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. Jamie Shaffer has enjoyed working in higher education for over twenty years, where she has served in many roles in academic and student affairs, including both chief student affairs and chief academic officer positions. A three-time graduate of Vanderbilt University, she holds a doctorate in organizational leadership & learning. After serving for over a decade in residence life, Jamie had the unique opportunity to lead the creation of a student affairs department from scratch, as well as develop many new programs, courses, and curricula at O’More College of Design in Nashville, TN. After leaving O’More, Jamie joined Eastern Kentucky University, where she oversaw the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning.

In addition to serving as an instructor in Pace University’s MA in Higher Education and Student Affairs program, Jamie is currently the director of faculty affairs and development for the Thomas F. Frist, Jr. College of Medicine at Belmont University. Her research interests include higher education leadership & motivation theory, organizational dynamics, and SoTL (scholarship of teaching and learning).

Jamie resides in Nashville, TN and has three children (a 13-year old and twins who are nine). In her free time, she enjoys Netflix, trips to Starbucks, and all things tropical.

Dayne Hutchinson, PhD serves as the dean of students at Marymount Manhattan College, providing leadership and oversight to the Office of Residence Life, the Office of Student Development and Activities, the MMC Intercultural Center, new student and transfer orientations, and student conduct.

Before joining Marymount Manhattan College, Dr. Hutchinson served as the assistant director for student affairs at Nova Southeastern University, and coordinator of the Transfer Peer Mentor Program at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln.

The proud son of immigrants, Dr. Hutchinson is the first in his family to attend college and earn a degree. Born in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica, and spending the most formative years of his life there, Dr. Hutchinson recognizes the profound impact Jamaica had on his life—informing his research interests on the lived experiences of first-generation Afro-Caribbean immigrants in American colleges and universities. A scholar-practitioner, Dr. Hutchinson has contributed to several books focused on his research, and serves as an adjunct associate professor of higher education administration at Pace University.

Dr. Hutchinson earned a bachelor’s degree in social sciences from Florida State University, and both his master’s and PhD from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

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.

Rodrick Terry is an educator and student affairs practitioner with over twenty years of progressively qualifying experience in student advocacy. Dr. Terry has served in various leadership roles with executive-level responsibilities within the higher education space, non-profit organizations, and the private sector. His dossier illustrates a progressive leadership style focused on advocacy, assessment, continuous improvement, and a results-driven approach to facilitating student success and enhancing student experiences. Dr. Terry has earned a reputation as a high-performance team builder who embraces collaboration, transparency, inclusion, diversity, and a commitment to data-informed decision making. Dr. Terry’s professional contributions have directly focused on the intersection of education, training, research, and advocacy to create equitable outcomes for diverse students.