Presidential finalists
- About
- Presidential search
- Presidential finalists
From an initial pool of 56 qualified applicants, 16 candidates were identified as particularly aligned with the presidential qualities and qualifications established for our search. Following reference checks conducted by the committee and our consultants, eight individuals were invited to participate in semi-finalist interviews held in December. As a result of these interviews, four finalists were selected to visit our campus the week of Jan. 27.
Search updates
- 7:45-8:45 a.m.: Meet with executive team
- 8:45-9:30 a.m.: Campus tour (Queensbury), led by Jenny Postlethwaite, director of College Access and Student Success
- 9:30-9:45 a.m.: Break
- 9:45-10:45 a.m.: Open Forum — Meet with administration, support staff and faculty (open to all
administrators, support staff and faculty), Miller Auditorium, Dearlove Hall, Room 211 - 10:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m.: Saratoga Branch Campus tour and lunch
- 12:15-12:45 p.m.: Return to Queensbury Campus
- 12:45-1:45 p.m.: Open Forum — Meet with administration, support staff and faculty (open to all administrators, support staff and faculty), Scoville Auditorium, Scoville Learning Center, Room 206
- 1:45-2 p.m.: Break
- 2-2:45 p.m.: Meet with president, President’s Office, Scoville Learning Center
- 2:45-3:30 p.m.: Meet with students (open to all students), Bishop Conference Room, Scoville Learning Center
- 3:30-3:45 p.m.: Break
- 3:45-4:45 p.m.: Meet with Board of Trustees
- 4:45-5 p.m.: Return to hotel
- 7:45-8:45 a.m.: Meet with executive team
- 8:45-9:30 a.m.: Meet with president, President’s Office, Scoville Learning Center
- 9:30-9:45 a.m.: Break
- 9:45-10:45 a.m.: Open Forum — Meet with administration, support staff and faculty (open to all
administrators, support staff and faculty), Miller Auditorium, Dearlove Hall, Room 211 - 10:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m.: Saratoga Branch Campus tour and lunch
- 12:15-12:45 p.m.: Return to Queensbury Campus
- 12:45-1:45 p.m.: Open Forum — Meet with administration, support staff and faculty (open to all administrators, support staff and faculty), Scoville Auditorium, Scoville Learning Center, Room 206
- 1:45-2 p.m.: Break
- 2-2:45 p.m.: Campus tour (Queensbury), led by Jenny Postlethwaite, director of College Access and Student Success
- 2:45-3:30 p.m.: Meet with students (open to all students), Bishop Conference Room, Scoville Learning Center
- 3:30-3:45 p.m.: Break
- 3:45-4:45 p.m.: Meet with Board of Trustees
- 4:45-5 p.m.: Return to hotel
Finalists
John Jablonski, Ph.D., has served as vice president for Academic Affairs at SUNY Adirondack since 2015. Before his service at SUNY Adirondack, Jablonski served as president of Clinton Community College for five years and served multiple roles at Fulton-Montgomery Community College as a full-time faculty member in Engineering Science, dean of Business and Technology, vice president and dean of the college, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, and acting president, spanning 23 years. He also served as a Research Health Science specialist at the Veterans Administration Hospital and a research fellow in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania, both in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Jablonski holds A.S., B.S. and M.S. degrees in Engineering, and, in 2018, an earned doctorate in Educational Policy and Leadership from SUNY Albany, where he serves as an adjunct instructor.
Anastasia Urtz, J.D., is provost and senior vice president for Academic and Student Affairs at SUNY Onondaga Community College. She has been with SUNY Onondaga since 2010 where she also served as vice president of College-Affiliated Enterprises & Asset Management for six years and vice president for Finance and Compliance and Student Success Initiatives Lead for three years. Before her service at SUNY Onondaga, Urtz served as executive director and CEO of the Cornell Cooperative Extension Association of Onondaga County. She also served multiple roles at Syracuse University, including director of Judicial Affairs, associate dean of Student Relations, dean of Students, and associate vice president and dean of Students, spanning 16 years.
Urtz holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from The American University in Washington, D.C., and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Michigan Law School.
Michael Rooke, Ph.D., serves as president and CEO of Northwestern Connecticut Community College, where he has been since 2015. While serving as president at Northwestern, he also held roles as interim provost and interim president of CT State Community College for two years. Rooke also served as dean of Academic Affairs at Tunxis Community College in Farmington, Connecticut, for six years; Academic Division director at Manchester Community College in Manchester, Connecticut, for a little more than three years; and director of Information Technology and adjunct instructor at Long Island University for a little more than two years; and associate professor of Chemistry at University of Hartford for seven years.
Rooke holds a B.S. (with honors) in Applied Chemistry from Nottingham Trent University in Nottingham, United Kingdom; an M.S. in Educational Technology from Long Island University; and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Kansas State University.
Lindsay serves as vice president for Student Affairs at Albany State University in Albany, Georgia, where he has been since 2020. Before ASU, Lindsay served as vice president for Student Affairs and Campus Life and associate professor of Leadership and Diversity at Paul Smith’s College here in New York for four years. He also served as dean of Diversity and Office of the Collaboratory for Urban and Intercultural Learning and associate professor of Cultural Studies at North Park University in Chicago, Ilinois, for nine years. Lindsay also served as dean of Student Development and associate professor at Harper College in Illinois; associate vice president and dean of Student Life and associate professor at Iowa Wesleyan University; coordinator of African American Student Development and the African American Cultural Center, cirector of Multicultural Education, and assistant dean of Community Life at Olivet College in Michigan; and special assistant for Multicultural Affairs at the College of the Holy Cross College in Massachusetts.
Lindsay holds a B.A. in African American Studies and an M.Ed. in College Counseling and Student Personnel, both from SUNY Buffalo, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership, Higher Education Administration from Argosy University.