About President's Cabinet
The President's Cabinet members work closely with the College President to support the comprehensive delivery of the college's services and implementation of the college's strategic plan and strategic priorities identified to move the college to its next level of excellence.
Cabinet Members
Dr. Quintin B. Bullock is the ninth president of the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC), a multi-campus institution serving approximately 30,000 credit and noncredit students. He is a consummate professional, an experienced educator, an effective community leader, an empathetic mentor, and a positive role model for students and aspiring leaders, with an extensive, diverse professional background in higher education. He is a proven and results-oriented community college president who is recognized for his exemplary leadership and for being a powerful advocate for the students and communities he serves.
An influential voice in the community, Dr. Bullock has served as president of CCAC since 2014. Previously, he was president of Schenectady County Community College in Schenectady, New York, and provost at Tidewater Community College in Norfolk, Virginia.
During his tenure at CCAC, Dr. Bullock has overseen the planning and development of two five-year strategic plans; led several significant capital projects, including the construction of the new Center for Education, Innovation & Training at CCAC and the renovation of historical West Hall and Chalfant Hall; launched new academic, career and workforce training programs; secured more than $10 million in new state, federal and private grants; and co-spearheaded the college’s largest campaign to date, totaling in excess of $90 million.
Dr. Bullock’s community and professional affiliations are many. He serves on various boards, including the Highmark Caring Foundation, Partner4Work, the Buhl Foundation, The HEAR Foundation, Pittsburgh Public Theater, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and the Allegheny Conference on Community Development. In addition, he serves on myriad local committees and special projects. For his work and advocacy on behalf of education and the community, President Bullock has received numerous awards and honors.
Dr. Dorothy Collins is the Vice President for Enrollment Services at the Community College of Allegheny.
Before joining CCAC in July 2023, Dr. Collins was the Campus Dean for the Chicago School of Professional Psychology (TCSPP) where she was responsible for leading the overall academic, student, and operational performance of the Washington DC campus.
Prior to TCSPP, Dorothy held various Dean and Director positions across several academic and student affairs divisions at Youngstown State University, Eastern Gateway Community College, the College of Southern Maryland, and Leigh Carbon Community College.
Dr. Collins joins us with more than 25 years of diverse experience in higher education, with expertise in program development, enrollment management, assessment and evaluation, retention, academic support, student services, and team building.
Dr. Collins earned a Ph.D. in Leadership for Higher Education from Capella University as well as a Master of Science in Education and a Bachelor of Science in Education from Youngstown State University.
Dr. Collins was also a prolific basketball player at Youngstown State University from 1984-1988, she is still the all-time leader in points, scoring 2,324 points and ranks third with 1,083 rebounds, and holds ten other individual scoring/rebounding records, her #33 jersey number is retired, and she is in YSU's Athletic Hall of Fame
As Vice President and General Counsel, Tony DiTommaso serves as the College's in-house counsel and Anthony L. DiTommaso, Esq. provides legal advice to the President and College officers and employees across all campuses. He is responsible for managing the legal affairs of the College in the areas of business law, employment law, labor relations, real estate, contract drafting, negotiation and review, intellectual property, governance, compliance, policy development and risk management, and represents the College in legal matters involving outside agencies and complainants.
Prior to joining CCAC, Mr. DiTommaso served as the Director of Administrative & Legal Services for the Pine-Richland School District, where he was responsible for managing all administrative operations and legal services for a large, suburban school district, and as Senior Counsel for the H.J. Heinz Company, where he served as legal counsel to the company's human resources and foodservice business divisions. Mr. DiTommaso began his legal career as an attorney with the Pittsburgh law firm of Meyer, Unkovic & Scott LLP, where his practice focused on employment law and commercial law and litigation.
Mr. DiTommaso received his undergraduate degree in English from Point Park University (B.A., magna cum laude) and his law degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, where he served as Managing Editor for the University of Pittsburgh Law Review and was a Law Alumni Scholarship recipient.
Charles Graham is the Vice President and CIO of Community College of Allegheny and serves on the Presidents leadership council.
Before joining CCAC in July 2018, Chuck was Senior Director of Data Management and Performance Analytics for PPG industries and was responsible for all of the company's operational and executive reporting analytics worldwide, including end-to-end management of the corporate data management strategy.
Prior to PPG, Chuck held various director level management positions across several diverse industries including manufacturing, retail, financial services and healthcare. His experience as a leader spans over 18 years and has him recognized as an accomplished leader who inspires and motivates others to think creatively and understands the importance of having exceptional leadership.
Chuck earned an MBA from Point Park University in 2005 and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science as well in 1996. He is also certified in project management (PMP), ITIL, Data Management (DAMA), Lean Six Sigma, and Data Warehousing & Data Analytics (TDWI).
After 30 years of service in the business arena, Chuck has established himself as a leadership presence and influencer to others in the industry. He is happiest with sharing experiences and guiding others to achieve their own personal leadership success. Most recently, Chuck was an award finalist for 2021 CIO of the year in the category of large colleges and universities, nominated by his industry priors and honored by the Pittsburgh Technology Group and the Greater Pittsburgh CIO Group.
Elizabeth Johnston serves as the Chief Marketing and Public Relations Officer. In this role, she is responsible for the strategic and overall direction of the college's marketing communications. Under her leadership, the department has enhanced the college's image in the marketplace, won myriad marketing and advertising awards, and led the effort to create CCAC's popular college mascot, a wildcat named Ace. She serves on numerous committees, including the Commencement Committee and College Council, and is a member of the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations.
Before joining CCAC, Johnston served as marketing director for Animal Friends, where she directed the marketing and branding efforts of the nation's oldest continuously operating no-kill animal shelter in the United States. A member of the senior leadership team, she was part of a core team charged with the development of a new multipurpose animal resource center, which was instrumental in moving the organization from a regional animal shelter to a nationally renowned and respected companion animal resource center.
Prior to her tenure with Animal Friends, Johnston served as managing editor for Monitor Press, Ltd., in the U.K., overseeing the company's startup Special Reports division - a portfolio that included hard and soft cover books, special reports and auxiliary products commissioned from experts in the areas of science and technology, health care administration, IT and consumer law, and business management. While overseas, she also served as the director of a startup educational trust, where she led the charity's overall business operations, and secured a support base of donors, members, volunteers and celebrity patrons.
Johnston holds a Bachelor of Arts in Advertising from Michigan State University. Active in the wider community, she volunteers for a number of charities and causes, and currently serves as Vice President of the Board of Directors for the Beaver County Humane Society.
Noel Knille serves as the college's Vice President & Chief Facilities Officer. A licensed architect and landscape architect, Ms. Knille brings a wealth of professional knowledge and experience to the position, accumulated over the course of a highly accomplished career in higher education and facilities management. She has led and supervised many functional areas, including planning and supervision of campus operations; financial management, budgeting and tracking; procurement; sustainable initiatives; risk management; project planning; construction management; and optimization of financial and human resources. In addition, she has considerable experience working in multicultural environments, with a focus on organizational assessment and change management.
Ms. Knille joins us from the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission in Charleston, West Virginia, where she served as the Director of Facilities and Sustainability. Prior to this position, she was the Vice President for Operations and Campus Planning at the California College of the Arts in Oakland and San Francisco; Associate Vice President for Campus Services at The American University in Cairo; Commissioner of Public Works for Dutchess County in New York; Director of Facilities and Operations at the Washington International School in Washington, D.C.; and Director of Facilities and Procurement at Virginia Commonwealth University Qatar in Doha (Qatar). At CCAC, she will serve as the lead administrator responsible for planning, budgeting, managing and supervising facilities, construction and capital projects for the college's campuses and centers.
Ms. Knille holds a Master of Arts in Museum Studies from John Hopkins University; a Master of Public Administration from the University of New Mexico; and a Bachelor of Arts from Vassar College. In addition, she has completed several years of graduate study in landscape architecture at the College of Environmental Science and Forestry at Syracuse University and in Biological Anthropology at Durham University in the U.K.
James R. McMahon (Jamie), CFRE serves as the chief executive officer of the CCAC Educational Foundation. He was formerly advancement director for Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, where he worked with the Board of Trustees on annual and major gift fundraising projects, as well as for both Carnegie Museum of Natural History and Carnegie Museum of Art during his tenure. Prior to that, Mr. McMahon was a director of development with the Medical and Health Sciences Foundation of the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC. He also spent a number of years as a fundraising consultant for Ketchum (now Pursuant Ketchum), where his clients included leading nonprofit organizations throughout the United States whose fundraising goals ranged from $3 million to upwards of $550 million. Additionally, he is an adjunct faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University where he teaches fundraising in the Master of Arts Management program.
Well known within Pittsburgh's philanthropic community, Mr. McMahon has presented several times at fundraising conferences in Western Pennsylvania as well as at the Association of Fundraising Professionals International Conference. From 2009-2015, he served on the national Standing Commission on Stewardship and Development of the Episcopal Church USA, with three years as its chair, and from 2010-2013 he served on the board of directors of the Western PA Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, with two years as treasurer. Additionally, from 2011-2013 he served as vice-chair of the board of directors of the Tracing Center on the Histories and Legacies of Slavery. Mr. McMahon currently serves as the board chair at Calvary Episcopal Church in East Liberty, as well as a board member of Forward Movement.
Mr. McMahon holds an A.B. in English from Dartmouth College, an M.Phil. from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, and is presently completing a doctorate in Higher Education Management at the University of Pittsburgh. He also holds the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) certification from CFRE International, the only internationally recognized baseline professional credential for philanthropic fundraising executives.
Biography to be provided soon.
Charlene Newkirk, JD, has served at CCAC since March 2009. She grew up in Pittsburgh, graduating from Westinghouse High School in 1969. In 1974, she received her BA in English from Oberlin College, and then received a JD from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1978. She passed the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Bar Examination in 1978 and actively practiced law for several years.
Her experience of 30 years in progressively responsible roles as a college administrator at large public research institutions as well as small public and private colleges, combined with her experience in a community college, has made her a well respected and seasoned professional in higher-education administration.
In 2003, Newkirk became vice president and dean of the Prince Frederick Campus for the College of Southern Maryland, a regional community college serving St. Mary's, Charles and Calvert counties. She had served as a trustee of the newly formed college since August 2000. As vice president and dean, she was responsible for overseeing the planning and construction of the Prince Frederick Campus of the College of Southern Maryland. She oversaw the relocation of the faculty, staff and students of Prince Frederick to the new campus in 2005.
Newkirk has served as a member of various Middle States re-accreditation teams, as a Baldrige-trained examiner team member for the Maryland Performance Excellence Awards Program and as a grant reviewer for the US Department of Education. Her value as an administrator is demonstrated by her many appointments to boards and committees in her local community as both a member and leader, and by the number of awards she has received.
Bonita L. Richardson has served students in a variety of roles since joining CCAC in 1990. She began working at CCAC, Homewood-Brushton Center and later moved to CCAC, Allegheny Campus before working in the executive offices at CCAC, Boyce Campus. She joined the Office of the President in 2004, when she became assistant to the president and liaison to the board of trustees. She currently serves as executive assistant to the president and the board of trustees.
Ms. Richardson is primarily responsible for managing the Offices of the President and the CCAC Board of Trustees. She is responsible for the planning and logistics for meetings of the board and its committees. She works closely with the president and trustees regarding college policies and procedures. She also serves as the liaison to individual trustees, administrators, faculty, staff, students and external constituents, handling confidential matters and issues directed to the executive offices. She also reviews items requiring the approval of the president or board; manages projects and college events such as commencement, dedications, groundbreakings and receptions.
Dr. Debra Roach served as the director for Workforce Development and Continuing Education at The Pennsylvania State University, a position she had held for six years. In this capacity, she oversaw all aspects of workforce development and continuing education training for multiple counties in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Prior to her tenure with Penn State, she served as the director for Graduate Enrollment at Robert Morris University and as the training program developer for SAE International.
Dr. Roach began her studies at CCAC's Boyce Campus before transferring to Geneva College where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Human Resources Management. In addition, she holds a Master of Science in Business Administration from California University of Pennsylvania and a Doctor of Philosophy in Instructional Management and Leadership from Robert Morris University. She also possesses a certificate in Excellence in Executive Management from The Pennsylvania State University Smeal College of Business, is certified as both a Human Centered Design Strategic Planning Practitioner from the LUMA Institute and as a program planner from the Learning Education Resources Network (LERN), and has earned a Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt certification.
Dr. Roach's community and professional affiliations are many. Besides serving on the executive board of directors of the Pittsburgh Airport Area Chamber of Commerce and as the former chair of the Quality Education Council of the Beaver County Chamber of Commerce, she is involved with Partner 4 Work, the Southwest Corner Workforce Development Board, PA CareerLink Beaver County, Tristate Energy and Advanced Manufacturing (TEAM) Consortium, University Professional Continuing Education Association (UPCEA), Pennsylvania Association for Adult Continuing Education (PAACE) and LERN. She also serves on numerous related committees and is involved with many other special projects.
Dr. Ketwana D. Schoos is a higher education professional with over 20 years of progressive experience as an administrator and faculty member promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in a variety of college and university settings. Her work has largely focused on creating a welcoming academic and campus environment that promotes student success through diversity and inclusion educational programming, leadership development opportunities, cross-cultural engagement, and policy oversight.
Dr. Schoos currently serves as the Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer for the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC). In this role, she is responsible for college-wide diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and civil rights/Title IX compliance. She also teaches courses in subject areas including Sociology, Diversity and Social Justice, African American History, and Leadership.
Dr. Schoos was born and raised in Albion, Michigan. She earned a Bachelor's Degree in Spanish from Central Michigan University, two Master's Degrees in African American and African Diaspora Studies and Higher Education and Student Affairs from Indiana University, and a Doctorate Degree in Administrative and Policy Studies (Higher Education Management concentration) from the University of Pittsburgh.
Dr. Evon Walters brings a diverse background of over 25 years of combined experience in research, teaching & executive leadership within Higher Education. His alma mater is the University of Massachusetts, where he completed his Doctorate, Master's and Bachelor's degrees. In 2003, he was nominated and selected as a Fellow of the American Council on Education (ACE).His previous roles included President of Robert B. Miller College and Campus CEO and Executive Dean of the Eastern campus of Suffolk County Community College. Previous to Suffolk County Community College, he served as Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at Montgomery County Community College in Pennsylvania and as Vice President of Student Services at Onondaga Community College (OCC) in Syracuse, New York. Additionally, Dr. Walters served as faculty and chairperson of the education department at Olivet College in Michigan.
While at Olivet College, he was recognized and awarded with the Faculty Riethmiller Award, for "Excellence in Scholarship". He began his professional career at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, where he was the Dean of Multicultural Affairs. During his career, he served eight years as a systems appraiser and evaluator for the Academic Quality Improvement program (AQIP) for the Higher Learning Commission accrediting body and was appointed by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) board as a Commissioner on their College Readiness Commission. He is currently serving a three year term on the AACC Commission on Student Success.
A devoted teacher, Walters taught within the Higher Education program at Stony Brook University during his tenure at Suffolk County Community College. His research activities and leadership on issues associated with institutional transformation, student success, and diversity issues within higher education, have led to over 100 citations of his work, as well as book chapters and publications in national journals such as: Journal of College Student Retention, Research, Theory & Practice, League of Innovation, EDUCAUSE, Community College Review, Student Affairs Journal, Trustee Quarterly, Community College Week, Excellence and Equity in Education and About Campus and AACRAO's Strategic Enrollment Management Source. He currently serves as a manuscript reviewer for the Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory and Practice.
Recognized for his entrepreneurial and collaborative leadership approach, he is credited with spearheading the conceptualizing and construction of high tech, data driven "One Stop" Student Success Centers at three community colleges. In addition to guiding, facilitating and implementing these planning processes, he was successful in securing institutional and external funding support that aided in the construction of the Centers. Many of the Centers have been recognized nationally for the process he used and the creative integration of data and technology by the Community College Review, Campus Technology and EDUCASE journals.
In 2013, he was awarded the New York Suffolk County, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commission award and the New York Governor's certificate of recognition for his public service and contributions to diversity in Suffolk county.
Stephen Wells, PhD, serves as the Chief Academic Officer for the Community College of Allegheny County. As a senior member of the president's College Leadership Team, Dr. Wells provides support and oversight for college academic services including all academic divisions, college libraries, and the virtual campus.
Dr. Wells is a proud graduate of CCAC. After serving in the United States Air Force in West Germany, Dr. Wells returned to Pittsburgh and to college, earning an A.S. degree from the Community College of Allegheny County. He then transferred to Duquesne University where he earned a B.A. with a dual major in English and history. He continued at Duquesne, eventually completing both an M.A. and Ph.D. in English literature.
As he continued his educational journey, Dr. Wells began work at CCAC as an adjunct professor in 2001 and was hired as a full-time faculty member in 2002. Throughout his academic career, Dr. Wells has been recognized for his excellence in teaching, winning the NISOD Excellence Award, the Dale P. Parnell Distinguished Faculty Recognition from the American Association of Community Colleges, and, most recently, Faculty of the Year from the Northeast Regional Honors Council.
In addition to his teaching at CCAC, he also served as an American Federation of Teachers vice president, chair of College Council, and as the Honors Program Coordinator for South Campus. After teaching for more than 20 years, Dr. Wells moved into academic administration at CCAC, accepting the Chief Academic Officer position prior to the Fall 2023 semester.
Business & Administration Officers