RH Perry & Associates Recruits Provost for New Mexico Highlands University
August 5, 2025 – RH Perry & Associates has assisted in the recruitment of Dann Brown as the new provost and vice president of academic affairs of New Mexico Highlands University (NMHU). The assignment was led by senior consultants Sue DeWine and Pam Shockley-Zalabak. “The experience Dr. Brown brings to NMHU will serve our institution well as we pursue innovative and transformational change initiatives,” said Neil Woolf, president. “Dann has a track record of implementing transformational change initiatives and a wealth of experience across higher education. We’re excited for his arrival.”
Dr. Brown is an experienced higher education administrator with nearly 20 years serving in virtually every facet of academic administration on regional comprehensive, doctoral-granting, and Emerging Research University campuses in New Mexico and Texas. He earned his PhD in plant pathology from Oklahoma State University and MS/BS in biology from Pittsburg State University.
Dr. Brown began his faculty career at Eastern New Mexico University, where he taught biology and agriculture, launched new degree programs, and served as coordinator of Freshman Studies. He has worked at three Hispanic-serving institutions and authored, received, and directed over $23 million in U.S. Department of Education Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions grants.
“I’m looking forward to coming to New Mexico Highlands and working with an exceptional faculty, staff, and student body,” Dr. Brown said. “Everyone I’ve met has been so helpful, and I have no doubt we can achieve great things at New Mexico Highlands University.”
Last year, New Mexico Highlands University also used RH Perry & Associates to recruit Mr. Woolf as its president. He was selected from a field of over 80 candidates. The board of regents charged the search committee and its chairman, Brandon Kempner, to conduct an open and transparent search that incorporated feedback received from students, staff, faculty, alumni, and the residents of the Las Vegas community, the advice and assistance of RH Perry & Associates, and within the parameters set out by New Mexico state statute. Hundreds of stakeholders responded to a feedback survey conducted on campus and in the community at the outset of the search.
New Mexico Highlands University was founded in 1893. It is a public, state-funded, regional comprehensive university. The school is a Hispanic Serving Institution and an aspiring Native American Serving Non-Tribal Institution, with open admissions and master’s level programs serving more than 68 percent Hispanic, Native American, and African American students.
Related: RH Perry & Associates Recruits CFO for California State University Stanislaus
Established in 1974, RH Perry & Associates offers strong credentials and experience in academic executive search, having completed well over 1,000 searches in its history. Serving both two-year and four-year institutions, the firm’s higher education practice consists of senior-level executives with a well-balanced mix of college and university presidential and senior administrative experience and executive search expertise. Headquartered in Ashville, NC, RH Perry’s consultants maintain offices in Washington, D.C., Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.
Dr. DeWine has 45 years of experience as a higher education administrator and fundraiser. She joined RH Perry & Associates in 2015 after more than 40 years in higher education. She has had a successful career in academia with extensive experience as an administrator, fundraiser, and communication consultant. She was a full professor and consultant to industry in a large public institution and provost and president at two small private colleges. Her expertise lies in academic leadership.
The Select Guide to America’s Top 250 Executive Search Firms
Hunt Scanlon Media proudly presents the Select Guide to America’s Top 250 Executive Search Firms.
This comprehensive online directory is your definitive resource for finding the best executive search firms to serve your talent needs.
Our guide is meticulously curated to connect you with leading firms that specialize in various industries and functions, ensuring you find the perfect match for your executive recruitment needs.
Dr. Shockley-Zalabak joined RH Perry & Associates in 2023 after more than 35 years in higher education. She is chancellor and professor emerita of the University of Colorado Colorado Springs and the author of nine books and over 100 other publications and productions. Dr. Shockley-Zalabak is also president of CommuniCon Inc., an organizational and leadership development corporation, with clients in the U.S. and Europe.
Hudson Valley Community College Search
RH Perry & Associates also recently helped to recruit Michael S. Brophy as the 8th president of Hudson Valley Community College. He was selected as president of Hudson Valley following a national search that began in fall 2024 with the appointment of a 24-member presidential search committee and hiring of the executive search firm RH Perry. He participated in numerous open meetings with members of the campus community and college stakeholders in February, following interviews with the presidential search committee comprised of students, faculty, staff, alumni, trustees, board members and local leaders.
The SUNY board of trustees said: “SUNY’s community colleges are engines of student success and upward mobility and play a vital role in our state’s economic growth and workforce development. We are grateful to the search committee at Hudson Valley for bringing a strong candidate to move their campus forward at this exciting moment for New York’s community colleges.”
Related: RH Perry & Associates Recruits President for Onondaga Community College
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
