Executive Council

Chris Ackerman joins George Mason from Stanford University, where he was the head of HR Client Services at SLAC National Laboratory, a U.S. Department of Energy facility formerly known as the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center and operated by Stanford. 

At SLAC, Ackerman led an HR team overseeing HR client services, compensation, and HR business partners. He played a key role in shaping enterprise-level HR strategy, collaborating closely with the SLAC Board of Oversight, executive leadership, and university administrators. 

Stanford is one of four universities at which Ackerman has served in HR roles, along with positions at the University of California, Berkeley; the University of California, San Francisco; and Howard University. Before joining SLAC, he served as the managing director of people operations at the Stanford Cancer Institute within the Stanford School of Medicine. 

From 2015 to 2020, Ackerman was vice president of human resources at HCA Healthcare, a multicampus hospital and health care system in Northern Virginia. In this role, he served as the chief HR officer, significantly enhancing the attraction and retention of employees, establishing strategic partnerships, and implementing initiatives that improved organizational efficiency. 

A native Washingtonian, Ackerman earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from the University of Maryland and is pursuing a master’s degree in management and leadership from Western Governors University.

Paul Allvin has more than 30 years of experience in brand stewardship, communications, marketing, and journalism, having led strategic communications and brand stewardship teams at The University of Arizona, Make-A-Wish America, the USO, and America’s Promise Alliance.

Before joining George Mason University Allvin was the president of his own consulting company, Cloud-2-Ground, Inc., which offered strategic communications and branding services to nonprofit and higher education organizations.

As Associate Vice President of Communications at The University of Arizona from 2004 to 2010, he led all communications at a time that included the transition of university presidents and a university-led mission to Mars. He was tapped to serve a year and a half as interim Vice President of External Relations, leading all university communications, marketing, government relations and executive events efforts. Allvin joined the university team after serving as director of communications and chief speechwriter for then-Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano.

As the chief brand strategist for Make-A-Wish, Allvin led the organization’s complete rebrand in 1999-2000, and returned in 2010 to oversee a worldwide brand refresh that put the 36- nation network of Make-A-Wish chapters and affiliates under a single, unified brand identity and strategy for the first time in its history. Under his leadership, Make-A-Wish enjoyed status as one of America’s five most beloved charity brands.

At the USO, he led a brand refresh from 2015 to 2018 that positioned the USO as America’s leading military- and veteran-serving organization as it celebrated its 75th anniversary. The public rewarded the USO with lead military/veteran support brand status in 2017.

Allvin is a graduate of The University of Arizona School of Journalism. He lives and works in Falls Church, Virginia with his wife, Rhian; and their three children, Austin, Eli, and Isabel.

As provost and executive vice president, James Antony oversees George Mason University’s academic mission, supporting scholarly excellence for more than 5,700 faculty across 10 schools and colleges and fostering academic success for over 40,000 students on all four campuses. He joined the university in 2024 and works in conjunction with President Gregory Washington to shape and execute the university’s strategic academic priorities.

Prior to his appointment as provost, Antony served at the University of California, San Diego where he was the dean of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs. In this role, he focused on enhancing graduate programs and supporting postdoctoral scholars. During his tenure, he initiated grant-funded programs to improve mentoring, led the transformation of graduate and professional student financial support, and helped enhance professional development for students. Alongside his administrative duties, he was a professor of Education Studies with a secondary appointment at the Rady School of Management.

Antony has held notable academic leadership roles at Harvard, Yale, and the University of Washington. From 2015 to 2019, he served as the faculty director of the Higher Education Program in the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University and co-directed the Management Development Program. At Harvard, he increased outreach and recruitment for underrepresented communities and created an undergraduate course on leadership development. As an associate provost at Yale University from 2012 to 2015, he focused on faculty development and the promotion of undergraduate student leadership.

His 17-year tenure at the University of Washington was marked by numerous leadership roles, including facilitating the development of new graduate degree and certificate programs, creating and leading the Center for Leadership in Athletics, and heading the College of Education’s higher education degree program. He also directed a program supporting minority students aspiring to graduate and professional schools.

Provost Antony’s publications focus on the development of higher education faculty, the socialization and leadership development of future college leaders, and the implementation of data-driven decision making in academic environments. He has taught courses on leadership theory, student affairs administration, leadership ethics, sociology of higher education, the history of higher education, data-based decision making, and college athletics and athletic leadership.

Antony is a first-generation college student who received his baccalaureate degree in psychology, as well as his master’s degree and PhD in higher education and organizational change from UCLA.

Sharnnia Artis serves as Vice President of Access, Compliance, and Community at George Mason University. She is dedicated to ensuring that all individuals have opportunities to succeed, fostering a safe and welcoming environment, and cultivating meaningful relationships within and beyond the university.

In her role, Artis provides strategic guidance to Mason’s leadership on initiatives that support institutional access, compliance, and community engagement. She oversees compliance with state and federal mandates, including the Americans with Disabilities Act and Titles VI, VII, and IX, ensuring a respectful and fair environment where all members of the university community can thrive. Her leadership focuses on removing barriers, creating pathways for success, and strengthening policies that enhance participation for all.

Beyond her administrative leadership, Artis is a University Affiliate Faculty in the College of Engineering and Computing. Her research and teaching focus on leveraging socio-technical systems to improve access and success in engineering and computing. She specializes in studying the resilience of students from underserved and underrepresented backgrounds in STEM fields. Artis has published over 50 refereed manuscripts in technical journals, book chapters, and conference proceedings, contributing to the broader dialogue on student success in STEM education.

Prior to joining Mason, Artis served as Assistant Dean of Access and Inclusion at the University of California, Irvine, in both the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences and the Henry Samueli School of Engineering. She developed and sustained student success programs, launched outreach initiatives for high school and community college students, and secured a $5 million endowment to expand infrastructure supporting STEM education.

A native of Chesapeake, Virginia, Artis earned her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in Industrial Systems Engineering from Virginia Tech. She is committed to fostering supportive learning environments and empowering individuals to reach their goals. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her partner and two children, traveling, enjoying sports, and exploring new cuisines.

Trishana Bowden joined George Mason University in March 2019 as the Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Relations and President of the George Mason University Foundation.

As the Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Relations and President of the Foundation, Trishana reports jointly to the President of the university and the Foundation Board of Trustees, working harmoniously with a multitude of highly engaged and energetic university and foundation partners. She is responsible for developing, executing, and evaluating all aspects of the university’s comprehensive fundraising program, including annual giving, major and leadership giving, corporate and foundation relations, planned giving, alumni relations, research and prospect management, development services, and donor cultivation and stewardship.

Trishana will provide vision and direction for University Advancement with a clear focus on future fundraising after the completion of the record-setting Faster Farther campaign, which concluded in December 2018. She will provide strategic leadership and direction for post-campaign analytics, reporting, and followup, while working with key leadership to develop clear priorities and a plan for future support through pipeline development, alumni engagement, and participation strategies.

Bowden came to Mason from Goucher College in Towson, Maryland, where she was the Vice President for Advancement, responsible for providing strategy, leadership and direction for fundraising, alumni and parent relations, campaign planning, and implementation. Her accomplishments there included diversifying and strengthening Goucher’s donor base and pipeline to build a culture of philanthropy, which led to a doubling of overall giving to the institution in less than three years.

Prior to her work at Goucher, Trishana was the Associate Dean for External Relations at the University of Maryland’s Francis King Carey School of Law. She also served as Associate Dean for Institutional Advancement at American University Washington College of Law and has held development positions at the American Lung Association of Maryland and the Johns Hopkins Oncology Center. She received a B.S. in Mass Communication/Media Studies from Towson University in 1991.

David Burge has served as Vice President for Enrollment Management at George Mason University since July 2015. 

Before coming to Mason, he served as Executive Director of Admission Services at Arizona State University and oversaw the execution of new student enrollment strategy for undergraduate and graduate, domestic and international students.

Other professional experience includes the University of Kansas and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, holding senior leadership roles within each institution’s Office of Admissions and Scholarships.

He is currently the immediate past-president of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC,) a professional organization of more than 15,000 school counselors and college admission professionals. Prior to serving in the NACAC Presidential Cycle, Mr. Burge served as President of the Great Plains Association for College Admission Counseling, an affiliate of the national organization.

He has recently served on a number of panels/sessions focusing on the role and impact of public higher education – the Social Mobility Symposium, TargetX User Conference, and as the welcome speaker at the annual meeting for NACAC.

A native Kansan, his academic background includes two degrees from the University of Kansas: an undergraduate degree in English Literature and a master’s degree in Educational Policy and Leadership.

Zofia Burr is the founding dean of Mason’s Honors College, established July 2009. Programs within the Honors College include the University Scholars’ Program, the Office of Postgraduate Fellowships & Scholarships, the Honors Program in General Education, and the Honors College Living Learning Community. Dr. Burr has been a member of Mason’s English faculty since 1992.

Under Dr. Burr’s leadership, the Honors College has tripled in size, while seeing a rise in the academic profile of the entering class.

Her main areas of research and teaching interest are modern American poetry, research methods, disability studies, and pedagogy. She was among the winners of Mason’s Teaching Excellence Award for 2004.

She is the author of Of Women, Poetry, and Power: Strategies of Address in the Poetry of Dickinson, Miles, Brooks, Lorde, and Angelou, and editor of Set in Motion: Essays, Interviews, Dialogues, by A. R. Ammons. Dr. Burr’s writing has appeared in a number of collaborative installations that were shown and performed in various venues, including Mobius Gallery in Boston, Artemisia in Chicago, and Soho 20 New York. She is currently at work on a non-fiction project based on the experience of caring for her mother after a brain injury, and for her father with dementia.

Before Dr. Burr pursued graduate work in literature and creative writing, she taught emotionally disturbed children. She is currently the faculty sponsor for Mason’s chapter of Active Minds, a national organization focused on de-stigmatizing mental health issues on campus. She received her MFA and Ph.D. from Cornell University.

Sharon Cullen manages all aspects of the president’s activities and commitments, engages in university-related initiatives and oversees the President’s Office operations, along with the members of the presidential administrative team. She works closely with the president, senior administration, and across a broad spectrum of the university.

Ms. Cullen is a member of the Executive and President’s Councils. She is an alum of the Leadership Legacy program (Cohort 2) and is also engaged in the university’s well-being initiative. 

In June 2007, she received a Certificate of Achievement for her accomplishments and contributions to the president and Mason. In December 2011, she was presented with a Presidential Citation for assisting in the apprehension of a campus perpetrator.

Ms. Cullen joined Mason’s Office of the Provost in January 2000 and transitioned to the President’s Office in 2001. Prior to joining Mason, she was involved in academic administration at Georgia Tech, Augusta College, the University of North Dakota and Northern Virginia Community College.

She is a graduate of Duluth Business University with a concentration in legal administration and holds a paralegal certificate with 10 years of related experience in various areas of the law. She is also a member of the National Association of Presidential Assistants in Higher Education (NAPAHE).

Marvin Lewis was named the Patriots' Assistant Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics on April 19. 2023. Lewis is Mason’s sixth athletics director.
 
The Germantown, Maryland native boasts 15 years of athletic administrative leadership with various impressive NCAA Division I institutions. Lewis assumed senior leadership roles at Georgia Tech, University of Maryland, Georgia State, and most recently at Brown University as the school's assistant vice president for athletics and recreation/chief operating officer.
 
During his tenure at Brown, Lewis led a brand and visual identity refresh, launched new fan engagement initiatives and premium amenities, developed a divisional strategic plan, and implemented a long-term financial model that elevates the baseline student-athlete experience. As a member of the executive leadership team, Lewis led the external relations team focused on revenue generation, fan engagement, strategic communications, and athletics and recreation storytelling. In addition, he oversaw the business and financial operations, facilities and events, human resources and talent development, and equipment operations. He served as sport administrator for several sports, including men's basketball.
 
Lewis is regarded as one of the nation's most respected up-and-comers in athletics administration, having been named to the College AD Next Up list in 2017 and the 2018-19 College Athletic Business Management Association (CABMA) Manager of the Year. He successfully completed the prestigious NCAA Pathway Program for aspiring athletics directors and conference commissioners in 2020.
 
He began his rise in athletics administration at Georgia State and later assumed leadership roles at both Georgia State and Maryland. He then spent nearly seven years at his alma mater Georgia Tech as the senior associate athletics director for administration and finance before leaving for Brown in July 2021.
 
Lewis was also instrumental in the University of Maryland's transition to the Big Ten Conference. Lewis chaired the Business and Travel Workgroup within the Big Ten Integration Committee, which analyzed the financial impact of the conference transition. He developed the comprehensive 12-year financial model for the Business and Finance Workgroup of the President's Commission on Big Ten Integration.
 
A former two-time captain of the Georgia Tech basketball team, Lewis graduated with honors from Georgia Tech in 2004 with a bachelor's degree in management before becoming a licensed CPA. He later earned a master's degree in taxation from Georgia State in 2008. Lewis led the Yellow Jackets to the 2004 national championship game.

Paul Liberty was appointed Vice President for Government and Community Relations in 2012, reporting directly to the President of George Mason University. He oversees a team working with federal, state and local governments as well as business and civic communities. He leads several major university-wide initiatives and is a member of the university's Executive Council and President's Council. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Liberty served as Interim Vice President for University Relations, responsible for managing community relations, creative services, events management, media and public relations, University information and web communications.

Before joining Mason, Mr. Liberty was an executive for two publicly traded companies and a merger and acquisition advisory firm overseeing internal and external communications, corporate affairs, investor relations, legislative affairs, marketing and public relations. In addition to his corporate activities, Mr. Liberty has worked in the executive, judicial and legislative branches of government at the federal, state and local levels. During his time in public service, he worked on Capitol Hill, served in the White House and was chief of staff for a member of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. He also has managed policy and legislative functions for a large business trade association.

Mr. Liberty is a native to Northern Virginia and is active in a number of business, civic, and charitable organizations and was recognized by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors with its annual award for outstanding volunteer services and was selected as a distinguished alumni of the year by George Mason University’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Mr. Liberty received his BA in English from George Mason University.

For more about the Office of Government and Community Relations, go here.

Dr. Charmaine Madison is a visionary IT executive leader with a solid track record of guiding global business strategy using established and emerging technologies to achieve maximum operational impacts with minimum resource expenditures. She joins George Mason University as the new Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer, bringing over 30 years of federal government IT experience. Dr. Madison is a retired cyber officer from the US Air Force and a retired Senior Digital Officer from the Central Intelligence Agency.

An expert negotiator with high business acumen, Dr. Madison is adept at forging solid relationships with strategic partners and building consensus across multiple organizational levels. She is an effective communicator with a strong history of technical consulting with executive leaders and cross-organizational and industry stakeholders to implement digital transformation projects and develop roadmaps for business infrastructures.

In her pastime, Dr. Madison is an executive leadership coach and enjoys giving back to her local community, as well as spending time with her two children.

Andre W. Marshall is Vice President for Research, Innovation, and Economic Impact at George Mason University and President of the George Mason Research Foundation. As the university’s senior research officer, Marshall provides overall leadership for the portfolio of research, innovation, and economic development activities.

Marshall joined George Mason University from the National Science Foundation, where he served as Program Director for the Industry-University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) and Innovation Corps (I-Corps^TM) programs. During his tenure at NSF, Marshall advanced NSF’s university-based tech translation and commercialization programs through national initiatives strengthening industry-university engagement and collaboration, new partnerships broadening participation in innovation and tech entrepreneurship, and program virtualization increasing accessibility to the highly regarded national I-Corps Teams program.

Prior to NSF, Marshall served on the faculty at the University of Maryland, College Park in the Department of Fire Protection Engineering where he founded the Fire Testing and Evaluation Center (FireTEC) and launched a tech startup based on patented technology stemming from his research and inspired by his participation in the NSF I-Corps program. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, FM Global, United Technologies Research Center, National Fire Protection Association, and various other institutions. 

Marshall is a faculty member in the Mechanical Engineering Department of the Volgenau School of Engineering. His research and teaching interests are centered around experimental characterization and computational evaluation of complex turbulent reacting flows and sprays. His work in this area was inspired by early propulsion research he performed while at Rolls-Royce Corp., which influenced his approach to fire suppression and most recently agricultural sprays. He is the recipient of the NSF Presidential Early Career Award in Science and Engineering (PECASE) and the Philip Thomas Medal of Excellence. He has served as Associate Editor for the Fire Safety Journal and on the USPTO Working Group for the National Council for Expanding American Innovation (NCEAI).

Marshall began his college career at Georgia Tech receiving a B.M.E and M.S. in mechanical engineering in 1991 and 1992, respectively. In 1996, he completed his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Rose Pascarell is Vice President for University Life at George Mason University. She has held several leadership positions in the University as Associate Vice President for University Life, Associate Dean for Campus Life and Associate Director of the Women's Studies Research and Resource Center. Ms. Pascarell's leadership work in University Life has focused on increasing student engagement and academic success, and the building of just communities.

Ms. Pascarell has worked on campus climate and multicultural/diversity issues for the last fifteen years. Her teaching and workshops focus on race, class, gender, sexuality, and the formation of just community through the examination of difference.

Ms. Pascarell earned a BA in Sociology, Criminology, and Conflict Analysis at the State University of New York at Albany. Her MA in Sociology is from George Mason University.

For more about University Life, go here.​

Dr. Perry is the Dean of the College of Public Health at George Mason University. Trained as an epidemiologist in public health, she is internationally respected for her work as a scientist, educator, and academic leader. Dr. Perry’s research in occupational and environmental epidemiology has been well-funded by both federal agencies and foundations.

Dr. Perry completed a one-year sabbatical in Albania as a Fellow in the Fulbright International Education Program for Global Scholars from 2021 - 2022. Among a large number of other appointments and honors in support of academic organizations and professional societies, she is a Past-President and Fellow of the American College of Epidemiology, Chair of the Research Committee of the Health Effects Institute, Co-Chair of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine Committee on Emerging Science, and recently completed a term as the Chair of the Board of Scientific Counselors of the Center for Environmental Health’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

Prior to coming to Mason, Dr. Perry served as a Professor and Chair of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health in the Milken School of Public Health at George Washington University from 2011 – 2022. She also held faculty appointments in the Department of Epidemiology and Statistics at the Milken School of Public Health, as well as in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences. In addition, she previously served as the Interim Associate Dean for Research at the Milken School of Public Health. Prior to joining the faculty and leadership at George Washington University, Dr. Perry was a member of the faculty at the Harvard School of Public Health (1999 – 2011) as well as the Medical College of Wisconsin (1995 – 1999).

She has published more than 150 frequently cited manuscripts, technical reports, book chapters, commentaries and book reviews and has presented at over 25 American universities and in over 17 countries. She is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health where she received both her MHS and ScD degrees. She was awarded a Bachelors of Arts degree from the University of Vermont where she was recognized as a member of the Phi Beta Kappa organization. She is currently a candidate for an MBA degree at George Mason University.

René Stewart O’Neal joined the Senior Vice President for Finance & Administration’s leadership team at George Mason University as the Associate Vice President for Strategic Budgeting and Planning in August 2019. She is excited about the opportunity to promote a transparent, accountable and responsive financial management culture with evidence-based planning as a foundation for investment. 

Before coming to Mason, Rene was the Vice Provost for Budget and Finance at the George Washington University since 2013, where she was responsible for developing multi-year financial goals and budgetary strategies for the academic operations of the university, including all ten schools, ensuring alignment of academic financial goals with the financial goals and mission of the University. Rene served as a strategic partner in guiding the allocation of resources to support academic priorities and the university’s strategic plan.

Prior to joining GW, she was the Director of Planning and Assistant Director of the Office of Planning & Budgets at Michigan State University for ten years. A career higher education finance professional, she has held senior administrative positions in finance, budgeting, treasury, academic planning and operations at Wellesley College, the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, and Michigan State University. Her particular areas of expertise are higher education finance and analysis, budgeting and strategic planning, strategy and change management, institutional effectiveness and inclusive excellence. She holds AB and Master of Public Policy degrees from Harvard University.

Professional organizations and affiliations include the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO); Eastern Association of College and University Business Officers (EACUBO); Society for College and University Planning (SCUP); People to People Ambassador Program; Phi Kappa Phi (Academic National Honor Society). Rene was a 2009-10 American Council on Education fellow at New York University with a fellowship focus on strategic global engagement for universities and sustainable financial models for higher education. 

Rene resides in Alexandria, VA, with her husband and teenage son.

Ken Walsh currently serves as Executive Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Chief of Staff in the President’s Office, a position he accepted in 2020. He served as interim Provost at Mason from November 2023 through June 2024.

Before coming to Mason, Dr. Walsh served as Senior Assistant Dean and Chief of Staff in the Samueli School of Engineering at the University of California, Irvine. In this capacity, he was responsible for the entire scope of planning, operations, and resource management for the School. He directed financial operations and oversaw IT support, human resources management, and capital asset management. Building on his experience in the industry and at many levels in higher education, he marshaled the skill and dedication of the staff to fuel the excellence of the faculty and students.

From 2002 to 2018, Dr. Walsh served in a number of roles at San Diego State University. Here he founded the J.R. Filanc Construction Engineering and Management program and later served as chair of the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering. He also served as the founding Dean for SDSU-Georgia. This innovative program was funded through the Millennium Challenge Corporation and the Government of Georgia to provide US-accredited science and engineering degrees in Tbilisi, Georgia, where he lived and worked for four years.

He started his academic career in the Del E. Webb School of Construction at Arizona State University, after several years in consulting engineering practice in the Phoenix area. Ken holds BSE, MS, and Ph.D. degrees in Civil Engineering from Arizona State University. With over $30 million in research activity, his research interests lie in production systems design in a construction setting, He has published over 100 papers in journals and conferences and served as editor of conferences sponsored by the International Group for Lean Construction and the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Ken is married, with 3 grown children, the youngest a student at Arizona State leaving the cats as the only remaining denizens of the nest. In his spare time, he enjoys woodworking, travel, and international films.

Julie A. Zobel is currently Vice President and Chief Risk Officer for Risk, Safety, and Resilience. She oversees the functional areas of enterprise and operational risk management, emergency management, environmental health and safety, and employee health and well-being.

Julie began working in the area of safety and compliance for Mason in 2000 as the university Biological Safety Officer, Chemical Hygiene Officer, and Assistant Radiation Safety Officer. She was quickly promoted through the ranks with additional risk-related responsibilities being added to her portfolio, as recently as 2020 with the onset of the COVID pandemic.

Over the past 20 years, Julie established four core programs for the university: Environmental Health and Safety, Emergency Management, Enterprise Risk Management, and Employee Health and Well-Being. She developed and stabilized these new programs by coaching and leading staff through a series of organizational changes while integrating these programs with existing elements within the larger university structure; work that required extensive operational experience, understanding of regulatory compliance, and organizational savvy.

Dr. Zobel earned dual Bachelor's degrees in Hazardous Materials/Environmental Management and Civil Engineering from the University of Findlay and the University of Akron, respectively. She earned a Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering with an emphasis in Environmental Engineering from the University of Akron where her thesis project focused on investigating a consortium of bacteria for their ability to degrade total petroleum hydrocarbons in soil. In addition, she earned her doctorate in Biodefense from George Mason University and her doctoral research and dissertation addressed the role of naturally occurring Bacillus anthracis in biological incident preparedness and response.