Stan Waddell

Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer, Carnegie Mellon University

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Stan Waddell serves as CMU’s vice president for information technology and chief information officer. Waddell provides vision, leadership, and management to CMU’s computing enterprise, including developing and implementing a university-wide IT strategy.

Waddell also serves as a member of the university’s executive management team, providing support and counsel regarding the role of technology in advancing university-wide priorities and leading the development of a comprehensive technology and data management strategy that meets CMU's long-term goals.

Before joining CMU, Waddell was the associate vice president for information technology and CIO at the University of New Hampshire. He was the assistant vice chancellor and chief technology officer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and spent nine years at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Waddell also served in the U.S. Navy as an aviation electronics technician for nine years.

David Bennett

Vice President, University Advancement

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David Bennett was appointed vice president for University Advancement in February 2025. He is responsible for furthering the goals of the university, its schools and colleges, and its global campuses and locations. Bennett partners with academic and administrative leaders across CMU to advance philanthropy and build partnerships with diverse Carnegie Mellon communities, including volunteers, university alumni, parents, friends, charitable foundations, and corporate donors.

Bennett is an energetic leader with more than 25 years of experience advancing development strategies for organizations working on national and global scales. Known for his collaborative and strategic approach, he has consistently driven successful campaigns, exceeded fundraising targets and strengthened engagement across a variety of constituencies.

He joined CMU from Howard University, where he served as the senior vice president for development and alumni relations. He previously served in a number of global management roles, including chief development officer at the National Geographic Society, and held significant advancement positions at Safe Kids Worldwide, United Cerebral Palsy of America and the consulting firm Odell, Simms & Associates, Inc.

Bennett earned an Executive Masters in Business Administration (EMBA) from Howard University and a Bachelor of Arts in foreign affairs from the University of Virginia.

Tani Castañeda

Vice Provost, Enrollment Management and Dean of Admission

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Dr. Tania (Tani) Castañeda joined Carnegie Mellon as vice provost for enrollment management and dean of admission on Aug. 25, 2025. In this role, she is a key leader in the university’s strategic approach to enrollment planning, student access and success and the evolving higher education landscape. She oversees the admission and enrollment teams, including The HUB, the University Registrar’s Office, Student Financial Services, the Office of International Education and Enrollment Systems.

Before joining Carnegie Mellon, Dr. Castañeda served as vice president for enrollment management and student success at Teachers College, Columbia University. There, she spearheaded an institution-wide evolution of enrollment planning and strategy, financial aid management and student support. Her initiatives led to strengthened enrollment forecasting, increased application volume, the launch of new online degrees and innovative scholarship programs. She also secured substantial funding to streamline and improve student services.

Prior to her time at Teachers College, Dr. Castañeda was the associate vice chancellor for enrollment management at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, where she led new student enrollment efforts for nine schools and colleges, optimized financial aid packaging, enhanced marketing impact and elevated student-centered service delivery.

Dr. Castañeda completed her undergraduate studies at Wellesley College and earned master’s degrees in mental health counseling from Boston College and in psychology from Brandeis University. She holds an Ed.D. in organizational leadership and development from Northeastern University.

Matthew Christian

Assistant Vice President, Strategic Research Operations

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Matthew Christian joined Carnegie Mellon University in December 2024. In his role as AVP Strategic Research Operations, he leads initiatives focused on transforming research administration through organizational design, technology modernization, data strategy, and workforce development, including the university's implementation of the Huron Research Suite. Prior to Carnegie Mellon, he held senior leadership roles at the University of Chicago and Saint Louis University and founded and later sold a medical technology company based on university research.

Matthew’s work sits at the intersection of people, process, technology, and analytics. While much of the current conversation focuses on artificial intelligence, he is ultimately interested in how institutions learn: how they develop expertise, adapt to change, and create the conditions for people to do their best work.

Matthew holds a B.A. in English and Humanities from Valparaiso University, an M.A. in Religion from Yale University, and a PhD in Higher Education Administration from Saint Louis University.

James Garrett Jr.

Provost and Chief Academic Officer

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James H. Garrett Jr. was named Carnegie Mellon University's provost and chief academic officer in 2019 and was reappointed for a second term in 2024. A three-time CMU alumnus and faculty member since 1990, he previously served as dean of the College of Engineering and head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. As provost, he leads CMU's schools, colleges, institutes and campuses, and is instrumental in institutional and academic planning and implementation. He has a strong focus on student success and experience so that students have the tools and opportunities they need to thrive at CMU and beyond. Garrett's dedication to CMU runs deep – his wife Ruth Ann and their two children are all Carnegie Mellon alumni.

Matthew Hoolsema

Director of Data Science and Advanced Analytics, Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Planning

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Matthew Hoolsema joined Carnegie Mellon University in 2015 and now serves as Director of Data Science and Advanced Analytics in the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Planning. He oversees data modeling and dashboarding projects for university leadership and the campus community, and the development of new predictive analytic models to support early interventions with students. He has extensive experience leading data and analytical projects related to student persistence and graduation, academic advising, participation in high impact educational practices, peer benchmarking, and university carrying capacity and constraints. Prior to working in higher education, Hoolsema was a K-12 teacher, and continues to promote data-informed strategies and policies that promote student access and success in education.

Tysen Kendig

Vice President, University Communications and Marketing

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Tysen Kendig was appointed Vice President for University Communications and Marketing at Carnegie Mellon University in July 2024, where he oversees media relations, internal communications, issues management, social media, integrated marketing, digital strategy, and creative services and production. Reporting to President Farnam Jahanian, Tysen is responsible for leading the development and execution of CMU’s cohesive, comprehensive, and multidimensional communications and marketing strategy to enhance the reputation and further the goals of the entire university, including its schools, colleges, units, campuses, and locations worldwide.

Before joining CMU, Tysen was Vice President for Communications at the University of Connecticut for more than 11 years, directing all aspects of the university’s central communication efforts, including marketing and promotion, outreach, media relations, public information, alumni engagement, online and digital communication, multimedia and print design, executive communications, and stewardship of the organization's brand. He also administered all aspects of clinical marketing and communications for UConn Health, provided oversight of the university’s public records coordination and compliance, and developed new digital communications initiatives for UConn Athletics.

Previously, Tysen held similar leadership positions as Vice President for Strategic Communication at the University of Iowa and as Associate Vice Chancellor for University Relations at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, in both instances serving as the institution’s senior communications administrator. Prior to that, he held an appointment at Penn State University as Assistant Director of Public Information and university spokesman for nearly seven years. He is the founder of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Communicators Association and served as vice president and board member for the Pennsylvania-based organization CUPRAP: The Association of Communicators in Education.

Marsha Lovett, Ph. D.

Vice Provost, Teaching & Learning Innovation and Teaching Professor of Psychology

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A learning scientist by training, Lovett’s current work focuses on helping instructors create meaningful, inclusive, and demonstrably effective educational experiences – both in-person and online. She has published research on learning and instruction, conducted in a variety of classroom and laboratory contexts. Her passion for combining teaching and research is exemplified in the book How Learning Works, which has been translated into seven languages and is now in its second edition. A theme running throughout Lovett’s work is leveraging data – from learning science research and in-course learning experiences – to improve student outcomes. Aligned with that theme, her personal mantra focuses on "iterative improvement!"

Alexis Parker

Data Analytics Development Manager, Computing Services

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Alexis Parker is the Data Analytics Development Manager in Computing Services at Carnegie Mellon University. Joining the university in 2019, she brings over two decades of experience in data management and business intelligence, including a foundational career in BI consulting where she designed enterprise data solutions across diverse industries. At CMU, Alexis leads data enablement initiatives, designing the processes, procedures, and frameworks that allow academic and business units to share and utilize institutional data in a forward-thinking way. Her work focuses on removing operational friction, ensuring campus decision-makers have secure, streamlined access to the insights they need.

Recognizing that strategy relies on a connected community, Alexis co-leads the Data & Analytics Collaborative to unite campus analysts and drive cross-departmental problem solving. Through this collaborative framework, she drives data literacy across the university by sponsoring campus-wide initiatives like the annual AI/DA Summit Cup data challenge. Alexis holds an MBA in Technology Management, providing a firm foundation in the strategic implementation of enterprise technology solutions.