Office of the Chancellor

Elizabeth (Beth) J. Stroble is Webster's first chancellor to serve as principal leader for the global university system, after serving as Webster's 11th president since 2009. During a decade of her leadership, Webster has more than doubled its endowment, substantially increased private scholarship funding for students, and strengthened Webster's global diversity. Across her career at public and private institutions, Stroble has emerged as a nationally recognized champion of expanding access to higher education through need-based student aid, while also advocating vigorously for federal support of university-based research. She is an experienced leader in American higher education, known for her commitment to increasing access to Webster's education for students worldwide regardless of their financial background, catalyzing academic innovation, and encouraging universities' civic engagement and service to society.

During her tenure, Webster has engaged in a period of transformation, with an increased focus on overall institutional excellence, which resulted in increased funding from private donors, government agencies and businesses, and creation of several endowed professorships. Webster's place in the annual U. S. News & World Report "Best Colleges" ranking has risen from 33rd to 15th among Midwestern Regional universities and gained their recognition for economic diversity, social mobility, and service to veterans. She launched Webster's Office of Diversity and Inclusion and highlighted its mission as a cornerstone of the university's excellence. She strengthened relations between Webster and its host communities and improved and expanded outreach to alumni, parents, and friends.

Stroble's current research focuses on global patterns in women's higher education leadership and the relationships among place, identity, and community. She advocates for global inclusion and leadership, public-private partnerships, and the value of independent universities through publications, invited presentations, and service to international and national organizations of university leaders and heads of corporations and government agencies. Most recently in March 2019, she was named by Diverse Issues as one of the top 35 women making an impact in higher education.

Stroble holds a bachelor of arts in history and English from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, and two master of arts degrees, one in history and one in American and English literature, from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. She received her Ph.D. in curriculum studies from the University of Virginia. Prior to Webster, she held academic and administrative appointments at the University of Akron, the University of Louisville, and Northern Arizona University.

President

 

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

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, Minnesota. 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, Schuster has pioneered global alliances and promoted strategic investment in academic excellence, strengthening and expanding collaborations with more than a dozen international partner institutions.

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. Schuster's professional memberships include the American Economic Association, the Eastern Economic Association and the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies.

Associate Vice President for Advancement Services

 

Ryan Elliott is primarily responsible for performance strategy development; departmental information systems and technology; gift/pledge processing and reporting; financial and business data reporting; process optimization; donor research and management; and constituent data integrity and biographical records management for 250,000+ records. Ryan represents the Office of Advancement in various University-wide planning and implementation committees involving the Chancellor President, Provost, Academic Affairs, Finance, Information Technology, Office of Research and Sponsored Grants, Student Affairs, and more.

Ryan has 20+ years of progressive responsibility and experience in government, non-profit agency and higher education environments, starting his career working in the U.S. House of Representatives, Third Congressional District-Missouri Office, of the Hon. Richard A. Gephardt, and as a fundraiser for the National MS Society—Gateway Area Chapter where he Implemented donor-based fundraising campaigns and special projects.

Ryan earned his Master of Arts in Media Communications with an emphasis in Public Relations from Webster University in 2004, and both a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, and a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Missouri. Additionally, he earned a certificate in fundraising from the IUPUI Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and is a multiple-time Ironman finisher.

Vice President for Academic Affairs

 

Nancy Hellerud leads the Office of Academic Affairs, oversees Student Affairs and six of Webster’s international campuses.

 As Vice President for Academic Affairs, Hellerud is responsible for Academic Affairs divisions and programs that support and strengthen student success, including Academic Advising, the Academic Resource Center, and the Faculty Development Center. She is coordinating collaborative initiatives among the schools and colleges of Webster University. In support of global mobility for students and faculty, she oversees Study Abroad, Global Program Development, the Webster International Network of Schools (WINS) Program, and the Confucius Institute. In addition, she manages Webster’s institutional accreditation and oversees the Office of Institutional Effectiveness.

Prior to joining Webster in 2011, Hellerud served as interim dean and associate dean of the Hamline University School of Business in St. Paul, Minnesota. 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.

Chief Financial Officer

 

Rick Meyer is the University’s Chief Financial Officer.  His position is part of the University’s senior leadership team and President's Council.

Rick is a Missouri-licensed CPA with extensive experience in executive leadership, board management, non-profit management, finance & accounting, construction & engineering, forensic accounting, litigation support, insurance, M&A, and ERP implementation.

His previous experience includes a Big-4 CPA firm, regional construction company, and a large international construction/engineering firm.  Rick is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and serves as the voluntary CFO of two non-profit Veteran Service Organizations.

Chief Innovation Officer and Vice President of Enrollment Management

 

In this role, John Pyle grows and enhances Webster’s approaches to innovation across its services, programs and campuses to foster enrollment and revenue growth. Pyle will lead the University’s approaches to business incubation, entrepreneurship, strategy execution, partnership and joint venture development in ways that competitively position Webster in a rapidly changing higher education sector.

Before joining Webster, Pyle served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer with Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. He has held other leadership roles in higher education, including VP for Enrollment, Marketing, and Strategic Initiatives and VP for Graduate and Professional Programs, both at Saint Mary's. Pyle also served in senior leadership roles with Hamline University as its Vice President for Enrollment and Marketing and with Aurora University as its Senior Vice President.

Pyle holds a Doctorate of Education in Leadership from Saint Mary’s University, a Masters of Arts in Educational Leadership from Immaculata College and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a Spanish minor from Kutztown University. In addition, Pyle completed the Institute for Educational Management at the Harvard Institute for Higher Education.

 

Chief Communications Officer

 

Rick Rockwell leads the Global Marketing and Communications (GMC) unit responsible for aligning marketing, communications and brand marketing activities across the St. Louis, metro, military, and online programs with the University's mission and vision. This 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 global brand and managing institutional reputation.

Rockwell is the co-author of the book, “Media Power in Central America,” which won a national Choice Award from the American Library Association, among other accolades. He has worked as a radio and television producer for ABC News, a freelance reporter/producer for the PBS “NewsHour,” and a senior producer for Discovery Communications. Rockwell earned a Bachelor of Science in Journalism (BSJ) degree in radio-TV journalism from Northwestern University and a Master of Arts in international journalism from the University of Southern California.

 

Assistant Chancellor, Secretary of the University & Senior Privacy Director

 

Wiley is responsible for managing all official correspondence with Trustees, maintaining official records of all trustees and trustee committee meetings, keeping official records of actions taken by trustees and providing assistance in interpreting policies and matters of jurisdiction and governance. She collaborates with the Chancellor, the President, and Trustees to address issues of institutional governance, such as privacy, security, equity and communications. Wiley also serves as the University's liaison to external counsel for all legal issues institutionally.

In her role as Senior Privacy Director, Wiley serves as the main link and point of contact between University's privacy program and University´s Senior Leadership, Board of Trustees and various committees. She is responsible for the organization's privacy program system-wide including daily operations of the program, development, implementation, and maintenance of policies and procedures, monitoring program compliance, investigation and tracking of incidents and breaches and insuring constituents’ rights in compliance with international, federal and state laws and regulations. Wiley works closely with internal and external stakeholders at each of Webster University’s international campus locations and/or partner locations.

Wiley is a graduate of Central College in Pella, Iowa, where she received a bachelor's degree in French and International Management and received certification in Business and Economics from Institut Catholique in Paris. She began her career as a high school teacher and went on to receive teacher certification in French from Washington University. She also received certification in paralegal studies from Boston University and has more than 16 years of legal experience working with St. Louis area law firms. Wiley holds a Master of Arts in International Relations, graduating summa cum laude, from Webster University.

Currently, Wiley serves on the Board of Directors for Carney’s Kids, a non-profit organization in St. Louis that provides financial support and creates positive publicity for not-for-profit organizations whose primary goal is to improve the lives of children.

 

Jeanelle Wiley

314-968-7123
jeanellewiley10@webster.edu

Dana Sprehe

314-246-4218
danasprehe27@webster.edu