Richard Ekman, Ph.D.

Special Advisor

The Registry

Richard Ekman is President Emeritus of the Council of Independent Colleges following 21 years as President during which CIC’s programs and its membership both expanded significantly.

Previously Ekman served as Vice President of Atlantic Philanthropies, Secretary and Senior Program Officer of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and Director of both the Division of Education Programs and the Division of Research Programs at the National Endowment for the Humanities. Ekman is the co-author and co-editor with Richard Quandt of Technology and Scholarly Communication and the author of many essays in Inside Higher Ed, The Chronicle of Higher Education, University Business, Carnegie Reporter, Humanities, and the Washington Post, as well as in CIC’s own Independent. His AB and PhD degrees in the History of American Civilization were earned at Harvard University.

Since retirement from CIC, Ekman has served as a Fellow of the TIAA Institute and of counsel to Academic Search. He has led a “master class” for the students in the Executive Doctorate Program of the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education.

Ekman is a recipient of the W.E. B. DuBois Medal of Harvard University and numerous honorary degrees. He currently serves on the boards of Project Pericles, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, the Higher Education Research and Development Institute, the Council of Harvard’s Graduate School Alumni Association, the American Academic Leadership Institute, and the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute. Previous board service includes the American Council on Education, the National Humanities Alliance, Johns Hopkins University Press, the Hollings Center for International Dialogue, and the Dictionary of American Regional English.

Larry Lewellen

Senior Consultant and RAS Human Resources Practice Leader

A seasoned executive with an MBA in Finance, undergraduate degree in business management/human resources, and extensive experience in both private and public sector. Mr. Lewellen’s interests are in the development and execution of human resources strategies tied to business objectives, culture and leadership development; and optimization of the human resources structure, function, talent and connections for higher education. He is currently a consultant member of the Registry for College & University Presidents, and Human Resources Consulting Practice Lead for the Registry Advisory Services.

Mr. Lewellen’s recent assignments as Registry Interim Chief HR Officer include Connecticut College, St Petersburg College, Brandeis University, and University of Maine. Important accomplishments include reorganizing systems/structure/staffing of HR, elevating the status and services of the office, integrating across the institution, and recruiting talented ongoing CHROs.

Mr. Lewellen was employed for ten years with a Fortune 1000 electronics firm in human resources and in organizational performance and served on the international human resources steering committee. His career at Ohio State University spanned almost 30 years, with 14 years as the Vice President and Chief HR Officer for the entire university and medical center—an extremely complex national research university. Mr. Lewellen gained broad business and leadership experience in ventures such as co-leading statewide pension reform, healthcare and public sector employment reform, while undertaking significant work on organizational performance at the cabinet and board level. He served as the oversight official for an affiliated corporation providing healthcare to 65,000 faculty, staff, and dependents. During his career at Ohio State, he gained experience in all facets of human resources operations, services and leadership, including wellness, compensation, executive compensation, benefits, talent, employee relations, labor negotiations, management information, enterprise systems, leadership development, strategic planning,, and enterprise-wide culture transformation. He also draws upon a full year of innovation training and five years as a vice president in the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center focused on healthcare innovation and transformation.

Alison Slater

Director of Membership

Alison Slater joined the Registry in 2022 as the Director of Membership. She provides management for the recruitment, vetting, and technology functions surrounding our membership of senior-level, higher education leaders from across the country.

Prior to joining The Registry, for 15 years, Alison was a dedicated member of the Office of Admission at Denison University, a highly respected liberal arts college in Granville, OH. Her recruitment was primarily focused on New England, and she relocated to Providence, RI in 2021 to live and work within her territory. She also coordinated the admission office’s counselor relations program and was liaison to independent educational consultants. Alison served a term on the Campus Affairs Council and was also a LeaderShape Institute Mentor while at Denison. Since 2019, Alison also worked as a consultant, focused on helping high school students write college essays that tell authentic, personal stories, and on helping students prepare for their college interviews.

Alison looks forward to getting to know the members. When she is not working, you can find her reading novels, trying new recipes, or finger-painting with Asla, her 2-year-old niece.

Kate O’Donnell Weekley

Administrative Assistant to the Vice President

Ms. Kate O’Donnell Weekley joined The Registry in 2022 as the Administrative Assistant to Vice President, Amy Miller. She assists in all aspects of The Registry’s day-to-day operation, playing a pivotal role in helping to coordinate Interim placements, programs, and projects. Previously, Kate had a 12-year tenure as a Legal Administrative Assistant for the Law Office of Dawn E. LiVigne in Marblehead, MA, and, most recently, she served as an Administrative Assistant at a destination boutique called Eos Designs Studio also in Marblehead, MA.

Kate studied at the School of Arts and Sciences at Salem State University and is currently pursuing a degree at Southern New Hampshire University’s College of Business. She was inducted into the National Society of Leadership and Success in 2021 and named to the President’s List in 2020. Kate adds, however, that her proudest achievement to date has been raising her three daughters, Noelle, Delainey, and Christianna.