About Us

Dr. Jennifer N. McDonough is the Senior Associate Vice President for Strategy Management, overseeing the Office of Strategy Management and reporting to the Senior VP and Provost. She provides leadership for the university in the areas of strategic planning, portfolio and project management, organizational assessment and implementation and alignment of key university initiatives.
 

As a first-generation college student, Jennifer understands the value and impact of a college education and is passionate about creating opportunities for success to advance the institution’s mission.  Jennifer has extensive experience in strategy development, organizational change management, process improvement, operational assessment, and project management.
 

Jennifer is a three-time alum of Kent State, earning her Bachelor of Arts in English, Master of Education in Higher Education Administration and Student Personnel and a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration.  In addition, during her doctoral program at Kent State University she served as the Graduate Student Trustee on Kent State University’s Board of Trustees.  Furthermore, she holds her Project Management Professional (PMP) certification and Strategic Management Performance System certification.

Jennifer Richmond is the Office of Strategy Management Administrative Assistant.  She has been in Higher Education for over 7 years.  Before Jennifer moved to Northeast Ohio she worked in Admissions for the Saint Louis University, School for Professional Studies.

Jennifer received her undergraduate education at Drury College, Springfield, Missouri.  After college, she spent several years working for Herman Miller and later staying home with her two children, in St. Louis, Missouri. She moved to Ohio in 2010 and loves Kent State and the local community.

Michealle is a project management professional with over 20 years’ experience, 16 of which has been at Kent State. She currently serves as the Director of Strategy Management in the Office of Strategy Management.

Michealle received her associates, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees from Kent State. She has industry recognized certifications in project management, lean, agile and strategic planning. She has led many successful strategic programs and projects at Kent State including the Graduation Planning System, One Stop for Student Services, FlashFolio and Flash Survey.

Shelly Casto is a Project Management Specialist within the Office of Strategy Management. Earning her B.S. in Computer Technology, she brings over 25 years of experience of operations within KSU and Higher Education, ranging from student engagement at the Bursar’s Office to computer software implementation and technical support in KSU’s Parking Services. Several years were spent as a Business Analyst with a parking software company which gave her experience in project management as well as working with various levels of leadership in Higher Education while planning and implementing software to meet their needs. Upon returning to KSU employment, she earned a Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) certificate from the Project Management Institute and is a Kent State-recognized Lean Practitioner.

Anthony Peake is a Project Management Specialist within the Office of Strategy Management. He brings with him 10 years of experience engaging in a variety of operations within Higher Education, ranging from computer software implementation to facilities maintenance. He pursued his education in Computer Technology here at Kent State University, is recognized by the Project Management Institute as a Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM), and is a Kent State-recognized Lean Practitioner. His experience in project management has led to the successful implementation and continued support of Kent State's Flash Survey course evaluation system. In his free time, Anthony enjoys embarking on - and sometimes completing - home DIY projects and playing too many video games.