Angela Spalsbury, Ph.D.
Biography
Angela Spalsbury, Ph.D., serves as dean and chief administrative officer of Kent State University at Geauga and the Twinsburg Academic Center, where she provides leadership for academic programs, student success initiatives, campus operations, and community partnerships. Since joining Kent State Geauga in 2018, she has worked to strengthen educational opportunities, expand workforce pathways, and build partnerships that connect the university with the needs of Northeast Ohio.
A Kent State alumna, Spalsbury also serves as interim associate vice president for the Regional Campus System, providing strategic leadership across Kent State’s seven Regional Campuses and the Twinsburg Academic Center. In this role, she collaborates with campus leaders to advance student success, strengthen academic and workforce initiatives, and enhance access to higher education throughout the region.
During her tenure as dean, Spalsbury has led efforts to expand academic programming and create new pathways for students in high demand fields. Under her leadership, Kent State Geauga has developed new opportunities in health care, business, and workforce education through partnerships with organizations including Paul Mitchell The School, the International Culinary Arts and Sciences Institute, and University Hospitals Geauga Medical Center.
She has supported the growth of nursing, respiratory therapy, and medical assisting programs, including the development of advanced learning environments that allow students to gain hands on experience through innovative classroom technology. She has also led investments in nursing simulation laboratories, academic spaces, instructional technology, and collaborative learning environments designed to enhance the student experience.
Spalsbury is committed to ensuring that Kent State Geauga and the Twinsburg Academic Center serve as accessible and innovative educational partners for students, employers, and communities throughout Northeast Ohio. She has cultivated partnerships with school districts, health care organizations, businesses, and economic development organizations to connect education with regional workforce needs.
She played a leadership role in the Berkshire Local Schools PRIME initiative, a nationally recognized K through 16 educational partnership that brings together College Credit Plus opportunities, career pathways, workforce experiences, and shared educational resources. She also represented Kent State during the planning and construction of the Berkshire Local School facility on Geauga Campus property.
Through her leadership, Kent State Geauga has expanded workforce development opportunities, professional education, and customized training in collaboration with organizations including Geauga Growth Partnership, the Twinsburg Chamber of Commerce, OhioMeansJobs, and regional employers. Her efforts have helped secure more than $900,000 in competitive grant funding supporting workforce development, nursing education, distance learning technology, student scholarships, food security, and campus safety.
Spalsbury believes strongly in the importance of community engagement and has served on numerous nonprofit, health care, educational, and economic development boards and committees throughout Northeast Ohio, including the Geauga Growth Partnership Board of Directors, University Hospitals Geauga Board of Directors, Cleveland Foundation Lake Geauga Fund Advisory Committee, Geauga County Jobs and Family Services Advisory Board, and Twinsburg Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.
Before joining Kent State, Spalsbury served as chair of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Youngstown State University, where she began her academic career in 2001 as an assistant professor and advanced through the ranks to professor and department chair. Earlier in her career, she held faculty positions at John Carroll University, Hiram College, and the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Spalsbury earned her doctorate in mathematics from Kent State University and is a past president of Pi Mu Epsilon, the national mathematics honor society.