On July 1, the Goshen College Presidential Cabinet welcomed four new faces to the team as they prepare for a busy academic year of campus-wide changes.

Jodi Beyeler, Dominique Burgunder-Johnson, Gilberto Perez Jr. and Todd Yoder have all started their new roles, each serving as vice president of their respective fields.

The change came close to the end of President Rebecca Stoltzfus’ second year as president of Goshen College.

Upon her arrival in the fall of 2017, President Stoltzfus was introduced to the president’s council that was in place at the time, and was welcomed with open arms.

“I walked into a great team, felt very supported and was glad to work with that team,” President Stoltzfus said. “As I settled into the position and learned to know the college, it became clear how I wanted to organize the cabinet.”

Assembling her new leadership team, President Stoltzfus said she keyed in on the fields of administration she felt to be most pertinent to the needs of Goshen College.

“The leadership areas reflect our priorities as Goshen College,” she said.

In this structural change, all vice presidents will report directly to President Stoltzfus in hopes to build communication efforts and enhance the experience for everyone on GC’s campus.

One distinct change made was including the communications department in the vice presidential conglomerate. Blended with human resources, the position is represented by former Director of Communications, Jodi Beyeler.

“That’s not something I foresaw, but it was my sense of what was needed at Goshen College,” President Stoltzfus said. “We needed to focus on communication, relationships and the whole employee experience at a higher level.”

Moving forward into this academic year, the cabinet clarified their three top values for their leadership team: “integrity, trust and learning.”

With these in mind, the brand new cabinet looks forward to the start of a new school year and a chance to take steps in campus-wide initiatives.

“We have a lot of plans in the works,” President Stoltzfus said.

Initiatives include continuing work on diversity, equity and inclusion, new academic program planning, and renovating the locker rooms in the Recreation-Fitness Center.

The new team is made up of eight individuals including Beyeler; Vice President for Marketing and Enrollment, Burgunder-Johnson; Professor of Mathematics and Faculty Chair, David Housman; Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students, Pérez; Vice President for Finance, Deanna Risser; Vice President for Academic Affairs and Academic Dean, Dr. Ann Vendrely; Executive Assistant, Kathleen Yoder; and Vice President for Institutional Advancement, Yoder.