Announcement – Alejandra Sosa Pieroni, Executive Vice President

Feb. 1, 2023

Dear Colleagues,

I have served as President of Georgia Southern University since April 1, 2019.  Though we have implemented organizational efficiencies throughout the institution resulting in recurring savings and efficiencies, to date, I have not made organizational modifications to the institutional leadership structure.

I have served as President of Georgia Southern University since April 1, 2019.  Though we have implemented organizational efficiencies throughout the institution resulting in recurring savings and efficiencies, to date, I have not made organizational modifications to the institutional leadership structure.

With the departure of Dr. Scot Lingrell, VP for Enrollment Management—now serving as Vice Chancellor of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs at the University System Office—I am taking this opportunity to further align the critical strategies of Enrollment Management, University Communications and Marketing, Advising, and Student Services into a single divisional structure led by a newly created Executive Vice President – Enrollment Management, Marketing, and Student Success, effective April 1, 2023.

This new executive leadership position will have oversight of all strategic enrollment initiatives; university-wide marketing and communication efforts; and student retention, progression, and graduation strategies. Through intentional collaboration, innovative practices, and a data-informed approach, this position will optimize new and existing markets for sustained enrollment growth and will develop strategic initiatives to promote student achievement and progression, enhance the student experience, and support increased graduation rates and completion numbers. Furthermore, it will address issues of effective academic advising, unmet student financial need, progression barriers, momentum year strategies, and support for at-risk students.  This new organizational structure, built upon our strong commitment to student achievement and community impact, will propel and ensure the future success of our students while elevating the university’s market positioning and service to our region.

To that end, I am announcing the appointment of Alejandra C. Sosa Pieroni to the newly created position.  Alejandra, “Ale,” is a thought leader and higher education professional with seventeen years of experience in enrollment management, specializing in marketing and recruitment, financial aid practices, and strategic enrollment planning. She currently serves as a Vice President for Ruffalo Noel Levitz (RNL), working with colleges and universities to help them optimize their marketing, admissions, financial aid, and student success practices to achieve institutional objectives. She has been at RNL since 2017, and before her current role, she led the development of solutions for the Financial Aid Services and Student Success divisions of the company.

Prior to RNL, she served as the Executive Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at Stetson University, Vice President of Enrollment Management at Walsh University, Director of Admissions at Mercer University, Associate Director of Admissions at Florida Southern College, and Director of Online Degree Completion at Tiffin University. She earned her Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) and Master of Business Administration (MBA) degrees from Tiffin University. Ale is currently pursuing her doctorate in Higher Education Management from the University of Georgia.

Dr. Amy Ballagh, currently Interim VP for Enrollment Management, will become the permanent VP reporting directly to EVP Sosa Pieroni, as will current VP, Dr. John Lester (UCM), and leadership in Advising and Student Services.  I want to thank each of them and their teams for their continued leadership, success, and excellent work during these challenging times.

We are an institution of 25,506 students on three campuses encompassing 150 miles of geographic radius in a projected growth area of Georgia.  Much is expected of Georgia Southern.  These leadership modifications and structure will give us the framework to serve a growing region. 

Please join me in welcoming Ale to the Georgia Southern family!

Sincerely,
Kyle 

Last updated: 2/1/2023