Administrative Council

Julian Schuster
Provost, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

In his role as Provost and Senior Vice President, Dr. Julian Schuster serves as chief academic officer and chief advisor to President Elizabeth (Beth) J. Stroble, and has direct involvement in the strategic and day-to-day leadership of the institution.

Dr. Schuster assumed his position at Webster in July 2010, after serving as Founding Dean of the Hamline School of Business at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn. Prior to that, he served in several capacities at the University of New Haven from 1996 to 2006, including Chair of the Department of Economics and Finance, Director of the Doctoral Program, Director of the Executive MBA Program, and Associate Dean and Dean of the School of Business.

Over the course of his career, Dr. Schuster has pioneered global alliances and promoted strategic investment in academic excellence, strengthening and expanding collaborations with more than a dozen international partner institutions.

Dr. Schuster received bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in economics from the University of Belgrade, one of the oldest and largest universities in the western Balkans. He currently serves on the Board of Governors of the University Avenue Business Association and on the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Pluralism and Economic Education. Dr. Schuster's professional memberships include the American Economic Association, the Eastern Economic Association and the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies.

Paul Carney
Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs

Dr. Paul Carney, Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs, directs activities in many strategic areas for Webster University including the Registrar's office, admissions, financial aid and student affairs. Carney's team of seasoned professionals is poised to collaborate with constituents to identify and deliver progressive solutions for current and prospective students. With more than twenty five years of experience in enrollment management and admissions, Carney has the vision and experience to implement cutting-edge solutions to meet the needs of students in alignment with the competitive, changing landscape of higher education.

Carney previously served as Vice President for Enrollment Management at Drury University and has also held posts at Oklahoma State University and the University of Notre Dame. He received a BA in history from Kansas Newman College, an MA in educational measurement and testing from Wichita State University and a PhD in educational research and evaluation from Florida State University.

(William) Kenneth Freeman
Chief Information Officer and Vice President

Kenneth Freeman is responsible for aspects of technology across the University's more than 100 domestic and international sites. This includes responsibility for enterprise information system and technical services and architecture, desktop support, instructional lab support, media center operations, technology help desk and training, IT policy and information security.

Freeman joined the University in April, 2011 as the Interim Chief Information Officer and Vice President. Ken brings extensive experience in senior IT leadership roles―leveraging IT strategies to align with business initiatives. His prior employment includes Monsanto, CIGNA, Fleet Financial Group, United Parcel Service and IBM. Ken brings to his position expertise in network management, performance score cards, process re-engineering, strategic business planning, vendor governance and organization assessment.

Ken received his BS in business management from Herbert H. Lehman College in New York and his MS in telecommunications from New York University. He is a graduate of the Society of Information Management Regional Leadership Forum and holds a certificate in ITIL V3 Service Management.

Ken serves on the board of director of Herbert Hoover Boys & Girls Club, and the IT committee for the St. Louis Metro Urban League.

Greg Gunderson
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Dr. Greg Gunderson leads the global finance and administrative unit.  His unit plays a key role translating the University's strategic vision into a tactical roadmap by  providing global leadership in 100+ locations via finance and general accounting, purchasing, endowment and treasury administration, public safety, and facilities support.  He has provided accounting and financial leadership for over twenty years with experience in both the corporate and higher education settings at international organizations including the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, ConAgra Foods, Inc., Cray Research, Inc., and Arthur Anderson & Co.

Gunderson earned a BS in business administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and his MBA from the University of St. Thomas.  He received his PhD in Educational Studies, with a specialization in educational leadership and higher education, from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.

Nancy Hellerud
Associate Provost for Academic Planning, Policies and Operations

Nancy Hellerud joined Webster University in April 2011. She serves as chief of staff to the Provost, overseeing operations of the Office of Academic Affairs, and works with the senior administration, deans and faculty on a range of policy issues and strategic initiatives, with a focus on improving procedures and policies.  She oversees the academic support units of Academic Affairs, including Academic Advising, the Academic Resource Center, the Faculty Development Center, and the Office of Institutional Effectiveness.

Prior to joining Webster, Ms. Hellerud served as interim dean (2010-2011) and associate dean (2004-2010) of the Hamline School of Business in St. Paul, Minnesota and was an assistant professor in the department of management and marketing.   She holds a JD from the University of Oregon School of Law, an MA in Liberal Studies from Hamline University, and a BA in English and German, also from Hamline.

Ms. Hellerud's responsibilities include:  Academic Advising,the Academic Resource Center, Faculty Development Center, and the Office of Institutional Effectiveness

Faith D. Maddy
Vice President for Development and Alumni Programs

Faith Maddy oversees the Office of Alumni and Development Programs, whose purposes are to develop and implement strategies to strengthen the services provided by Webster University through private gift and public grant support and to maintain and strengthen the relationship between alumni and their alma mater and between Webster University and its friends. Her unit is responsible for annual, campaign, and planned giving; corporate, foundation, and government relations; alumni programs and activities; and advancement services.

Maddy has nearly 30 years of experience in higher education and other non-profit organizations. She holds a BS from Butler University and a MA in college student personnel administration from Indiana University. Maddy is an active member of the Association for Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and received the AFP Outstanding Fundraising Professional award from the St. Louis Chapter in 2010.

Barbara E. O'Malley
Associate Vice President and Chief Communications Officer

Barbara O'Malley leads the global marketing and communications unit responsible for aligning marketing, communications and brand marketing activities across Webster's St. Louis, Metro, Military global locations, and online programs with the University's mission and vision. Her division includes the offices of Creative Services, Digital Marketing and Communications, Strategic Communications and Public Relations. It is responsible for creating awareness of the University's brand as the only Tier 1, private, non-profit U.S.-based university providing a network of international residential campuses.
 
She has over twenty years experience as a consultant and practitioner - both in corporate environments and in higher education institutions - of integrating marketing communications in the areas of marketing research, planning and measurement, advertising, branding, internal and external communications including media and crisis communication, web and new media. She served as a state examiner for the Baldrige Quality Award Programs in Colorado and Ohio. A certified seminar leader, she has presented at regional and national conferences around the US including Society for College and University Planners (SCUP) and Council for the Advancement of Secondary Education (CASE). Topics include marketing, branding, integrated marketing communication, change leadership and crisis communication.
 
O'Malley holds a MBA in marketing from the University of Denver in Denver, Colo. and a BS in communications and journalism from Black Hills State University in Spearfish, S.D. She also earned Executive Education Certificates in Dynamic Management from Duke University; Crisis Leadership from Harvard Kennedy School; High Performance Leadership from Oxford University’s Said Business School and Global Leadership Academy from Webster University.

Laura Rein
University Secretary

Laura Rein is the University Secretary for Webster University and the Webster University Board of Trustees. Rein is responsible for managing all official correspondence with trustees, maintaining official records of all trustee and trustee committee meetings, keeping official records of actions taken by trustees and providing assistance in interpreting policies and matters of jurisdiction and governance. Rein also coordinates the President's activities with institutional event planners, high-level search committees, and committees and individuals addressing issues of institutional governance, such as privacy, security, equity and communications. Rein also serves as the University's liaison to external legal counsel. Rein has over 30 year of experience in higher education.

Rein holds a master of library science from the University of Michigan, a master's degree in English from the University of Kentucky and a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Michigan-Flint.

Betsy Schmutz
Associate Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer

Betsy Schmutz leads the human resources unit in providing programs and services that foster diversity and inclusion within the institution and support the goal of investing in Webster University employees. She promotes compensation programs, insurance benefit programs and retirement programs that position the University to attract and retain top level faculty and staff who are committed to advancing and supporting the University's mission and purpose.

Schmutz holds a MA in management, with distinction, from Webster University and a BS in education, cum laude, from the University of Dayton. She has over 20 years of human resources management experience in corporate and higher education settings. A native of Indianapolis, she has made St. Louis her home since 1981. She is a current board member of the Diversity Awareness Partnership and has held prior positions on the boards for Beyond Housing and The Clayton Child Center.

Oren Yagil
Special Assistant to the President

Oren Yagil is the Special Assistant to Webster University President Dr. Elizabeth (Beth) J. Stroble. In this position, Yagil works with the President and the Provost as well as with all members of the Administrative Council to advance strategic initiatives important to Webster's future.

Prior to joining Webster University, Yagil served as assistant dean for student affairs and assistant professor in the College of Public Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) in Omaha. He also served as Academic Affairs Specialist at the newly founded College of Public Health and in several graduate assistant positions at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Prior to that, Yagil served as head administrator in the Departments of Behavioral Sciences and Human Resources at Sapir College, an affiliate of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, in Beersheba, Israel.

Yagil holds doctoral and master's degrees in educational leadership and higher education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and a bachelor's degree in geography and environmental sciences from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Born in Beer-Sheva, Israel, he has experience with local, state, national and international agencies and governments. Yagil is a member of the American Educational Research Association.

Ralph Olliges
Faculty Senate President

Dr. Ralph Olliges, as president of the Faculty Senate, is a member of the Administrative Council. An associate professor of education and the Educational Technology Coordinator, Olliges possesses over 28 years of teaching experience in the classroom and online.  He joined the faculty of Webster in 2001. His area of expertise deals with how to successfully integrate technology in the classroom. He teaches courses on educational technology in the classroom, databases in the classroom, building web sites for teachers, and the use of many different software packages in the classroom. He is a nationally recognized technological educator and researcher in the field of web-based and web-enhanced learning. His recent research program focuses upon web-enhanced and distributed learning in higher education, and in particular technology-based education. Dr. Olliges has published articles in professional journals and has presented on various topics at regional and national conferences. He has numerous publications and presentations with regards to using technology in the classroom and with student learning styles.

Olliges holds a BA in mathematics, MA in mathematics, MBA and PhD in curriculum and instruction with a computer emphasis from Saint Louis University. He is a long-time member of International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). Olliges is also a member of the Society of Philosophy and History of Education (SOPHE), American Association of University Professors (AAUP), and the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).