Leadership Team

Interim Chancellor Jeffrey Robinson is an internationally known author and co-founder of the Center for Urban Entrepreneurship and Economic Development. Robinson holds the Prudential Chair in Business and is Professor of Management and Global Business at Rutgers Business School (RBS).

Bonnie Veysey has served as a professor and former interim dean of the School of Criminal Justice. Since 1998, she has held many leadership roles at Rutgers-Newark, including Vice Chancellor for Planning and Implementation. Veysey has a PhD in Sociology and a Masters in Rehabilitation Counseling from the University at Albany. She holds a BA in Judaic Studies from the University of Albany. Veysey’s research has focused on behavioral health and justice issues, including mental health and substance abuse treatment in jails and prisons.

Erica Williams is the Acting Senior Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at Rutgers University-Newark. Ms. Williams oversees a range of professionals and departments dedicated to student life and leadership, health & wellness, athletics, diversity & inclusion, and housing & residential life.

Corlisse Thomas is the Senior Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at Rutgers University-Newark. Dr. Thomas oversees a range of professionals and departments dedicated to student life and leadership, health and wellness, athletics, diversity and inclusion, and housing and residential life. Corlisse is serving as an ACE Fellow for the 2024-2025 academic year.

Randall Isaac was previously retail manager at Rutgers-Newark and has held positions at Apple, where he was business administrator, and Coach, where he was Senior Manager of Vendor Service and Accounts Payable. His skills include budgets, negotiating and auditing. He holds an A.S. in Business Administration and Computer Science from Thomas Edison University.

Bil Leipold is the Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Services & Experience. He leads the university’s communications efforts and supports Interim Chancellor Jeffrey Robinson and his leadership team in coordination of activities across their divisions. The former Associate Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Services & Experiences at Rutgers University-Newark he oversaw the Offices of Financial Aid, Registrar and Admissions as well as the Center for Pre-College Programs.

Robyn Brady Ince is the Executive Director of the Newark City of Learning Collaborative and Assistant Professor of Professional Practice in the Department of Urban Education at Rutgers University–Newark. Robyn has extensive experience in strategic program design, development, and implementation; youth leadership development; philanthropy; college access; higher education; and diversity recruiting.

Jennifer M. Bucalo is the Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives, as well as the Director of the BOLD Women's Leadership Network at Rutgers University - Newark. Prior to this role, she proudly served as a New York City Board of Education teacher for nearly ten years. Her dissertation was nationally awarded for focusing on Resiliency and Factors Contributing to the Latina Collegian Experience. She is also dedicated and has published research that focuses on Hispanic health disparities as it pertains to cancer prevention.

John Gunkel is Vice Chancellor for Academic Programs and Strategic Partnerships, Rutgers University–Newark, in which capacity he oversees the university’s offices of academic technology and scheduling, summer & winter session, student retention, and institutional effectiveness and coordinates the university’s academic labor relations, academic advisement, assessment, program development.

LaToya A. Battle-Brown is currently the Assistant Chancellor of Enrollment Management and Dean of Admissions at Rutgers University–Newark. She manages the Office of Graduate and Undergraduate Admissions and leads a team of thirteen professionals in all aspects of the recruitment and admissions enrollment processes.

Diane Hill is the Assistant Chancellor for University-Community Partnerships at Rutgers University-Newark, with over 30 years of experience in leadership positions. For over fifteen years Diane has administered the Office of University-Community Partnerships (OUCP).

Shante is a public affairs executive, community advocate and college professor. Her tenure in government, community relations, higher education and grassroots campaigns spans over a decade and demonstrates exceptional experience and professional distinction. By training and professional principle, Shante serves the public interest by acting as a responsible advocate for those she represents.

Charles M. Payne is the Henry Rutgers Distinguished Professor of African American Studies at Rutgers University- Newark where he also directs the Joseph Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Research. His interests include urban education and school reform, social inequality, social change and modern African American history. 

In his capacity as a Senior Vice Chancellor for Research and Collaboration, Piotr Piotrowiak is dedicated to facilitating and supporting all aspects of the research mission, focusing on fostering the continuum of sponsored research, graduate and undergraduate education, and outreach. 

Robin Semple is Vice Chancellor for Advancement at Rutgers University – Newark. She came into this position in Spring 2022 with more than 25 years’ experience in fundraising leadership from cultural institutions such as the Studio Museum in Harlem, as an independent consultant, and from higher education institutions including Columbia University, City College of New York, and Fordham University.

A scholar, writer, and activist, Salamishah Tillet was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 2022 for her work as a contributing critic at large for The New York Times where she has been writing since 2015. Currently, she is the Henry Rutgers Professor of Creative Writing and African American and African Studies and the director of Express Newark, a center for socially engaged art and design at Rutgers University - Newark.