Management Team
Dr. Richard Oliver
CEO and Chief Academic Officer
Dr. Richard Oliver is the CEO and Chief Academic Officer of American Sentinel University. Previously, he was a professor at the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University. While there, Dr. Oliver received the Outstanding Professor Award and a Dean’s Teaching Award. For several years, he served as a visiting professor of management at the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University. Prior to his academic career, Dr. Oliver had a 20-year career at Nortel Networks, where he was vice president of marketing, and also worked for DuPont Co. Dr. Oliver is the author of seven books and more than 50 book chapters and journal articles about management, technology and education, and has lectured around the world on these topics. He served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Services Marketing and the Journal of Strategic Management Education. Dr. Oliver has served on seven corporate boards and was chairman of the Board of Directors of Symmetricom, a high-tech telecom company, from 1997 to 2004.
Dr. Oliver holds a Ph.D. in informatics from the State University of New York, a Master of Arts in communications from the University of Delaware and a Bachelor of Science in economics from Cornell University.
Mary Adams
President
Mary Adams is the president of American Sentinel University. She has more than 20 years of experience in distance education, including serving as president of Aspen University from 1992 to 2004. Ms. Adams is a commissioner of the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC), and a past chair of the Research and Education Standards Committee. She has chaired more than 30 DETC accreditation visits and received the DETC’s Distinguished Service Award and Distinguished Recognition Award. Ms. Adams serves on the board of Provost Academy Colorado and is vice chair of the Accrediting Commission of the DETC.
Ms. Adams holds an MBA from ISIM University and a Bachelor of Arts in history from California State University, Fullerton.
Dr. Devon Cancilla
Dean, Business and Information Technology
Dr. Devon Cancilla is the dean, business information technology, at American Sentinel University. Previously, he served as executive director and campus dean at New York Institute of Technology. He has held faculty appointments and senior education administration positions at Western Washington University, among other institutions. Dr. Cancilla has received numerous scholarly honors, including an award from Sloan Consortium for Most Outstanding Effective Practices in Online Education. He is the has author or co-author of more than 60 scholarly and professional research papers, books and academic reports, and his work has appeared in journals such as Environmental Science and Technology, The American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education and The Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks. Dr. Cancilla has presented research papers and developed workshops on a variety of topics for such organizations as the National Science Foundation. He has been awarded research grants from organizations such as the National Science Foundation and the Hewlett-Packard Fund for Innovation in Education.
Dr. Cancilla holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, in environmental health sciences and master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Iowa.
Dr. Catherine Garner
Dean, Health Sciences and Nursing
Dr. Catherine Garner is the dean of health sciences and nursing at American Sentinel University. Previously, she held senior leadership positions with the University of Phoenix, the International University of Nursing in St. Kitts and HealthStream. Dr. Garner is a graduate of the Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellowship Program and is an American Academy of Nursing fellow. She served as a consultant to international health organizations—advising the Ministry of Health in Honduras on the development of an obstetrics and gynecology nurse practitioner program and seven nursing schools in China on how to train their nurses to care for Western patients. She also served as a consultant on other projects in Germany and Canada.
Dr. Garner holds a Doctor of Public Health in health policy and administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a Master of Public Administration from the University of Tennessee, and Master of Science Nursing and Bachelor of Science Nursing degrees from Vanderbilt University. She is an honorary dean at Nanjing University.
Dr. Elizabeth (Betty) Nelson
Associate Dean, Doctoral Studies
Dr. Betty Nelson is the associate dean for doctoral studies for American Sentinel University. She began her nursing career in 1978 as a pediatric nurse. Dr. Nelson has been an active clinician, researcher, educator and administrator. She has held leadership positions with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Shriners Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, the American College of Physicians, the American Nurses Association and several other organizations, and has held faculty appointments at Vanderbilt University, the University of North Dakota and Yale University, where she was associate dean for clinical affairs. She has served on various for-profit and non-profit boards, national advisory groups for the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, grant review committee for the Health Resources and Services Administration, and invitational summits of the Institute of Medicine and the Joint Commission.
Dr. Nelson is a member of Phi Kappa Phi, Sigma Theta Tau, International and the American Organization of Nurse Executives. She is a graduate of the Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellowship Program.
Dr. Nelson holds a Ph.D. in nursing and health services research from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Florida and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Delaware.
Dr. Joy Green-Hadden
Assistant Dean, Nursing
Joy Green-Hadden is the assistant dean of nursing at American Sentinel University. She has more than 20 years of nursing experience, specializing in endocrinology. She has a background in emergency medicine, critical care, psychiatric care, urgent care, pediatrics, geriatrics and nursing administration. As a certified researcher with the Institute of Health, Dr. Green-Hadden’s most recent research focused on the empowerment of nurses in Tennessee. Dr. Green-Hadden has also presented research studies at the International Research Congress, ISQUA Conference and the DNP Convention. Dr. Green-Hadden has taught nursing at Middle Tennessee State University at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Dr. Green-Hadden holds a Doctorate of Nursing Practice and a Master of Science Nursing from Case Western Reserve University, a Bachelor of Science Nursing from Belmont University and an Associate of Science Nursing from Aquinas College.
Jeff Caplan
Senior Vice President, Enrollment & Retention
Jeff Caplan is the senior vice president of enrollment and retention at American Sentinel University. He has an extensive background in health care and strategic business development. Previously, Mr. Caplan was the executive vice president for a specialty health care media company and the vice president of marketing and product management for a health care electronic exchange between hospitals and suppliers. Mr. Caplan spent his early career at DuPont, where he led a variety of business functions.
Mr. Caplan holds an MBA from Vanderbilt University and a Bachelor of Science in engineering from Rutgers University.
Mark Cobb
Director, Student Success and Retention
Mark Cobb is the director of student success and retention at American Sentinel University. He has worked in the education industry for more than a decade and has led admissions and support departments for a number of online universities. Mr. Cobb has helped grow small and large institutions and has served as a consultant for career-focused and traditional educational institutions.
Mr. Cobb holds a Bachelor of Science in management from James Madison University.
Natalie Nixon
Vice President, Admissions
Natalie Nixon is the vice president of admissions at American Sentinel University. She has more than 20 years of experience in distance education and has held positions as director of admissions, international program director and admissions advisor.
Ms. Nixon holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Roanoke College.
Paul Capicik
Vice President, Military Programs
Lieutenant Colonel Paul Capicik is the vice president of military programs at American Sentinel University. He is a 26-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force, where he was a command pilot and held several strategic and operational positions. Following his retirement from the Air Force in 1993, Mr. Capicik spent 12 years with the Civil Air Patrol, a 60,000-member organization, serving as director of several departments and chief information officer.
Mr. Capicik holds a Master of Arts in computer resource management from Webster University and a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from the U.S. Air Force Academy.
Steve Mahoney
Vice President, Education and Information Technology
Steve Mahoney is the vice president, education and IT at American Sentinel University. Previously, he was associate vice president, marketing systems for Education Management Corporation, overseeing content management system, customer relationship management and marketing automation solutions. Mr. Mahoney also was chief technology officer of Computer Enterprises, Inc. and served in various other leadership and management positions. Mr. Mahoney has been an adjunct instructor at the University of Pittsburgh.
Mr. Mahoney holds a bachelor’s in applied mathematics from Carnegie Mellon University and is pursuing an MBA at University of Maryland. He holds his Project Management Professional credential.
Board of Trust
Dr. Kenneth McLennan
Chair
Dr. Kenneth McLennan has extensive experience in academic, government and nonprofit organizations, and was the president and CEO of Manufacturers Alliance from 1987 to 1999. Currently, Dr. McLennan is an adjunct professor at the College of William and Mary (in the Thomas Jefferson Public Policy Program) and for the joint Eastern Virginia Medical School-Old Domini on University Master of Public Health program.
Dr. McLennan holds a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an MBA from the University of Toronto, and a Bachelor of Science from the London School of Economics.
Board Members
Dr. Robert Anders
Dr. Robert Anders is the vice president of nursing at Education Affiliates. He is an expert in nursing education with a particular focus on creating excellence in programs with significant minority populations. He has been a faculty member and administrator in associate degree, bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs at several universities, including the University of Texas at El Paso, the University of Hawaii, the University of Western Australia and Chaing Mai University. Dr. Anders was funded by the National Institute of Health to research minority health disparities and received funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to improve nursing education. He was elected to the American Academy of Nursing in 2007.
Dr. Anders holds a Ph.D. in public health with an emphasis in health care administration and planning and a Master of Science Nursing from the University of Hawaii. He holds a Bachelor of Science Nursing from Union College.
Duncan Anderson
Duncan Anderson is the president and CEO of Education Affiliates, a company he founded with JLL Partners. Mr. Anderson has more than 30 years of experience leading companies in various industries. He has a proven record of accomplishment in managing global business build-outs, forging strategic alliances and driving operating synergies through acquisitions and organic growth. Prior to founding Education Affiliates, Mr. Anderson was the president and CEO of Global Knowledge Network.
Mr. Anderson holds an MBA from Northeastern University and a Bachelor of Science in economics from the University of North Carolina.
Dr. Marcia Bankirer
Dr. Marcia Bankirer is the president of the Denver School of Nursing. Previously, she served as president of Argosy University, Denver campus. Prior to opening the Denver campus for Argosy in May 2006, Dr. Bankirer was the president of Argosy’s campus in Chicago. Dr. Bankirer has served as the vice provost for Central Michigan University and as academic vice president for Jones International University. She has held several key positions at Colorado State University, including associate provost. Dr. Bankirer has been an active member of the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association, and was a member of the Academic Review Council and a consultant evaluator.
Dr. Bankirer holds a Doctor of Philosophy in adult and higher education from the University of Wyoming and a Master of Education and Bachelor of Science in biological science from Colorado State University.
Natasha Blackshear
Natasha Blackshear is an attorney with Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan LLP. Previously, she was the founding member of Blackshear Capital & Legal, PLLC. Ms. Blackshear has more than 10 years of experience analyzing and valuing businesses, including five years as a venture capitalist. She is a licensed attorney in good standing in the states of Tennessee, New York and Massachusetts. Ms. Blackshear is the secretary and a commissioner of the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, positions to which she was appointed in 2003 by former Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen.
Ms. Blackshear holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School and an MBA and Bachelor of Science in applied economics and management from Cornell University.
Dr. John Bourne
John Bourne is a professor emeritus of electrical, computer and biomedical engineering at the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, Babson College and Vanderbilt University, where he was a faculty member from 1969 to 2000. Currently, he is executive director and ex-officio member of the Board of Directors of Sloan-C, a consortium of individuals, institutions and organizations committed to quality in online education. He was one of the founding faculty members of Olin College and is a past director of the Sloan Center for Online Education. Dr. Bourne founded the Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks in 1996 and remains an editor. He also served as editor-in-chief of Critical Reviews in Biomedical Engineering for 30 years and established the Asynchronous Learning Network Web in 1996 with support from the Alfred P. Sloan-C Foundation. Dr. Bourne is a fellow of the IEEE and a fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering. He is the author of numerous articles and books.
Dr. Bourne holds a Ph.D. and a Master of Science from the University of Florida and a Bachelor of Engineering from Vanderbilt University.
Robert Neumeister, Jr.
Robert Neumeister is the former executive vice president and CFO of Linux Networks. In 2008, he was interim president and CEO of Geeknet, of which he has served on the Board of Directors since 2001. Previously, Mr. Neumeister was the executive vice president and CFO of Dex Media, and the CFO of Prolexis Pharmaceuticals and Aerie Networks. Mr. Neumeister serves on the boards of Symmetricom and Covad Communications Group.
Mr. Neumeister holds an MBA from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, and a Bachelor of Arts in economics and English from Vanderbilt University.
