Current Dean’s Advancement Council Members
Sandra Koeppl Barsotti, Journalism ’87
Founder of BarComm
As founder of BarComm (Barsotti Marketing & Communications), Sandy Barsotti is known for her unwavering work ethic, passionate commitment, and laser-like ability to see through the chaos and develop solutions that drive revenue. With more than 25 years
of B2B and B2C experience, Sandy is an accomplished, results-driven marketing and communications executive.
Sandy is also dedicated to her alma mater, Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Since 2010, Sandy has been an active member of the board of directors for the Foundation for IUP.
From 2006 to 2014, she served on the IUP Alumni Association’s board of directors. As a past president of the Association, she holds ex-officio status and
continues to serve on the board’s committees. Her dedication to IUP and the Alumni Association was recognized in 2014 when she was honored with the IUP Distinguished Alumni Award for Service.
(1).jpg "Charles Cashdollar")
Charles Cashdollar, History ’65
Professor Emeritus, IUP History Department
Charles D. Cashdollar was a member of the IUP History faculty from 1969 until his retirement in 2005. From 1987 to 1993, he served as IUP’s first director of Liberal Studies, and he chaired the initial planning committee that led to the creation of the
Robert E. Cook Honors College. In 1994, he was named Distinguished University Professor. In 2007–08, he was president of the Pennsylvania Historical Association. Among his publications are The Transformation of Theology: Positivism and Protestant Thought in Britain and America, 1830–1890 (1989),
A Spiritual Home: Life in British and American Reformed Congregations, 1830–1915 (2000), and Let All Give Thanks: A Bicentennial History of Calvary Presbyterian Church, Indiana, Pennsylvania (2008). Most recently, he is a co-author of
Thus Far By Faith: A History of Tradition and Change in the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania (2012). His current project is a history of IUP from its founding to the present.
(2).jpg "George Chressanthis")
George Chressanthis, Economics ’77
Principal Scientist, Axtria
George A. Chressanthis is currently principal scientist at Axtria with research focus on commercial topics within the biopharmaceutical industry. Prior to Axtria, he held full-time teaching and research positions as professor of Healthcare Management
and Marketing in the Fox School of Business at Temple University from 2010 to 2016, and a secondary appointment as professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences at the Temple University School of Medicine from 2014 to 2016. Prior to Temple University,
he was senior director for Commercial Strategic Analysis at AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals at their US headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware. Chressanthis was also a tenured professor of Economics and associate professor of Political Science at Mississippi
State University. He held other faculty and research/visiting appointments at many other institutions. He holds a PhD (1983) and MS (1979) in Economics from Purdue University, and a BA (1977) in Economics from IUP. He also holds recognition as an
IUP Distinguished Alumni Award (2005) recipient. He resides in Media, Pennsylvania, just outside Philadelphia with his wife and two kids.
.jpg "Blane Dessy")
Blane Dessy, English ’73
Director of National Enterprises, Library of Congress (Retired)
Blane Dessy is originally from Pittsburgh and entered IUP as a first-generation college student in fall 1969. He began his educational career as an anthropology major, but switched to English after deciding that literature was more interesting to him.
Blane graduated in 1973 with a Bachelor of Arts in English. Without the knowledge and appreciation of the English language that he acquired, he knows that he wouldn’t have been as successful in his future graduate education, his career, and his life.
Blane went on to attend graduate school at the University of Pittsburgh, where he obtained his Master of Library Science degree. Following that he built a career that took him to the Library of Congress, where he now manages a research division, a
publishing office, a network of federal libraries, and other business functions. He’s been involved with several professional associations and has lectured abroad in places like Brazil, Turkey, Finland, and the Netherlands. Blane retired from the Library of Congress in August 2017 and currently resides in Erie, Pennsylvania.
.jpg "John Esposito")
John Esposito, Journalism and English ’78
Chairman and CEO, Warner Music Nashville
John Esposito is chairman and CEO of Warner Music Nashville, a division of Warner Music Group. In September 2009, he became the first executive to head the new division, which was created to expand WMG’s presence in the Nashville music community, and
was promoted to chairman and CEO in May 2016. Under his leadership, WMN has made history with artists taking home numerous trophies in a full range of categories from New Artist of the Year to Entertainer of the Year from organizations that include
the Country Music Association, Academy of Country Music, American Music Awards, and more. Esposito created WMG’s environmental campaign, WMGreen, for which he was awarded the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Forces for Nature honor in 2006 for
his leadership on environmental issues. He also serves on the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Global Leadership Council and also serves on the advisory boards for the Air Service Coalition and for FLO {thinkery}.
Mileah Kromer, Economics ’03
Director of Sarah T. Hughes Field Politics Center
Mileah Kromer holds a doctorate in political science from Louisiana State University (2008) and a bachelor of arts in economics from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (2003). She was formerly the assistant director of the Elon University Poll and a research
associate at Louisiana State University's Public Policy Research Lab. Her scholarly interests include public opinion, state politics, and gender in American politics. In her role as director of the Sarah T. Hughes Field Politics Center, Kromer oversees
every aspect of the Goucher Poll, including survey instrument construction, sampling, data analysis, and the development of appropriate survey methodologies. In addition, she is responsible for interviewer training and lab supervision. In addition
to her duties as director, Kromer teaches courses on American politics and research methods in the Department of Political Science and International Relations.
.png "Almar Latour")
Almar Latour, Journalism and Political Science ’94
Publisher and Executive VP, Dow Jones Media Group
Almar Latour is publisher and executive vice president for Dow Jones Media Group. He oversees the growth of consumer and business brands that include Barron’s, MarketWatch, Financial News, and Mansion Global, all part of the Wall Street Journal Digital
Network. He editorially oversaw two major redesigns for the Wall Street Journal’s website, launched numerous successful international and US blogs, revamped the Chinese Wall Street Journal, and kicked off the Wall Street Journal in
Japan. He was also editor in chief for the Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires in Asia, where he expanded the publishing company’s digital footprint. Prior to his time in Asia, Latour was managing editor of the Wall Street Journal Online, where
he expanded coverage of business and markets, as well as personal finance, sports, travel, and multimedia storytelling, and oversaw a major redesign of the site in September 2008. In March 2005, he won the World Leadership Forum’s business journalism
award for Best Story of Business Leadership for his coverage of the oil industry.
.jpg "Karl McDermott")
Karl McDermott, Economics ’76
Ameren Professor of Business and Government, University of Illinois, Springfield
Karl McDermott is currently the Ameren Distinguished Professor of Business and Government at the University of Illinois, Springfield. McDermott has been working in the field of public utility regulation for 30 years with experience in nearly every facet
of the regulation of public utilities. From 1999 through March 2008, he was a vice president at National Economic Research Associates, Inc. in its Chicago office. Prior to joining NERA, McDermott served as a commissioner on the Illinois Commerce Commission,
the regulatory body charged with the economic regulation of electric, natural gas, telecommunications, and water utilities, among other competencies. Before that, he was a cofounder and served as president of the Center for Regulatory Studies. He
received a BA in Economics from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, an MA in Public Utility Economics from the University of Wyoming, and a PhD in Economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.
.jpg "John McNulty")
John McNulty, Sociology ’75
Co-founder and CEO, Didgebridge
Beginning in sales with the Gillette company, John’s career rapidly advanced, receiving seven promotions in nine years, culminating with national responsibility for Walmart’s HQ. After Gillette, John had the good fortune to serve in senior leadership
positions for a diverse group of nationally respected companies, including serving as president of MacGregor Golf Worldwide, senior vice president of Brunswick, vice president/general manager of Kodak, vice president of Wilson Sporting Goods, and
director of National Accounts at Alberto Culver. Since 2007, John has been CEO of Didgebridge, a mobile-video-focused marketing-tech company that serves clients like Procter & Gamble, IBM, Microsoft, and SAP. John’s awards and achievements have included
the following: the President’s Cup Leadership Award while at Gillette, the Chairman’s Award from Alberto Culver, two Chairman’s Award’s from Brunswick, the Consumer Sector’s Photography Category Award at Kodak, Brand Week feature article at Wilson,
and two Golf World feature articles while MacGregor’s president.
.jpg "Susan Snyder")
Susan Snyder, Journalism ’85
Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, the Philadelphia Inquirer
Susan Snyder, the higher education reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer, is a 1985 IUP graduate. She majored in journalism and has spent much of the last three decades as an education reporter. She has worked for the Inquirer for the last
18 years and, before that, she covered school districts and colleges for the Morning Call in Allentown, her hometown. In 2012, she was co-lead reporter on the Inquirer’s “Assault on Learning” series, which explored violence in Philadelphia’s
public schools and won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. She’s won numerous other state and national awards for her education coverage. She twice served as a Pulitzer Prize juror. Snyder was named a distinguished IUP alumna in 2013. Her
work can be followed on Twitter @ssnyderinq and on the blog Campusinq.
Jennifer Swartz, Economics, Political Science, and Mathematics ’07
Senior Associate of Private Markets, Wilshire Associates
Jennifer Swartz is a senior associate in the Private Markets Division of Wilshire Associates. She is responsible for sourcing, conducting due diligence, and monitoring of private markets investments within the U.S. Her responsibilities also include being
actively engaged in supporting WPM’s advisory clients, including developing and implementing internal process improvements for enhanced client interaction. Prior to joining Wilshire in 2016, Swartz was a program examiner within the White House’s Office
of Management and Budget, primarily overseeing the Federal Aviation Administration’s capital and research portfolio. She received a Master of Business Administration and Master of International Development from the University of Pittsburgh. She graduated
summa cum laude with a Bachelors of Arts majoring in economics\mathematics and political science from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She passed Chartered Financial Analyst Level 1 exam in December 2015.