University hires VP for Finance and Administration, AVP for Career Services, Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences

St. Mary’s University has three new members of its leadership team: Peggy DeBartolo, Christopher J. Frost, Ph.D.; and T. Tylor Behrens, Ed.D.

Vice President for Finance and Administration
Peggy DeBartolo officially took over the role of Vice President for Finance and Administration on June 1.

DeBartolo comes to St. Mary’s from Resources Global Professionals in Cleveland, where she was a Finance Consultant. She previously served as Controller and Assistant Treasurer at both Marietta College and the College of Wooster in Ohio. At Wooster, she was also Interim Vice President for Finance and Business.

Before her time in higher ed, DeBartolo spent 10 years in high-level positions in public accounting firms and banking. She has a strong background in staff development and training, as well as improving operational efficiencies in human resources, accounting and finance, and purchasing operations. She has dealt with financing for large construction projects as well.

DeBartolo is a certified public accountant with an MBA from Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration (Accounting) degree from Youngstown State University.

“We welcome Peggy to the St. Mary’s family,” said President Thomas Mengler J.D. “Her expertise in audits, compliance, financial reporting and analysis, and investment management will keep us moving forward and building on the good work already done in those areas. I believe she has the skills, experience and commitment to our St. Mary’s mission to be successful.”

Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Christopher J. Frost, Ph.D., has been hired as the University’s new Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.

He started June 1, coming to St. Mary’s from St. Joseph’s College in New York, where he was the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs for the Long Island campus. He will be in San Antonio beginning Monday, July 31, after an academic program he is leading at Oxford University this summer.

Before St. Joseph’s, he served in several administrative roles at Texas State University and San Diego State University, where he was the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies for five years. His teaching and scholarship honors include being a Fulbright Senior Research Scholar in 1996 and a Minnie Stevens Piper Professor in 2006.

Frost has shown creative strategic leadership in the fields of humanities and social sciences and advocates their foundational role in providing a comprehensive liberal arts education. Through his collaborative leadership, he has implemented new academic programs, developed meaningful community-academic partnerships, and led student-success programs.

Frost received his undergraduate degree from Baylor University before going to Boston University, where he earned an M.A. in Psychology of Religion and a Ph.D. in Psychology and Interdisciplinary Studies.

“We look forward to welcoming Chris and working with him in comprehensive and innovative ways to support the leadership, continuous development, and growth of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences,” Mengler said.

Associate Vice President for Career Services
At the beginning of the spring semester, T. Tylor Behrens, Ed.D., came to St. Mary’s as Associate Vice President for Career Services – a new position at the University.

Behrens has vast experience both in corporate and higher education career relations. His previous job was as the Executive Director of Career Services and Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs at SMU in Dallas. Since 2010, SMU’s career center has routinely been ranked among the nation’s best.

As a first-generation college graduate, son of working-class parents and grandson of three immigrants and a Native American, Behrens was drawn to St. Mary’s because of his passion for assisting students who have backgrounds similar to his own. Two examples are the Grow Your Own Internship Program and the Building Education Summer Program, which he developed as University Relations Manager at Siemens Building Technologies in Illinois. Both programs were successful ideas aimed at educating and employing first-generation African-American and Native American students.

Nearly 20 years ago, Behrens established the nation’s first university-based virtual job fair while serving as Director of Career Services at Roosevelt University in Chicago.

Behrens received his Doctorate in Higher Education Management from UCLA, Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology from the University of Arizona, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.

“I believe Tylor is an excellent fit for our community,” Mengler said. “His colleagues describe him as a visionary, consensus-builder, problem solver, listener, as well as respectful and thoughtful. He understands Career Services is about establishing close partnerships with external companies, nonprofit organizations and government agencies for the benefit of all of our students, from Day 1 on campus through graduation day.”

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