December 14, 2021

Nancy Marchand-Martella, Ph.D., has been named Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs of the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. Her tenure will begin July 1, 2022.

Marchand-Martella comes to UCCS from Purdue University, where she has served as the Suzi and Dale Gallagher Dean of the College of Education since 2018. She has 30 years’ experience as a faculty member, teaching both undergraduate and graduate courses.

As UCCS’ Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Marchand-Martella will be the Chief Academic Officer of the university, providing primary administrative leadership, direction and evaluation for all academic activities and faculty affairs of UCCS.

“In her time at Purdue and throughout her career, Nancy has prioritized innovation initiatives, strategic planning, online education and the advancement of a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion — priorities that are in strong alignment with UCCS’ strategic goals,” said Venkat Reddy, Chancellor of UCCS. “We are thrilled to welcome her to the UCCS community.” 

Marchand-Martella brings a wealth of experience to the role of Provost at UCCS. Prior to her appointment at Purdue, she was Chair of the Department of Educational Psychology and the Hardman Endowed Chair of Education at the University of Oklahoma. She spent many years on the faculty at Eastern Washington University (EWU) in the Departments of Counseling, Educational, and Developmental Psychology and Curriculum and Instruction. Prior to EWU, she worked at the University of Montana, Drake University and Gonzaga University. Marchand-Martella earned her B.A. in Psychology from Purdue University, her M.S. in Behavior Analysis and Therapy from Southern Illinois University, and her Ph.D. in Special Education from Utah State University.

Kelli Klebe, Interim Provost, will continue to serve in the role through the end of the fiscal year before transitioning back into her full-time role as Dean of the Graduate School at UCCS.

A number of UCCS faculty, staff, students, alumni and community served on the Provost search committee. These individuals include:

Mary Ann Cutter, Co-Chair, Professor of Philosophy  
Don Rabern, Co-Chair, Dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science 
Jackie Berning, Professor and Chair of the Department of Health Sciences 
Laura Eurich, Senior Instructor and Associate Chair of the Department of Communication 
Emily Gregory, junior Mechanical Engineering major and President of the Student Governance Association 
Chuck Litchfield, Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance 
Sarah Long, Assistant Director of the Gateway Program Seminar and President of the Staff Association 
Karen Markel, Dean of the College of Business 
Federico “Freddy” Martínez-García, Assistant Professor and Director of Access Services in the Kraemer Family Library 
Pat McGuire, Associate Professor of Teaching and Learning and Co-Director of UCCSTeach 
Becky Medved MBA ’87, retired entrepreneur  
David Moon, Professor of Political Science, MPA Director and President of Faculty Assembly 
Susan Taylor, Professor of English and Associate Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate Education and Academic Planning 
Henriikka Weir, Associate Professor and Internship Coordinator for Department of Criminal Justice 

In addition, several members of the campus and wider community participated in the first round of interviews. These individuals include:

Lauren Butler, Visual and Performing Arts student and former Senator-at-Large of the Student Government Association
Alex Baker, Case Manager for the Dean of Students, and Past President of Staff Association
David Weiss, Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Past President of the Faculty Assembly
Jacob Pruitt, Vice President and General Manager for Colorado Springs of T. Rowe Price
Kelli Klebe, Professor of Psychology, Dean of the Graduate School and Interim Provost

Rose Walker, Elizabeth Wyatt and Racquel Paywa provided administrative support to the search.