leadership since 2022, Helen Jones-Toms previously served as the chief marketing officer for the Case School of Engineering and later the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). She also possesses an extensive background in fundraising communications, working on campaigns at CWRU as well as the Cleveland Museum of Art. An active community volunteer, she is the current board president of Magnolia Clubhouse which provides community and dignity for people living with mental illness. A graduate of Boston University’s College of Communication, she holds a Master of Nonprofit Organizations from CWRU and is the former executive director of Aluminum Cans for Burned Children (ACBC).
Athletic Director
The first and only Athletic Director in the College’s history, Cindy McKnight played a vital role in the creation of College’s athletic department and its path to become a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). She currently serves as a member of the NCAA Division II Management Council. She previously served on the NCAA National Women’s Basketball Committees as well as its Regional Advisory Committees for Women’s Basketball and Women’s Volleyball. McKnight spearheaded Ursuline becoming a founding member of Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) and was the first woman chair of the G-MAC’s Athletic Director’s Council. She is an alumna of Mount St. Joseph College and Ashland University.
Co-Lead, Institutional Advancement
Cindy Naegele is a nonprofit executive with more than 25 years of experience at organizations like The Cleveland Foundation, Case Western Reserve University, Ohio Guidestone and The Cleveland Museum of Art. She is the co-founder of Lois Consulting. She brings her strong record of building individual, corporate, and community connections while securing transformational gifts to the College’s institutional advancement team. Before her nonprofit career, Cindy was an investigative journalist who garnered two Associated Press awards for investigative reporting. A graduate of Ohio University, she studied public administration at Cleveland State University.
