An inclusive, Catholic, and diocesan community of learners, St. Ambrose University empowers all Ambrosians to act courageously, to seek wisdom through faith and reason, to work for justice and to lead lives of service.
Office of the President
St. Ambrose University leadership team
Get to know the inspiring individuals who form St. Ambrose University’s leadership team. With diverse backgrounds and expertise, they collaborate to shape our university’s future, ensuring an inclusive learning community for all.
Educational statement
We believe that people at all stages of life need educational opportunities. That’s why we offer learning programs with student-centered teaching that result in baccalaureate and professional graduate degrees as well as non-degree offerings at the undergraduate and graduate levels. To meet the needs of our diverse student body, we use a variety of delivery formats in the Diocese of Davenport and throughout the state of Iowa. We collaborate with other organizations to offer further opportunities around the world.
St. Ambrose University leadership team
President
Amy C. Novak, EdD
Amy Novak, EdD, became the 14th president of St. Ambrose University on Aug. 7, 2021. Under Dr. Novak's leadership, St. Ambrose has implemented innovative technology in the classroom through augmented and virtual learning; reimagined learning across one's lifespan by adding a host of certificate and online program opportunities; and invested in partnerships with local and regional businesses to ensure students are equipped with the skills they need for success in the workplace upon graduation.
Dr. Novak’s career in higher education began at Dakota Wesleyan University in her native Mitchell, South Dakota, in 2003. Before entering higher education, she worked in the private sector as she, her husband Ken, and their growing family traveled the country and the world during Ken's career in the U.S. Air Force. The Novaks both are graduates of the University of Notre Dame.
Email presidentsoffice@sau.edu to schedule an appointment.
About the president
Amy C. Novak, EdD, became the 14th president of St. Ambrose University on Aug. 7, 2021, and was inaugurated on Oct. 1, 2021, accepting her charge with a focus on inclusivity and collaboration under the invitational theme, Come To The Table.
At St. Ambrose, Dr. Novak has prioritized finding new and innovative models of teaching and learning as we enter a new era of work. She is partnering with community leaders to address employer needs, and celebrating the university's historic commitment to Catholicity, social justice, and service.
Under her leadership, St. Ambrose launched a new strategic plan, Agile Ambrose, designed to prepare the university to meet the evolving needs of learners across their lifespan. Dr. Novak's efforts include collaborating with businesses to pilot XR technologies in classrooms, launching St. Ambrose University's Nano Nagle Online Nursing Program to support place-bound learners across America, and securing grants to support work-based learning initiatives. These achievements have helped the university ensure learning remains relentlessly relevant while honoring the importance of cultivating skills embedded within the traditional liberal arts disciplines.
The university's recent enrollment growth and success in retention is a testimony to the development of an agile culture on the campus that embraces change and best practices in student learning and engagement.
In January 2024, the university will open Higgins Hall for Innovation and Human-Centered Design. This learning laboratory will transform how we educate and deliver a customized experience for our students, creating a person-centered delivery model for higher education that prepares our learners for the next generation of work and community service.
Initiatives such as the Innovation Summit, where Dr. Novak convenes business and community leaders from across the Midwest, have helped guide her vision for the university's future. In the initial summit, St. Ambrose University sought input on how it can prepare its students to meet business, industry, and nonprofit needs in a new age of human work. The most recent summit focused on fostering a growth mindset around learning that is developed in the classroom and built for the workplace.
Novak earned a Doctor of Education degree in interdisciplinary leadership from Creighton University in 2014, a Master of Science in social and applied economics from Wright State University in 1997, and a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Notre Dame in 1993.
Dr. Novak is a passionate advocate for students and speaks frequently on issues of innovation, workforce development, leadership, and faith. She serves as the president of the NAIA Council of Presidents and is active in national, regional and local associations. She and her husband Ken are parents to eight children and delight in welcoming nearly 3,000 other students to the St. Ambrose table.
University leadership
Board of Trustees
Officers of the Board:
- Renee Citera SAU 1981, Co-Chair of the Board and Founder RGC Consulting
- Laura ‘Divot’ Ekizian SAU ’92, ’97, Vice Chair of the Board, President, Quad City Bank & Trust
- Paul Sachs SAU 1976, Vice Chair of the Board, Retired Managing Director, Protiviti, Inc.
- Bishop Dennis Walsh, Co-Chair of the Board, Bishop Diocese of Davenport
- Amy C. Novak, EdD - President, St. Ambrose University
Members of the Board:
- Brian Bassier SAU 1991 - Vice President (CFO) and Treasurer, The Valley Group
- John Bear SAU 1988, 1992 - Chief Operating Officer, Alphia, Retired Chief Technical Officer-Manufacturing
- AmericasNestle Purina PetCare Co.
- Tom Berthel SAU 1974, 1993 - Chief Executive Officer, Berthel Fisher & Company
- Ken Brune SAU 1967 - Lawyer, Brune Law Firm
- Michele Busse – Retired Chief Legal Council Collins Aerospace, Community Leader
- Renee Citera SAU 1981 - Founder, RGC Consulting Services
- Phil Doherty SAU 1978 - Retired SVP/General Manager and CFO, Chicago Tribune Media Group
- Laura ‘Divot’ Ekizian SAU '92, '97 - President, Quad City Bank & Trust
- Fr. Thom Hennen SAU '00 - Priest, Diocese of Davenport
- Lyn Ketelsen SAU 1998 - Founder, KLK Leading Change, Inc.
- Mark Kilmer - President & CEO, The Republic Companies
- Sr. Vicky Larson - Vice President of the Presentation Sisters, Presentation Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Brian Lemek SAU 1986 - Owner/Managing Member, Lemek, LLC
- Jerry Lyphout SAU 1983, 1991 - President and CEO, Modern Woodmen of America
- Thomas Mason, IV SAU 1991 - Vice President/General Sales Manager, Dimitri Wine & Spirits, Inc.
- Fr. Robert McAleer SAU 1967 - Retired Priest
- Amy Novak, EdD - President, St. Ambrose University
- Joseph O'Rourke SAU 1972 - JRO Investments, LLC, O'Rourke Sales Co.
- Paul Sachs SAU 1976 - Retired Managing Director, Protiviti, Inc.
- Randall Sergesketter SAU 1986 - Retired Senior Vice President Crop Harvesting, John Deere, John Deere
- Janet Sichterman SAU 1989, 2004, 2013 - Executive Vice President, Enterprise Innovation Kent Corporation, Kent
Corporation - Dyan Smith – Community Leader
- Patricia Snyder SAU 1981 - Retired Vice President Divisional Merchandise Manager, Wal-Mart
- Breann Thompson SAU 2005 - Community Leader
- Paul Thompson SAU 2002 - Vice President of Product Development & Services, Caterpillar, Inc.
- Bishop Dennis Walsh - Bishop of the Diocese of Davenport, Diocese of Davenport
- Margaret Weigel, RSM – Technology Support for Sisters of Mercy West Midwest and Sisters of Mercy Institute of the
Americas
Non-Voting Members:
- Rev. Chuck Adam, Priest Representative
- Matt Ardaugh, President of Student Government Association
- Mark Brauweiler, President of Alumni Association
- Fritz Dieudonne, President of Staff Assembly
- Dr. Sarah Eickleberry, Chair of Faculty Assembly
Chief Financial Officer
Courtney A. Berg, MSA, CPA, SHRM-CP
Berg comes to St. Ambrose from Buena Vista University, where she managed the university’s multi-million dollar budget, implemented zero-based budgeting, and oversaw critical financial operations, including endowment accounting and federal grants compliance. She also led multimillion-dollar construction projects, secured diverse financing, and successfully launched the university’s Spirit Store, achieving profitability every year since its inception. Her commitment to student success extended to teaching financial literacy courses and co-chairing strategic initiatives to strengthen the campus community.
Courtney’s leadership is further demonstrated by her participation in esteemed programs like the NACUBO Fellows Program and EAB Rising Higher Education Leaders fellowship. She has also served on key governance committees, providing critical financial insights to institutional leadership.
Chief Mission Integration Officer
Amelia Blanton Hibner, PhD, MTS
Prior to joining St. Ambrose University in February 2026, Dr. Amelia Blanton Hibner served since 2020 as Dean of Mission Integration at Visitation Academy of St. Louis, where she provided senior-level leadership for Catholic identity, Salesian spirituality, and the Visitation charism across all dimensions of institutional life.
A Texas native, Dr. Blanton Hibner earned her bachelor’s degree from Saint Louis University, a Master of Theological Studies from the Clough School of Theology and Ministry at Boston College, and a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from Saint Louis University.
Dr. Blanton Hibner’s academic preparation and professional experience reflect two guiding pillars of her leadership: a deep grounding in Catholic theology and spirituality, and a systems-level understanding of how mission is integrated into institutional culture, governance, and strategy. Her work is marked by a commitment to discernment, formation, and the translation of Catholic tradition into lived practice for diverse educational communities.
Vice President, Institutional Advancement
Anne Gannaway
Anne Gannaway manages the university's advancement and development activities, including capital campaigns, annual fund, major gifts, planned estate giving, and alumni relations.
Gannaway earned her Master of Arts in higher education from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She began her career at SAU in 2012 serving Alumni and Advancement as the executive director. Long before that, however, Gannaway was already well familiar​ with the Ambrosian way: Her father, Edward Henkhaus, was the university's vice president for finance for many years.
Gannaway is married to Ethan Gannaway who is a full professor-adjunct of history at SAU and the associate director of the Academy for the Study of Saint Ambrose of Milan. They have three boys.
Executive Director of Strategy and Project Management
Karla Hurley, MBA
Karla Hurley has more than twenty years of experience developing strategic programming and communications within non-profit, higher education, and corporate settings. She is an alumna of the University of Iowa, having received both her undergraduate degree and her MBA at Iowa. Before establishing her consulting company, Hurley Digital Consulting, she was the Executive Director of Marketing and Digital Strategy at the University of Iowa Center for Advancement, where she created innovative campaigns to support the greatest needs of the university and engage their multitude of audiences.
During her 9-year tenure, she managed the ever changing digital landscape through the organization’s transition to an advancement model, re-imagined online giving and digital communications at the university, helped to establish the University of Iowa’s online giving day, One Day for Iowa, and fostered triple digit growth in both online giving and digital engagement.
Chief Technology Officer
Adam Kurth, MBA
Adam Kurth brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in information technology, finance, and organizational planning. His experience includes major advancements in cybersecurity, enterprise systems modernization, instructional technology, and data governance. As CIO, Kurth will support the alignment of shared systems and digital infrastructure across St. Ambrose and Mount Mercy, helping build a seamless student and employee experience.
President, Mount Mercy University
Todd A. Olson, PhD
Dr. Todd A. Olson has served as Mount Mercy University's president since in 2021. In this role, he has built partnerships with local hospitals and other colleges to strengthen student opportunities, and launched new academic and athletic programs. He is currently leading Mount Mercy’s work to pursue a strategic combination with St. Ambrose University in Davenport.
Prior to Mount Mercy, he served as Vice President for Student Affairs at Georgetown University for 18 years. Before that, he served for 16 years at the University of Denver, where he earned his Ph.D. in higher education. Todd is a native of Battle Lake, Minnesota, and has lived in five different states.
He has served as president of the national Jesuit student affairs association, and spent a decade on the policy committee for the Patriot League athletic conference. Todd has authored several articles and a book chapter, on topics ranging from student well-being to managing controversy on a Catholic campus.
He has been honored as a Distinguished Alumnus by the University of Minnesota Morris, and has also been inducted into the Hall of Fame at his high school in Minnesota. He serves on the boards for Indian Creek Nature Center in Cedar Rapids, and the Hawkeye Area Council of Scouting USA. Todd and his wife Regina are the parents of three adult children.
Vice President, Academic Affairs Provost
Joseph Roidt, PhD
Joseph Roidt joins St. Ambrose University from Dakota Wesleyan University where he served as the chief academic officer for seven years. Prior to joining Dakota Wesleyan, Roidt held several academic leadership positions, including associate provost and vice president for academic affairs, at Davis & Elkins College in West Virginia.
In his role as provost and vice president for academic affairs at St. Ambrose, Roidt oversees the university's academic programs, the library, and several other academic areas.
Roidt earned his bachelor's degree in sociology from Kent State University and completed his PhD in sociology at the University of Pittsburgh.
Vice President, Student Engagement and Dean of Students
Christopher Waugh, PhD
Christopher Waugh is St. Ambrose University's first vice president for Student Engagement. In his role, Waugh oversees student services, including housing and residence life, the counseling center, and student activities, among others. Working closely with the vice president for academic affairs, Waugh is responsible for fostering a holistic experience for all students.
Waugh joined SAU in 2019 as dean of students and associate vice president for academic and student affairs. Before joining St. Ambrose, he served as an associate dean in the Student Affairs Office at Pomona College in Claremont, California.
Waugh earned his bachelor's degree in English and visual communication and his Master of Arts in counseling from Northern Illinois University. In 2011, Waugh completed a PhD in higher education administration at Loyola University Chicago, where he also led graduate-level internship cohorts. His research and educational interests focus on engaging bystanders to help mitigate dangerous drinking situations. Waugh is married to Kristina, a health educator. Kristina and Christopher have one son, Simon.
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