Wells College’s 19th President
Jonathan Gibralter, Ph.D.—President
President Gibralter arrived at Wells in July 2015. His leadership is marked by a deep understanding of the current climate for higher education and the undergraduate experience; a demonstrated commitment to student well-being and environmental sustainability; extensive expertise in fiscal management; and the creativity and courage to pursue innovative solutions.
Before coming to Wells, he served as president of Frostburg State University in western Maryland. He began his career in higher education with the State University of New York (SUNY) system. Following appointments as a faculty member, academic program director and associate dean for the school of liberal arts at Morrisville, he served as dean of academic affairs, campus dean and interim president in the SUNY community college system, ultimately assuming the presidency of Farmingdale State College.
President Gibralter earned his B.A. in psychology from Binghamton University; his master’s degree in counseling psychology from New York University; a doctorate in human development from Syracuse University; and an MBA from the University of Maryland's University College (now known as the University of Maryland Global Campus).
The President’s Cabinet
President Gibralter is supported in these efforts by the members of his senior leadership team, who bring a variety of experience and perspectives to their roles. You can read more about each Cabinet member below.
Amy Considine—Vice President for Workforce Partnerships
Amy began at Wells mid-October 2022, bringing over 25 years of senior leadership experience spanning multiple industries. In her most recent role as President and Founder of Integrative Insights Group, LLC., she provided transformational executive leadership coaching and career development services. Prior to launching Integrative Insights Group, she was an executive leader at Enpro Industries holding leadership position in global supply chain, corporate and divisional business units, established global project management office (PMO), implemented enterprise-wide ERP and Customer Experience (CX) systems, and guided organizational culture change through high-performance team building, collaboration, and idea meritocracy. Prior to her roles at Enpro, Considine held positions in global supply chain, information technology, and process improvement for organizations including General Motors, Wegmans Food Markets, and Xerox Corporation. Along with her professional experience, Considine has conducted research on job satisfaction and retention to help organizations understand, integrate, and harness the unique characteristics of today’s emerging workforce. She holds a B.A. in psychology from SUNY Geneseo, an M.S. in business management from Nazareth College, and an Ed.D. in executive leadership from St. John Fisher University. She also holds a certificate in organization change leadership from Cornell University.
Robert A. Cree—Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Robert, who previously held the position of chief financial officer from August 2015 through August 2019, returned to Wells in January 2021. He earned his B.S. in accounting from SUNY Empire State College and his MBA from Ithaca College. Robert has worked in higher education for over 20 years, including in similar roles at Ithaca College and Clarkson University.
Susan Henking—Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs
Susan, a seasoned higher education professional with decades of academic and executive leadership experience, began her tenure at Wells in July 2022. She is a teacher–scholar in religious studies whose work has focused on cultural understandings of American religion as well as the theoretical and conceptual relation of religion to gender and sexuality. For over 25 years, she taught in the Department of Religious Studies at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, and was named professor emerita of religious studies in 2015. More recently, she served as president and CEO of Shimer College in Chicago, and as interim vice president of academic affairs and student affairs—and later president—at Salem Academy and College, one of the oldest women's colleges in the U.S. Susan earned a B.A. in religion and sociology from Duke University; she later earned her M.A. at the University of Chicago Divinity School, where she also obtained her Ph.D. in religion and psychological studies.
Larry Jerome—Vice President for Advancement
Larry began at Wells August 1, 2019. He has significant experience in higher education and health care sector fundraising. He holds a B.A. in government from St. Lawrence University (Canton, N.Y.). Larry came to Wells from Cone Health in Greensboro, NC, where he served as senior vice president for institutional advancement and worked to build a new culture of philanthropy and exceeded yearly fundraising goals; he also was involved in improving the community and donor relations. Larry and the entire Advancement team welcome students, faculty, staff and visitors to stop by Pettibone House anytime for a quick hello or to help make connections to Wells alumnae and alumni.
Karey Pine—Associate Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs
Karey began at Wells mid-September 2022, bringing 35 years of experience in higher education. Her academic life has led her to a variety of prestigious institutions around upstate New York: Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Rochester Institute of Technology, the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at RIT, the College at Brockport, and most recently, Cazenovia College, where she served as vice president for student affairs for four years. With her deep understanding of the region, make her a strong advocate to support growth, diversity, and first-generation students at Wells. As the associate vice president, she will act as the chief student affairs leader overseeing all aspects of campus and student life, including Title IX. Karey received her Ed.D. in executive leadership from St. John Fisher University and a M.S. focusing in career and human resource development from Rochester Institute of Technology, and a B.A from William Smith College in economics.
Gerard Turbide—Vice President for Enrollment Services
Gerard began at Wells in July of 2019. Prior to coming to Wells, he served Ithaca College in a range of positions including vice president for enrollment management and director of admission. He also held positions in residence life at Bucknell University and St. Lawrence University. Gerard received his B.A. in mathematics from SUNY Potsdam and his master’s of education in counseling and human development from St. Lawrence.