Faculty

Dr. Shawn O’Riley is the vice president of professional education, interdisciplinary, and special programs for Pace University. His responsibilities to include oversight of distance education operations and strategy; interdisciplinary programs and strategy; adult and nontraditional student programs; summer, intersession, and special semesters and terms; high school and pre-college programs; badging programs; corporate training and professional development; and the English Language Institute. He is also program director for the Master of Arts in Higher Education Administration and Student Affairs.

Prior to coming to Pace, Dr. O’Riley was the dean of the College of Professional and Continuing Studies at Adelphi University, and the associate director for continuing education at Hunter College. Shawn started his career in advertising and market research, working for Simmons Market Research and MarketTrends as a project manager.

Shawn earned his bachelor’s in business administration from the University of Iowa, an MA in Teaching from Pacific University, an MSEd in Higher Education Administration from Baruch College, and an EdD in Higher and Postsecondary Education from New York University. He also earned a Graduate Certificate in Quality Assurance in Higher Education from the University of Melbourne.

Sue Maxam is the assistant vice president for student success at Pace University where she has worked for three decades in a variety of progressively responsible leadership roles relating to student engagement, retention, advising, academic enrichment/support, and career services.

In her current position, Sue provides oversight to five units, focusing on creating a transformative student experience. Sue has created and teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in peace, justice, and sustainability and is active in a wide variety of social and environmental justice initiatives on and off campus. She has won numerous awards for leadership, mentoring, student engagement, advising, and teaching, including the NYS American Council on Education (ACE) Women’s Network Catalyst Award for Women Leaders; Pace University’s Diversity Leadership Award; Pace University Ally of the Year Award; Jefferson Award for Public Service; Future Educators of America’s Inspirational Teaching Award; and many others.

Sue holds a BA in Psychology and Human Services from Friends World College, an MA in Latin American Studies from NYU, and an EdD in Higher Education Leadership with a focus on social justice. She has done extensive volunteer and educational outreach work in Latin America and Africa.

Dr. James A. Lorello is dean of students at Verto Education. In this role he oversees student life at Verto Education’s international first year programs. Previously, James served as associate dean of students and director of student accountability & conflict resolution at UNC Charlotte.

Before his time at UNC Charlotte, James was at Appalachian State University where he served as associate director of student conduct and an adjunct faculty member in the student affairs graduate program. Previously he worked in housing and residence life at both Appalachian State University and Georgetown University.

James received a BA from the University of South Florida in religious studies, an MA from Appalachian State University in college student development, and an EdD from UNC Greensboro in educational leadership & cultural foundations. He has served as a co-chair of the men and masculinities knowledge community of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) and is actively involved in both NASPA and ASCA. Dr. Lorello’s main research interests have been with college men’s development and meaning making for college students. He is co-author of the chapter on ethics and decision making in the 2nd edition of “Student Conduct Practice: The Complete Guide for Student Affairs Professionals”. He has also served as a Gehring faculty member for new student conduct practitioners in 2020 and is the track coordinator for the Inaugural Equity and Inclusion in Student Conduct track for 2021. James also has written a number of articles on equity and inclusion in student conduct work.

Dr. Jimmie Bruce is an experienced leader with a demonstrated thirty three-year history of working as a faculty member and senior-level administrator in higher education at multiple community colleges. Dr. Bruce was the president of Eastern Gateway Community College, in Steubenville and Youngstown, Ohio from 2015 until 2020.

From 2006 to 2015, Dr. Bruce served as vice president of academic success at Northwest Vista College in San Antonio, Texas—one of five Alamo Colleges serving the greater San Antonio area. He was also the chief student affairs officer at Northwest Vista for four years during a time where the college was the fastest growing college in the United States. He also served as a tenured faculty member, division chair, and administrator for thirteen years at Elizabethtown Community & Technical College.

Dr. Bruce earned a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations and a Master of Arts in Organizational Communication from Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky. He holds a doctorate in educational leadership from Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi.

Francine Falk-Ross is the coordinator for the online literacy specialist graduate program. Based on the Pleasantville campus, Falk-Ross has taught on both Pace campuses as well as online. Her teaching and publishing history has centered on the topics of literacy, new literacies, and development for all ages.

Dr. Falk-Ross holds a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction (Reading) from the University of Illinois Chicago, a master’s in Communication Disorders from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and a bachelor’s in Speech and Language Pathology from the State University of New York at Albany. In 2015, Falk-Ross received the Best Presentation on Research award from the Office of Sponsored Research at Pace University. In 2007, she also received the Northern Illinois University College of Education’s Award for Scholarly Research.

Elizabeth Lugg has been a lawyer specializing in education law for 39 years. She holds a BA, JD, and PhD from the University of Iowa. Throughout her career she has served as an attorney for professional educational associations, as a state lobbyist in her home state of Iowa, as an attorney in private practice representing educational institutions, and for the last 30 years in academia.

Dr. Lugg started her career at the Pennsylvania State University instructing graduate students in education law, public sector labor relations, and personnel administration. Previously, she was an associate professor at Illinois State University teaching master’s and doctoral students in the areas of both P-12 and higher education law, public sector labor relations, and personnel administration as well as research classes in policy analysis and legal research.

To date, Dr. Lugg has authored three books, more than 10 book chapters, and 100 plus refereed and invited publications and presentations in P-12 and higher education law. She also sits on the board of editors of several educational and legal journals. Her areas of research are primarily in First Amendment rights and discrimination under Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as well as Title IX. She has served as a visiting professor of higher education law at the University of Florida and is active in the Education Law Association and her state and local bar associations.

Stephanie Akunvabey’s mission as a lifelong educator is to “create springboards that catapult historically marginalized groups into places of sustained socioeconomic wellness and upward mobility.” A native New Yorker who has dedicated her career in higher education to championing issues related to equity, she currently serves as Pace University’s Associate Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion & Chief Diversity Officer.

Akunvabey joined Pace after holding leadership roles at colleges and universities throughout the region. Most recently, she served in a similar role at Roger Williams University in Rhode Island, where she provided strategic leadership and developed policies and practices that support an anti-racist, diverse, and equitable community across the university’s campuses in Bristol and Providence. While at Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn, she served in various leadership roles within Academic and Student Affairs.

Dr. Akunvabey has also conducted research on college access for Black and Latino youth in America; on access and inclusion issues in higher education in India, Germany, and Israel; and on educational equity for young girls in South Africa. Akunvabey holds an EdD in Higher and Postsecondary Education, an MA in Higher Education and Student Personnel Administration from New York University, and a BA in Sociology/Anthropology and Africana Studies from Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia.