UA's Senior Vice President, Provost and Chief Operating Officer

Dr. William M. “Mike” Sherman

Dr. William M. “Mike” Sherman is UA’s senior vice president, provost and chief operating officer. As UA’s top academic officer, Sherman has oversight of academic planning and budgeting, curriculum development, assessment, human resources and information technology services.

Sherman joined UA in 2010, having arrived from The Ohio State University, where he served as vice provost for academic planning and professor of sport and exercise science.

At Ohio State, Sherman led strategic planning for OSU’s colleges, with a primary focus on academic facilities and resources. He helped launch OSU’s academic facilities planning initiative, and he helped set the stage for implementing the university’s global agenda. Sherman held reporting responsibilities for four regional campuses, University Libraries, the John Glenn School of Public Affairs, and the P-12 Project, among others. Read more about Sherman.

• Send a message to Sherman at provost@uakron.edu.

Candace Campbell Jackson
Vice President and Chief of Staff

Candace Campbell Jackson, Esq., joined The University of Akron as the executive assistant to President Dr. Luis Proenza in December 2003. In 2005, she was promoted to the position chief of staff and in January 2007, she was promoted to vice president and chief of staff.

In this role, she is primarily responsible for advising the president on organizational and policy decisions; developing, coordinating and implementing presidential initiatives; and managing the staff. 

In 2009-10, Ms. Jackson coordinated the campus-wide strategic planning and visioning process that engaged over 3,500 members of the university community and culminated in Vision 2020 – The New Gold Standard of University Performance – new vision, mission and six strategic goals – student success, global relevancy, distinction, vibrant and engaged campus, partnerships and integrated planning to sustain our success. More.

David J. Cummins
Vice President for Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer

David J. Cummins, who joined the University in March 2011, is responsible for all fiscal operations, financial planning and budgeting, treasury services, purchasing, parking services, Hower House, dining services and other auxiliary services.

Previously, Cummins was with the Ohio Board of Regents, where he served as vice chancellor, finance and data management. Earlier in his career, Cummins was vice president for administrative services and treasurer at Lorain County Community College. In that role, he oversaw the creation of a Shared Services model between LCCC and UA to share the management of a new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system that streamlined noncompeting business processes to reduce costs and improve services. Cummins has also held positions with North Central Technical College in Mansfield and the Ohio Office of Budget & Management in Columbus.

Cummins earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science at Cleveland State University and a Master of Arts in Economics at The Ohio State University.

Ted Curtis, AIA, NCARB
Vice President for Capital Planning and Facilities Management

Ted Curtis, who is a registered architect in 10 states—including New York, California and Ohio—joined The University of Akron in 1998. Since 2000, he has led the “New Landscape for Learning” campus enhancement building program. To date, UA has added 22 new buildings, 18 major additions or renovations and 34 acres of green space.

In addition, Curtis has responsibility for University Police, Office of Environmental Health and Safety, and the Physical Facilities Operations Center.

Curtis, who holds a B.S. in architecture from Kent State University, also has done graduate coursework at Harvard and Pepperdine universities. He is president of AIA & Associates Architectural Construction Consultants. Curtis previously worked for Hilton Hotels Corporation and Conrad International and Kent State.

John A. LaGuardia
Vice President of Public Affairs and Development

In his more than 30 years of service to his alma mater, John A. LaGuardia has worked in various areas of institutional advancement. He was appointed to his current post in 1997, and oversees the Alumni Association, Governmental Relations and the Department of Development.

As of October 2012, more than $885 million has been raised – toward a $1 billion goal — for scholarships, endowments, buildings, and programs.

LaGuardia earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University. He was associate director of alumni relations from 1971 to 1979, and director from 1979 to 1985. Following positions in the private sector, LaGuardia returned to UA in 1994 as executive director of the alumni association and executive director of governmental relations.

Ted A. Mallo
Vice President and General Counsel

As General Counsel to The University of Akron, and subject to the authority of the Ohio Attorney General, Ted A. Mallo has coordinated and directed the legal affairs of the University since 1976. He is the chief legal adviser to the Board of Trustees, president, and the University's officers and administrators. Mallo began serving UA in a legal capacity in 1972, becoming its first director of legal affairs in 1976. In 1989, he became the first General Counsel among state universities in Ohio and was made Vice President and General Counsel in 1996. He has been an Assistant Attorney General since 1983.

Since 1994, Mallo has annually been elected secretary of The University of Akron Board of Trustees, and from 1989 until August 1994, he served as the assistant secretary of the Board. He also is an adjunct associate professor in the College of Education, and has served as adjunct faculty in the School of Law.

Mallo earned bachelor’s, master’s and Juris Doctor degrees at The University of Akron. 

George R. Newkome
Vice President for Research
Dean, Graduate School
Oelschlager Professor of Science & Technology
Professor of Polymer Science
Professor of Chemistry

In 2001, Dr. George R. Newkome joined The University of Akron to fill the newly created post of vice president for research. At the same time, he became dean of the Graduate School. With the dual appointments, Newkome has led UA’s efforts to expand its research infrastructure and broaden linkages with industries and foundations, as well as increasing integration of research and graduate education. Newkome also serves as president and CEO of UA's Research Foundation, founded in 2003, and, more recently, he became president of the Akron Innovation Campus.

Prior to arriving at UA, Newkome was vice president for research at the University of South Florida, which he joined in 1986. Newkome began his career as a postdoctoral fellow at Princeton University, then joined Louisiana State University, where he became a full professor in 1978, and the LSU Distinguished Research Master in 1982.

Newkome earned a B.S. in Chemistry and a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, both at Kent State University, and did postdoctoral work at Princeton University. 

James L. Sage
Vice President for Information Technology
and Chief Information Officer

Since joining The University of Akron in 2005, James L. Sage has been responsible for its information technology functions, including the departments of applications services, hardware and operating systems, networking services, and learning technologies and scholar/learner services. He has overseen technology initiatives to enhance teaching, learning, research and business processes. 

Prior to joining UA, Sage was executive vice president of operations and technology at American Teleradiology Management Group, a medical services company in Chagrin Falls. His career also includes serving as executive vice president and chief information officer at Agilysys, an electronics and computer systems distributor based in Cleveland, as vice president over information systems at OfficeMax in Cleveland, and as vice president of management information systems at Camelot Music Inc. in Canton.

Sage earned a B.S. in Industrial Management and Management Information Systems at The University of Akron. He also graduated from the CIO Academy at Emory University.

James P. (Jim) Tressel
Vice President for Strategic Engagement

On May 1, 2012, James P. (Jim) Tressel returned to his alma mater. He identifies, recommends and supports strategies and efforts that promote success in all facets of student life. His responsibilities include oversight of enrollment and retention initiatives, and of several student-service areas, including counseling, new student orientation, career services and student financial aid.

Tressel grew up in northeast Ohio, graduating from Berea High School in 1971. He earned a B.A. in education at Baldwin Wallace College in 1975, and a master's degree in education in 1977 at UA, where he also served as assistant football coach and instructor of physical education from 1975 to 1978.

His experience in coaching continued through 2010 on the campuses of Miami University of Ohio, Syracuse University, Youngstown State University and The Ohio State University. Recently, he served as a consultant to the Indianapolis Colts. Tressel has published two books: "The Winners Manual: For the Game of Life" (2008) and "Life Promises for Success" (2011).