Associate Vice President

Dana Lawless-Andric, Ph.D.

Associate Vice President
University Outreach and Engagement

Education

• B.A., Psychology & Philosophy, University of Mount Union
•  M.Ed., Higher Education Administration, Kent State University
• Ph.D., Cultural Foundations of Education, Kent State University
  • Research areas: Access, Educational Opportunity, Equity and Capabilities
  • Teaching areas:  Multicultural Education Theory & Scholarship; Multicultural Education Policy & Practice; Critical Social Research; Education in a Democratic Society

Job Description

Dr. Lawless-Andric provides leadership, coordination and supervision for division-level projects and initiatives for the Office of the Provost and provides community leadership for the university with specific leadership for University Outreach and Engagement efforts.  She assists the Senior Vice President and Provost in the leadership and administration of all community and pipeline engagement within the Division of Academic Affairs.

Direct Reports

• Sonya Williams, Executive Director
• Sherylynn Chapman-Thomas, Associate Director
• Danielle Green-Welch, Academy Director, First Star Kent State
• Jennifer Bishop, Special Assistant

BIO

Dr. Dana Lawless-Andric serves as the Associate Vice President Office of University Engagement & Outreach, a newly created department in the Provost Office. The office serves as the lead for Town & Gown relationships; mission-based pipeline efforts, including the university’s 3 federally funded Upward Bound TRIO programs, the LeBron James Family Foundation, Akron Public Schools partnerships, and First Star Foster Youth program. This office focuses on increasing community engagement and development initiatives.  
 
Prior to this role, Dr. Lawless-Andric served as Associate Vice president for the division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). One of her proudest accomplishments is the development, planning and implementation of the DEI Education & Training Lab that has been nationally recognized. Other responsibilities included: implementation for broad-based inclusion strategies; coordination for the university’s climate study and Great Place initiative; and, the Division‘s Engagement Centers.
 
She has been active at the state, regional and national level in diversity work, policy analysis, access and graduation advocacy for first-generation, limited-income students. Dr. Lawless-Andric’s research and teaching includes the public role of higher education; access and educational opportunity; critical social research; and equity & capabilities.  She is a recent graduate from Leadership Akron’s Signature Class and serves on the East Akron Neighborhood Development Corporation and the American Red Cross Greater Akron and the Mahoning Valley boards. 
 
Dr. Lawless - Andric earned a bachelor's degree in Psychology and Philosophy from Mount Union College, a Master's degree in Higher Education Administration at Kent State. She recently completed her doctoral degree in Cultural Foundations of Education at Kent State.
 
She is proud to be married to the love of her life Mike, a middle school principal, and the mother of two “furry” children, Boo and Zelda.

Contact

dlawless@kent.edu, [o] 330-672-1980