Our goal is to enhance the value of the Alma student experience.

We believe that in general this is achieved by strengthening the community of faculty and staff who support our students’ growth. While we will make difficult choices and take appropriate risks, in all cases we will act with integrity and deep respect for the college community.

		Eric P. Blackhurst Interim President The Board of Trustees appointed Eric P. Blackhurst, JD, as interim president in November 2024. He graduated from Alma College in 1983 with degrees in history and Spanish and received the Barlow Trophy, the highest honor the college awards to a graduating senior. He earned his law degree from the University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law in 1986 and went on to The Dow Chemical Company, where he practiced law for 35 years, retiring as Associate General Counsel in 2024. Blackhurst joined the Alma College Board of Trustees in 2011 and served as its chair from 2018-22. He has also served a number of other non-profit institutions, including MyMichigan Health and the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges.
		Timothy Pinnow Senior Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Chief Operating Officer Timothy Pinnow previously served as president of Finlandia University in Hancock, Michigan. Prior to that experience, he worked at Colorado Mesa University as senior vice president for strategic initiatives in the Division of Academic Affairs, where he was responsible for creating eight new graduate and seven new online programs in five years while tripling the institution’s sponsored programs revenue. He began his academic career at St. Olaf College in Minnesota, where he taught acting and musical theatre while administering an interdisciplinary fine arts major. He has an M.F.A. in theatre performance from the University of Florida, where he was awarded a Graduate Council Fellowship, and a B.A. in musical theatre and psychology from Luther College in Iowa. He was also elected Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi.
		Damon Brown Vice President for Student Affairs and Chief Diversity Officer Damon Brown oversees a broad administrative portfolio that includes residence life, career and personal development, academic support and tutoring, disability support and services, and student health, wellness and counseling services. He joined Alma’s leadership team in September 2020, after 23 years of student affairs experience, most recently as the director of the Office of Student Activities and Involvement at Central Michigan University (CMU). Brown holds a master’s degree in sports administration from CMU, as well as two bachelor’s degrees from Ohio University.
		Sean Burke Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Sean Burke serves as the senior academic administrator at Alma College, with oversight of more than 50 undergraduate and three graduate programs of study. He joined Alma’s leadership team in 2023 after 15 years of service at Luther College, in Decorah, Iowa, most recently as associate provost. Previously, Burke had served at Luther as associate dean and as head of the religion department. Burke has a doctoral degree in biblical studies from Graduate Theological Union, in Berkeley, California, a Master of Divinity degree from Lutheran Theological Seminary, in Philadelphia, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Concordia College, in Bronxville, New York.
		James Carman Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Finance James Carman is responsible for all aspects of the college’s finances with oversight of the operating and capital budgets. He joined Alma’s leadership team in 2021 after more than 20 years of work in the private sector, most recently at XALT Energy, where he served as vice president of finance. Carman holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in business and accounting from Olivet College.
		Ian Day Interim Vice President for Enrollment Management Ian Day oversees all undergraduate and graduate admissions efforts, as well as the office of financial aid. After retiring from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, he has served in similar roles at Canisius University, in New York, Carroll College, in Montana, and Madonna University, in Michigan, where he also provided leadership as interim president for 16 months. Day holds a Master of Management degree from Purdue University and a Bachelor of Science degree from Alderson Broaddus University. He joined the leadership team at Alma in fall 2024.
		Bob Murray Vice President for Advancement Robert W. Murray heads an advancement staff charged with leading efforts to build, enhance, and steward the relationships and partnerships in support of Alma College’s mission. The advancement function includes responsibility for alumni and parent engagement, the Alma Fund, foundation relations, major and planned gifts, endowment and campaign initiatives, donor stewardship, and prospect research. Murray, a member of the Alma College Class of 1988, previously served Alma College’s Advancement Office for more than 22 years; first as director of planned giving and later as senior director of planned giving. In addition to his Bachelor of Science degree from Alma College, Murray holds a Master’s of Science degree from Central Michigan University and a Master’s of Business Administration degree from North Park (Ill.) University.