To the University community:
I am pleased to announce the appointment of Gabrielle St. Léger, Ed.D., as La Salle University’s Vice President of Student Development and Campus Life following a national search. Dr. St. Léger will join the University’s Executive Cabinet upon her arrival on July 6, 2021.
Most recently, Dr. St. Léger has served as Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students at Hofstra University since January 2019. At Hofstra, she led oversight of residence life, student leadership and engagement, commuter student services, community outreach, student advocacy and prevention awareness, and much more. Prior, she spent more than four years at the New York Institute of Technology, where she served most notably as Dean of Students and Associate Dean for Campus Life. She has served as adjunct faculty at her alma mater West Virginia University, as well as Brooklyn College and New England College.
Dr. St. Léger brings more than 20 years of higher education experience to her role at La Salle. A champion of multidisciplinary partnerships both on and off campus, she anchors her professional work in the creation of leadership opportunities, support systems that prioritize student success and social mobility, and the ability to provide a safe, diverse, and inclusive college experience.
Dr. St. Léger is a three-time graduate of West Virginia University, where she completed her Ed.D. in educational leadership studies and higher education administration, earned an M.A. in secondary education-language arts, and received a bachelor’s degree in English.
I am thankful to our colleagues and La Salle students who served as members on the Search Advisory Committee for this important leadership position:
On behalf of our entire community, I extend sincere gratitude to Kristin Heasley for her leadership as Interim Vice President of Student Development and Campus Life since April 12, while maintaining oversight of La Salle’s Office of Human Resources. Effective immediately, Kristin’s role has been elevated to Vice President of Human Resources and she will remain on Executive Cabinet. The significant role and responsibility of Human Resources is of paramount importance as we continue navigating these challenging times at home and in our communities, and realizing the impact they have on University work and business operations. Kristin’s role in shepherding this work will center on the evaluation of employee work culture; a deepening of our sense of community and commitment to equity, inclusion, and diversity; and the continued elevation of HR to new levels of strategic engagement, service delivery, and collaboration with the entire campus community.
In addition, Kristin will assume leadership of the Incident Command Advisory (ICA), the cross-disciplinary team that supports La Salle’s COVID-19 response and planning. Throughout the pandemic, Kristin has provided counsel and guidance as an ICA sponsor and workstream lead. I am grateful to Vice President of Enrollment, Marketing, and Communications Angela Polec, Ed.D., for serving in the lead role of ICA since its inception in March 2020 and providing leadership that was essential to our successful return to campus last semester. Given the critically important functions within her recently expanded portfolio, this is a natural time to transition the leadership of ICA as we head into the Fall 2021 semester. Dr. Polec will continue her service to ICA as a sponsor and integral member of the planning team’s efforts.
Finally, I am confident in Dr. St. Léger’s ability to guide the University’s Division of Student Development and Campus Life, and align her professional work and her collective team’s efforts in the University’s historic commitment to Lasallian mission and values, anchored in social justice and the promise of a holistic education with transformational outcomes.
Please join me in welcoming Dr. St. Léger to the La Salle University community.
Sincerely,
Tim O’Shaughnessy, ’85
Interim President