Senior Student Affairs Officers

Senior Student Affairs Officers (SSAOs) are senior-level administrators charged with leading Student Affairs functions at each Minnesota State college and university.

Specific functional areas within divisions of student affairs vary by college and university; however, all SSAOs provide leadership in areas that foster student success, equity and inclusion, and support the academic mission of each college and university. SSAOs collaborate broadly across Minnesota State and are often called upon to provide leadership as part of systemwide projects and initiatives.

SSAO Directory

Senior Student Affairs Officers Directory
College or University SSAO Name Title Email
Alexandria Technical & Community College Sara Fier Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs sara.fier@alextech.edu
Anoka Technical College Steve Crittenden Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs steve.crittenden@anokaramsey.edu
Anoka Technical College Thom Nordin Dean of Student Affairs thom.nordin@anokaramsey.edu
Anoka-Ramsey Community College Brian Wollum Interim Dean of Student Affairs brian.wollum@anokaramsey.edu
Anoka-Ramsey Community College Lisa Harris Dean of Student Affairs lisa.harris@anokaramsey.edu
Bemidji State University Kevin Stensberg Senior Student Affairs Officer kevin.stensberg@bemidjistate.edu
Bemidji State University Ben Hoffman Interim Vice President for Enrollment Management benjamin.hoffman@bemidjistate.edu
Central Lakes College Cheryl Norman Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs cheryl.norman@clcmn.edu
Central Lakes College Mary Sam Dean of Students, Equity and Inclusion mary.sam@clcmn.edu
Central Lakes College Paul Preimesberger Dean of Enrollment Management and Student Success ppreimesberger@clcmn.edu
Century College Pakou Yang Vice President of Academic and Students Affairs, Provost pakou.yang@century.edu
Dakota County Technical College Anne Johnson Vice President of Student Affairs anne.johnson@dctc.edu 
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College Damien Paulson Interim Vice President of Student Services and Enrollment Management dpaulson@fdltcc.edu
Hennepin Technical College Leanne Rogstad Vice President of Academic and Students Affairs leanne.rogstad@hennepintech.edu
Hennepin Technical College Debra Newgard Dean of Enrollment Services debra.newgard@hennepintech.edu
Inver Hills Community College Kari Rusch-Curl Vice President of Student Affairs krusch-curl@inverhills.edu
Lake Superior College Linda Kingston Vice President of Academic and Students Affairs linda.kingston@lsc.edu
Metro State University Audrey Bergengren Vice President for Strategic Enrollment Management and Marketing audrey.bergengren@metrostate.edu
Metro State University Bobbie Anderson Vice President of Student Success roberta.anderson@metrostate.edu
Minneapolis College Patrick Troup Vice President of Student Affairs patrick.troup@minneapoilis.edu
Minnesota North College Bart Johnson Vice President of Academic and Students Affairs bart.johnson@minnesotanorth.edu
Minnesota North College Richard (Rick) Kangas Associate Vice President of Student Affairs richard.kangas@minnesotanorth.edu
Minnesota State College Southeast Amy Maxeiner Vice President of Student Success amy.maxeiner@southeastmn.edu
Minnesota State Community and Technical College Elise Sturdivant Vice President of Student Success elise.sturdivant@minnesota.edu
Minnesota State University, Mankato David Jones Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management david.jones@mnsu.edu
Minnesota State University Moorhead Arrick Jackson Provost and Senior Vice President of Student Affairs arrick.jackson@mnstate.edu
Minnesota State University Moorhead Jason Trainer Vice President of Strategic Enrollment Management jason.trainer@mnstate.edu
Minnesota West Community & Technical College Arthur Brown Provost arthur.brown@mnwest.edu
Minnesota West Community & Technical College Rebecca Weber Dean of Student Services rebecca.weber@mnwest.edu
Normandale Community College Dara Hagen Vice President of Student Affairs dara.hagen@normandale.edu
North Hennepin Community College Julio Vargas-Essex Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management julio.Vargas-Essex@nhcc.edu
Northland Community & Technical College John Fields Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs john.fields@northlandcollege.edu 
Northwest Technical College Kevin Stensberg Senior Student Affairs Officer kevin.stensberg@bemidjistate.edu
Northwest Technical College Ben Hoffman Interim Vice President for Enrollment Management benjamin.hoffman@bemidjistate.edu
Pine Technical & Community College Mike Colestock Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs mike.colestock@pine.edu
Ridgewater College Kelly Magnuson Vice President of Enrollment and Advancement kelly.magnuson@ridgewater.edu
Riverland Community College Heather Conley Vice President of Academics and Innovation heather.conley@riverland.edu
Riverland Community College Heather Harms Interim Dean of Student Affairs heather.harms@riverland.edu
Rochester Community and Technical College Teresa Brown Vice President of Student Affairs teresa.brown@rctc.edu
Saint Paul College Greg Rathert Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs greg.rathert@saintpaul.edu
South Central College Judy Endres Vice President of Student Affairs judy.endres@southcentral.edu
South Central College Jordan Orzoff Vice President of Enrollment Management and Institutional Effectiveness jordan.orzoff@southcentral.edu
Southwest Minnesota State University Ross Wastvedt Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs ross.wastvedt@smsu.edu
Southwest Minnesota State University Jeremy Reed Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management jeremy.reed@smsu.edu
St. Cloud State University Jason Woods Vice President for Strategic Enrollment Management and Student Affairs jlwoods@stcloudstate.edu
St. Cloud Technical & Community College Andrew Pflipsen Vice President of Student Affairs andrew.pflipsen@sctcc.edu
Winona State University Denise McDowell Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Life dmcdowell@winona.edu