Vice Presidents
Dr. Gwen Price
Senior Vice President and Provost
Dr. Gwyneth “Gwen” Price joined UA in December 2022 as the senior vice provost for academic and faculty affairs in the Office of Academic Affairs (OAA) serving as the liaison between faculty and OAA, providing oversight for a wide range of strategic initiatives including accreditation and academic policies, as well as faculty hiring, development and support. She worked in collaboration with the deans and department chairs, Faculty Senate and University Council, among others, to foster shared governance and support the success of students, faculty and academic programs. Price also coordinated interdisciplinary and experiential learning initiatives and activities, and facilitated the development of high-quality online academic, credential-based and continuing education programs to increase enrollment and generate revenue, among other responsibilities.
Prior to her arrival at UA, Price spent 15 years in higher education in Pennsylvania, beginning her career as a faculty member in the Middle & Secondary Education Department at Edinboro University, within the PA State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) where she earned tenure and promotion and worked extensively in the area of accreditation. She then transitioned to administration at Clarion University where she was integral to the re-establishment of the School of Education of which she became dean. Just prior to joining UA, she held the position of dean of the College of Education and associate provost for students & graduate studies for PennWest University, the institution formed by the integration of three PASSHE universities.
Price earned a B.A. in chemistry from Bucknell University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from The Pennsylvania State University. Prior to her time in higher education, she taught high school chemistry and physics for 15 years.
Price will remain as the interim dean of the Graduate School until a replacement is named.
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Dr. Suzanne Bausch
Vice President for Research and Business Engagement
Dr. Suzanne Bausch is an accomplished researcher and experienced administrator who joined The University of Akron in August 2022 as the vice president for research & business engagement and The University of Akron president's designee as president of its Research Foundation.
She oversees The University of Akron’s Research Foundation and Offices of Research and Technology Transfer. She is a primary point of contact for businesses interested in collaborative agreements and partnerships with The University of Akron.
Bausch previously served as associate dean for research and graduate affairs followed by vice dean of the College of Science & Mathematics and School of Health Professions at Rowan University. In these roles she facilitated an increase in the college's externally funded research portfolio and expansion of its graduate programs. She also led federally funded university-wide interdisciplinary grants focused on diversity, equity and inclusion.
Bausch’s sixteen-year independent faculty career was spent at the Uniformed Service University School of Medicine, the nation’s military medical school, where she ran an internationally recognized and continuously funded neuropharmacology and epilepsy research laboratory. She served for seven years as vice chair and a stint as acting/interim chair of Pharmacology.
Bausch worked as a radiologic and MRI technologist before receiving her bachelor’s degree in Chemistry with a minor in Biology from Metropolitan State College of Denver, Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Washington, and postdoctoral training in Neuroscience from Duke University.
Kimberly M. Cole
Vice President of Advancement
Executive Director, The University of Akron Foundation
In her role as vice president of development for the University and executive director of the Foundation, Kimberly M. Cole oversees all central fundraising staff, partners with the University’s academic leaders, and collaborates with key community volunteers to increase support for UA.
Her work encompasses all aspects of fundraising, including the development and management of campaigns; solicitations via major gifts, the Center for Gift and Estate Planning, and the Annual Fund; and the reporting and recording of all gifts to the University and the Foundation. Her work with the foundation includes overseeing its endowed investments, working closely with its board of directors, and stewarding gifts to ensure donor wishes are always honored.
Additionally, Cole oversees all staff members in the Office of Alumni Relations. They, together with members of the Department of Development, support the needs of the University while engaging alumni and other stakeholders in the mission of the University.
Cole, who joined UA in 1997, is an alumna who earned a master’s degree in public administration and a bachelor’s degree in psychology here.
Sarah Kelly
Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer
As vice president, chief human resources officer, Sarah J. Kelly is responsible for leading all aspects of human resources including organizational development, compensation, talent acquisition, employee relations, labor relations, equal employment opportunities/affirmative action, HR records and benefits.
She leads a team of more than two dozen professionals who provide strategic counsel, navigate sensitive situations and information, and assist in the resolution of complex work-related issues.
Kelly joined The University of Akron in 2000 and has served in multiple roles during her tenure. She assumed her current role in 2022.
As an alumna, Kelly earned both a master’s degree in public administration and a bachelor’s degree in management at UA.
Dr. John A. Messina
Vice President for Student Affairs
Dr. John A. Messina serves as the vice president for student affairs, responsible for oversight of the many programs and services designed to educate, engage and enrich the lives of students through social, personal, health and wellness development, academic engagement and retention.
Messina joined The University of Akron in 2004 and has served in multiple roles during his tenure, including director, associate vice president, senior lecturer and vice provost. He assumed his current role in 2015 and has oversight of a wide array of student support units across the University. These departments include Dean of Student’s Office, Esports, Residence Life and Housing, Student Life, Student Union, Student Conduct and Community Standards, Student Health Services, and Student Recreation and Wellness Services, whose team members collaborate to provide an engaged campus community. Student success is supported resources offered through Exploratory Advising, Military Services, Military Science and Leadership, International Programs, Study Abroad, Registrar, Career Services, Student Employment, Counseling and Testing, Accessibility, Tutoring, ZipAssist, New Student Orientation and Undergraduate Student Government.
Messina serves on the executive leadership team within the University, responsible for supporting the student experience from admission through graduation with oversight of both New Student Orientation and Commencement. He leads efforts toward collaborative engagement and retention activities that span the campus and community. Messina serves as primary investigator on a number of grants, including mental health, college transition, sexual assault response and financial literacy.
He has served as a member of graduate faculty in the Education Administration program.
Messina also holds an M.B.A. and a B.S. from Rider University and an M.S. in Instructional Leadership from Robert Morris University. He completed his doctoral degree in 2011 at The University of Akron and his dissertation showcased the impact of participation in living-learning communities on student academic performance and persistence.
He holds memberships with the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators and Association of College Personnel Administrators.
Messina is a certified spinning instructor and instructs weekly very early morning classes at the Shaw JCC of Akron. He also serves as a Trustee of the JCC, serves on the Advisory Board of the Salvation Army, and is involved in a number of community events. He shares his groovy 1970’s “Brady Bunch” style home in Akron with his rescue dog, Gypsy, and is an avid supporter of Doberman rescues.
Misty Villers
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Mia Yaniko
Vice President & General Counsel
Mia Yaniko joined UA as vice president and general counsel on March 10, 2025. She has dedicated the majority of her legal career to representing Ohio's public universities and colleges. Her career includes more than 12 years over two periods of service in the Ohio Attorney General's Office, most recently having served as chief of the Education Section. She previously served as assistant Education Section chief and assistant attorney general.
Between her terms of service at the Ohio Attorney General's Office, Yaniko served for more than two years as assistant general counsel in the Office of General Counsel at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.
In her role as vice president and general counsel, Yaniko serves as the University’s chief legal affairs officer, providing legal advice to the president, the Board of Trustees, and University executive, administrative and academic officers on all legal matters impacting the University.
Yaniko earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa., and her law degree from Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio.