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Leadership & Administration

Leaders of Faith and Character

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St. Thomas President

Dr. Sinda Vanderpool

“Our leadership team is deeply committed to the mission of the University of St. Thomas. Each of these leaders brings extraordinary experience and a clear dedication to Catholic higher education and service to students populations with care and purpose. Together, we will continue forming students intellectually, professionally, and spiritually while strengthening our commitment to the Catholic intellectual tradition and the Basilian values that define our University community.”

Dr. Sinda K. Vanderpool is the tenth president of the University of St. Thomas. She made history as the first woman to lead the University in its 78-year existence. Her reputation is one of collaboration with a focus on student success and academic excellence.

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Leading with Integrity & Humility

President's Council

At UST, leadership is guided by a group of key people who help guide the University’s daily work and long-term strategy. Together, they support the mission of the University through thoughtful planning, academic leadership, operational stewardship, and care for the student experience. 

Dr. John A. Palasota

Chief of Staff,

Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness

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Dr. Joseph Wysocki

Provost

Vice President for Academic Affairs

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Harvey Werner

Vice President for Enrollment Management  

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Jennifer Hughes

Vice President for Marketing & Communications 

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Meredith McCrary

Interim Vice President of Advancement

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Sara Wofford

Interim Chief Financial Officer

Sara Wofford

Interim Chief Financial Officer

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Dr. John A. Palasota

Chief of Staff, Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness

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Studying Alongside Scholars

Meet the Deans

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Center for Thomistic Studies
Core Fellows
Philosophy
Domenic D'Ettore Ph.D.
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Nursing
Claudine Dufrene
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Education
Ana-Lisa Gonzalez, Ph.D.
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School of Theology
Rev. Richard R. Hinkley
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Doherty Library
Nicholas Kowalski
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Maia Larios-Sanz
Biology
Maia Larios-Sanz, Ph.D.
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Psychology
Jo Meier-Marquis
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Management & Marketing
Elham Mousavidin, Ph.D.
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Board of Directors

See the 2026-2027 list of the University of St. Thomas Board of Directors. 

Faithful Stewardship

Grounded in Mission

Leadership and administration at UST carry a responsibility for both the history and the legacy of the University of St. Thomas. In a place shaped by faith, reason, and human dignity, UST leaders preserve the University’s distinct identity as a leading Catholic, liberal arts university in the heart of Houston. 

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Dr. Sinda K. Vanderpool is the tenth president of the University of St. Thomas. She made history as the first woman to lead the University in its 78-year existence. Her reputation is one of collaboration with a focus on student success and academic excellence. 

Raised in Houston, Dr. Vanderpool attended West University Elementary School, Pershing Middle School and Lamar High School. Her undergraduate studies were at Davidson College in North Carolina from 1991–1995 and received her Bachelor of Arts in French Language and Literature with magna cum laude honors and high honors for her thesis on the poetry of Charles Baudelaire. As a visiting student at the Faculté des Lettres in Montpellier in southern France as a junior cultivated a distinct love for French culture, art, literature, and language. She is also a member of Phi Beta Kappa. 

At the encouragement of her professors, Dr. Vanderpool continued her journey in French literature to graduate school, receiving her Ph.D. in 16th-century French literature from Princeton University in 2004. Her scholarly pursuits, especially the poetry of Marguerite de Navarre, led her to delve deeply into the literature of Catholic saints and mystics. This contributed to her conversion from the Protestant faith to the Catholic faith in 2006, as well as her expertise in the liberal arts and the Catholic intellectual tradition. 

Dr. Vanderpool began her career in higher education at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, as an instructor of modern foreign languages. In 2006, she became director of advisement for the College of Arts and Sciences and was promoted in 2009 to assistant vice provost for enrollment management, later becoming associate vice provost for academic enrollment in 2014.  

Serving in multiple leadership roles, Dr. Vanderpool built a nationally-recognized model of wraparound support for first-generation, low-income, veteran and underrepresented students. 

At Baylor, she was awarded the UnidosUS Grant twice to support Latino/a students, the McNair Scholars Program Grant from the U.S. Department of Education and the Texas Women in Higher Ed Regional Grant.  

Dr. Vanderpool was recruited in 2022 to serve as the fourth and first female president and vice chancellor of St. Mary’s University in Calgary, Alberta, where she guided the institution through a period of growth and innovation. During her tenure, she received approval for its first graduate program, increased its overall endowment from $24M to $40M, created a governmental relations strategy to advance knowledge of the institution, among many other accolades.  

Becoming president of the University of St. Thomas in 2025, Dr. Vanderpool is leading efforts to strengthen the University’s Catholic mission, expand academic excellence and advance opportunities for students across Houston and beyond. Her most recent awards include Lamar High School Distinguished Alumni, the Humanitarian Award in the category of Philanthropic in Education from The Latino Learning Center, and Texas 100 Most Influential People from the Houston Business Journal.  

Moving to Houston marks a homecoming, and the community looks forward to her distinguished scholarship, administrative leadership, passion for student success and deep Texas roots. 

“Leading others is an opportunity to serve that carries tremendous responsibilities. I am committed to supporting the university’s mission through collaboration, accountability, and a shared commitment to continuous improvement.”

Dr. John A. Palasota has more than 20 years of progressive leadership experience in higher education.  Throughout his career, he has served in a variety of leadership roles, including Program Director, Department Chair, Associate Dean, Division Dean, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Dr. Palasota has extensive experience working collaboratively with faculty, department chairs, and deans to develop and strengthen academic programs, advance curriculum innovation, and support institutional priorities.  He has led academic program assessment, review, and improvement efforts, guided the development and implementation of new academic programs, and helped foster a culture of continuous improvement and accountability.

A strong advocate for faculty development, Dr. Palasota has supported faculty throughout their professional careers through evaluation, mentoring, promotion, and tenure processes. He has also collaborated with Board members, community leaders, and external stakeholders on strategic initiatives that advance institutional mission and long-term goals.  In his current role, Dr. Palasota works closely with university leadership on strategic planning, institutional effectiveness, accreditation, and university-wide initiatives.  His leadership is characterized by a collaborative approach, a commitment to academic excellence, and a dedication to advancing student success and institutional mission.

“I am drawn to the University of St. Thomas because its academic programs exemplify one of the strongest integrations of the active and contemplative life in Catholic higher education today. UST’s commitment to liberal arts, professional formation and the Catholic intellectual tradition make it a truly distinctive institution.”

Dr. Joseph Wysocki began his role as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs on July 1, 2026.

He joined UST from Belmont Abbey College, where he currently serves as provost and previously served as interim president. A political philosopher specializing in constitutional law and political philosophy, Dr. Wysocki earned his Ph.D. from Baylor University and is the founding dean of Belmont Abbey’s Great Books Honors College.

An experienced academic leader and published scholar, Dr. Wysocki has championed Catholic liberal arts education throughout his career. He also serves as a Senior Fellow of the Albertus Magnus Institute.

“Today’s world desperately needs more young professionals who are educated and formed in the Catholic intellectual tradition. I have been blessed to help facilitate this throughout my career in Catholic higher education. I am looking forward to joining the University of St. Thomas community, where I see tremendous opportunities to continue this service to society and to witness to our Catholic faith through the work we do every day.” 

Harvey Werner currently serves as the University of St. Thomas Vice President of Enrollment Management. He previously served as the Assistant Vice President of Enrollment Management at Loyola University New Orleans, where he has continued a distinguished career of nearly 20 years in admissions and enrollment management, with deep expertise in enrollment strategy. In addition to setting and enacting enrollment strategy for the university, Harvey will oversee the Office of Admissions, the Registrar’s Office, and the Office of Financial Aid.  

During his tenure at Loyola, Harvey has overseen several notable accomplishments, including: 

  • Leading the largest incoming undergraduate class in Loyola’s history (Fall 2021)
  • Guiding the university through its largest application growth on record, exceeding 8,000 applications (Fall 2026)
  • Managing an annual $5 million operating budget, with an aggregate net tuition revenue goal of approximately $12 million for first‑time incoming freshmen 

 

Harvey is deeply engaged in the professional enrollment community. His leadership includes hosting an international Association of College Admission Counseling conference, serving on a National Association of Foreign Student Advisers annual conference planning committee, and leading multiple international recruitment tours. He currently serves as Treasurer of the National Catholic College Admission Association Board of Directors, reflecting both his professional standing and his commitment to Catholic higher education. 

Harvey holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication from Louisiana State University and an MBA from Loyola. 

“What draws me most to this role is the University’s commitment to its Catholic identity and to the principles articulated in Ex Corde Ecclesiae. The document’s call for Catholic institutions to integrate faith and reason, cultivate moral leadership, and serve the common good resonates deeply with me. Throughout my career, I have been guided by my own Catholic faith and values of integrity, service, and human dignity—principles that align closely with the mission of UST. I would welcome the opportunity to help ensure the university’s Catholic character is expressed authentically and compellingly across all communications, brand assets, and storytelling.” 

Jennifer Hughes is the Vice President for Marketing Communications at the University of St. Thomas. She brings more than 25 years of experience as a strategic communications and marketing executive, with a distinguished career spanning global industry, higher education, and public affairs. 

She is known for elevating institutional reputation, shaping disciplined and mission-aligned narratives, and leading high-performing creative, digital and communications teams. As a lifelong Catholic, she is “inspired by the opportunity to help elevate the visibility, reputation, and mission of UST.”  

Most recently, Jennifer served as Senior Director of Communications and Government Affairs for Cyclyx International, a joint venture of LyondellBasell, ExxonMobil and Agilyx, where she led internal and external communications, media relations, brand strategy and stakeholder engagement. 

Prior to that, she held several senior leadership roles at ExxonMobil, including Global Head of Creative Communications, where she led the corporation’s in-house creative agency and oversaw enterprise storytelling, multimedia strategy and global brand management. During that time, she advised senior executives, led integrated communications campaigns across North America, Asia and the Middle East, and directed crisis communications during complex, high-profile events. 

Importantly, Jennifer spent the first years of her career as a journalist, so her public relations work is guided by direct expertise and inner knowledge. Jennifer also brings experience in higher education, having served as a professor of mass communications and a marketing and communications director at Louisiana State University. Her work included supporting nationally recognized academic programs, advancing research communications and serving in a public information role during Hurricane Katrina response efforts. She looks forward to the opportunity to be an adjunct at UST too!  

She holds a master’s degree in public affairs and technology and a bachelor’s degree in mass communication and public relations from Louisiana State University, and she is accredited in public relations (APR). 

Meredith McCrary ’03, MLA ’24 serves as Interim Vice President of Advancement, where she oversees fundraising for the University. 

McCrary has more than 20 years of experience in development. Before joining UST in 2013, she held roles at several Houston institutions, including Rice University, The Health Museum, Houston Grand Opera, Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation and St. Luke’s Hospital. 

She returned to UST as Campaign Director to lead the University’s $146 million Faith in Our Future campaign, which included the Center for Science and Health Professions as its largest priority. Since then, she has held several leadership roles in University Advancement, working closely with donors and University leadership to secure support for scholarships, academic programs, endowed funds, capital projects, and other University priorities. 

A two-time UST graduate, McCrary earned undergraduate degrees in English and Communication in 2003 and her Master of Liberal Arts in 2024. As a student, she participated in the Honors Program, served as a Presidential Ambassador, and was the first Chief Justice of the Student Government Association. 

McCrary’s connection to UST and to philanthropy is personal. She attended UST on scholarship and credits that support with making her own UST education possible. That experience continues to shape her work and her commitment to providing the same opportunities for future students.