Executive Leadership Team Briefs
Chris Delisio
Vice President for Advancement
Chief Executive Officer, FAU Foundation
Chris Delisio joined FAU in September 2021 as vice president for advancement and chief executive officer of the FAU Foundation. He is responsible for the overall direction and management of community engagement, as well as all fundraising, development and alumni relations at FAU, providing strong leadership in identifying, cultivating and soliciting gifts to the institution. Delisio has more than 25 years of diverse development experience, most recently as the assistant vice president for development and executive director of principal gifts at The Ohio State University. At Ohio State, he was responsible for assisting with the execution of a more than $500 million annual fundraising strategy and providing comprehensive leadership and oversight of the principal gift operation – gifts of $5 million or more. From 1995 to 2013, Delisio held numerous development leadership positions in North Carolina and Ohio, including at the North Carolina Special Olympics; University of North Carolina Wilmington; University of Dayton; Ohio University; and Ohio Wesleyan University. Delisio has a Master of Business Administration degree from Kent State University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hiram College
Gregory DuBois
Vice President for Financial Affairs and Chief Financial Officer
Gregory DuBois joined Florida Atlantic University in November 2021 as vice president for financial affairs and chief financial officer. Prior to arriving at FAU, DuBois served as vice president for administration and finance at Old Dominion University. He also spent more than 30 years at the University of Florida in a variety of roles, including assistant vice president for financial planning, analysis and budget, senior associate controller, director of transportation and parking services, and internal auditor. As the assistant vice president for financial planning, analysis and budget at Florida, DuBois led the university’s five-year budget revision review and managed its $300 million support unit budget proposal and review process. DuBois received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting from the University of Florida and is a licensed CPA in Florida.
Larry Faerman, Ph.D.
Vice President, Student Affairs
Larry Faerman, Ph.D. joined FAU in 1999 as Area Coordinator for Housing and Residential Life and has served the university in many roles over the years. In 2016, he was named Dean of Students and Associate Vice President for Student Affairs. As Vice President for Student Affairs, he oversees all aspects of student life, promoting a campus culture that embraces student success through academic excellence, leadership development and civic responsibility. He oversees the Division of Student Affairs , which provides a wide array of programs and services to FAU’s student body. Faerman received a Bachelor of Science in Management Information Science and a Master of Science in Higher Education Administration from Florida State University. He earned his Doctorate of Educational Administration and Leadership from FAU.
Daniel C. Flynn, Ph.D.
Vice President for Research
Daniel C. Flynn, Ph.D., Vice President for Research, joined FAU in January 2015 to oversee research administration in the Division of Research, which includes the Office of Sponsored Programs, Research Integrity, Research Accounting, Technology Development, Veterinary Services, Research Communications and the Florida Atlantic University Research Corporation. Prior to joining FAU, Flynn served as associate dean for research in the University of Delaware’s College of Health Sciences where he helped grow the research enterprise by 60 percent, promoted invention disclosures and faculty patent applications, and developed undergraduate entrepreneurial and research programs. He served as the founding associate dean for research and economic development at The Commonwealth Medical College, a new medical school in Scranton, PA. Flynn spent 17 years at West Virginia University where he served as a professor and deputy director of the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center. During his career, he has been awarded more than $40 million in research funding, published 72 research articles and served on an editorial board, advisory committees and study sections for NIH and the Association of American Medical Colleges. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland, College Park, and his doctorate from North Carolina State University. He conducted his post-doctoral work at the University of Virginia.
Michele Hawkins, Ph.D.
Interim Provost
In this position, Michele Hawkins, Ph.D., oversees the Division of Academic Affairs and its administration, faculty, and staff members. She serves as chief academic officer of Florida Atlantic University, steering academic degree programs and instruction, as well as the development of a world-class faculty and thriving student body.
Over the last decade, Dr. Hawkins has been deeply involved with all operations of the Provost’s Office. She was previously the Vice Provost, having university-wide responsibilities for personnel issues in Academic Affairs, including, but not limited to, promotion and tenure, professional development, collective bargaining, and faculty credentialing. Before that, she served as the Associate Provost for Assessment and Programs, Associate Provost for Planning and Finance, as well as Acting Provost. During her years in the Provost’s Office, she established the university’s performance metrics team and led FAU’s student success efforts. She also initiated partnerships with global recruiting firms, launched predictive analytics platforms, and moved the university towards digitized faculty personnel systems.
From 1998 to 2013, Dr. Hawkins served as Professor and Director of the School of Social Work in the College for Design and Social Inquiry at FAU, with more than fifteen years of experience overseeing accredited programs that require strong assessment and sustained evaluation. Her leadership was essential to the establishment of the Master of Social Work degree program at FAU. She also previously held positions at the National School of Social Service at the Catholic University of America and at the University of Oregon, in addition to practice experience in school social work, legislative policy, and work with adults.
Dr. Hawkins received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Missouri and her doctorate from Southern Illinois University.
Peter Hull
Vice President, Public Affairs
Peter Hull joined FAU in May 2014. He oversees the Division of Public Affairs, which includes university-wide marketing initiatives, internal communications, FAU’s online presence through FAU.edu and social media, university branding, media relations and creative services. A former newspaper reporter, Hull has worked for The Island Packet (Hilton Head Island, S.C.), Inside Business (Norfolk, Va.), the Daily Press (Newport News, Va.), and The Post and Courier (Charleston, S.C.). In 2005, he was awarded First Place in Business reporting from the S.C. Press Association. Hull joined FAU after six years at Clemson University where he was communications and marketing director for economic development. In this role, he was responsible for communications at Clemson’s 10 off-campus enterprise campuses and research and education centers across South Carolina. He attended University Centre Croydon in London, England, and received a Master of Arts from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va.
David Kian, J.D.
Vice President, Legal Affairs and General Counsel
As chief legal officer, David Kian is responsible for supervising and managing all legal matters affecting Florida Atlantic University. Primary responsibilities include serving as legal counsel to the FAU Board of Trustees; providing legal and policy analysis and advice to the University President and all senior administrators; directing all litigation and administrative proceedings involving the University at the hearing, trial and appellate levels; supervising and coordinating representation with outside counsel; assisting in the development of University compliance plans for federal and state regulations; and developing and presenting training sessions, panels and guest lectures on an array of legal topics affecting the University. Kian has served as FAU's General Counsel since 2004. Previously, he was associate general counsel and adjunct professor of law at the University of Florida, an associate with the law firm of Hill, Ward & Henderson, P.A., and a law clerk to United States District Court Judge Steven D. Merryday. Kian received his B.A. and J.D. degrees with honors from the University of Florida, where he was a National Merit Scholar, a National Endowment for the Humanities Younger Scholar, a Wentworth Scholar, a Judge James B. Whitfield Constitutional Law Scholar, and a National Finalist in the American Bar Association's National Appellate Advocacy Competition.
Stacy A. Volnick, Ph.D.
Interim President / Chief Operating Officer and Vice President, Administrative Affairs
Stacy A. Volnick, Ph.D., currently serving as interim president. She received her bachelor’s degree in communication and her master's and doctoral degrees in education leadership from FAU. She became a member of the University's administrative staff in 1991, advancing steadily through the ranks. In 2013 she was named Vice President for Administrative Affairs and Chief Administrative Officer. She oversees areas including Public Safety, Facilities Management, Environmental Health & Safety, Human Resources, Business Services, Emergency Management, Board of Trustee Operations, President’s Office Operations, the Eleanor R. Baldwin House (the President's on-campus residence) and the University Ombudsman. Additionally, Volnick administratively oversees the Offices of the Inspector General and University Compliance.
Brian White
Vice President and Director of Athletics
Brian White was named Vice President and Director of Athletics in March 2018. An experienced administrator and proven fundraiser, he joined FAU from the University of Missouri, where he was named senior associate athletics director in 2015 before becoming deputy athletics director for external relations in 2016. At Missouri, White oversaw all external units, including development, marketing, ticket sales, strategic communications, Mizzou Sports Properties, and the Mizzou Network. He led fundraising efforts that set the single-year Missouri athletics department records of more than $50 million (more than doubling the previous year) and 11 seven-figure gifts. In addition, the department secured the necessary donations that allowed the Board of Curators, which oversees the University of Missouri system, to approve a funding model for a $100 million expansion of Memorial Stadium. White’s family is highly respected in collegiate athletics. His father, Kevin, is Duke University’s vice president and director of athletics; his brother, Mike, is the head men’s basketball coach at the University of Florida; and his brother, Danny, is vice president and director of athletics at the University of Central Florida.