President’s Cabinet

President

Jiseon Lee Isbara is the president of School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). She assumed the presidency in July 2024, becoming the School’s 16th executive leader, the second woman and the first first-generation immigrant to lead the institution. Jiseon oversees the School’s world-renowned academic programs, strategic direction, and operations across all facets of the institution. With nearly 25 years of experience in higher education in art and design as a faculty member and administrative leader, she brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her role.  

Before joining SAIC, Jiseon served as the provost of Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles. During her tenure at Otis College, she led the development and implementation of the school’s strategic plan and operation, which resulted in enrollment growth, financial health, successful fundraising, and enhanced partnerships. Her leadership also promoted strong diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Previously, she held various roles, including tenure-track faculty and academic and administrative leadership positions at Oregon College of Art and Craft and East Carolina University. Throughout her 16-year administrative tenure, she continued to teach as a faculty member, demonstrating her commitment to education and student support.

Jiseon is deeply committed to fostering academically rigorous and culturally, socioeconomically, and racially inclusive learning environments for creative practitioners and researchers. She has a significant record of bold and courageous leadership, administrative and financial acumen, and interpersonal skill.

As a practicing artist herself, she understands the transformational power of an art and design education, having earned a master of fine arts degree in Fibers from Colorado State University and a master of fine arts and bachelor of fine arts degree in Fibers from Ewha Womans University in Seoul, South Korea, where she was born and raised.

Chief Information Officer

Gene has worked at the Art Institute of Chicago since 1997, overseeing teams that serve both the museum and SAIC. His team manages and maintains our technology infrastructure and protects the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of digital assets throughout the organization.

Chief Human Resources Officer

Denise oversees the development and execution of all human resources strategies for both SAIC and the Art Institute of Chicago museum. In her role, Denise drives workforce planning, talent acquisition, and employee development initiatives.

Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs 

Martin has 30 years of experience in higher education and, as provost, he oversees a broad range of academic and administrative departments. An active historian of US art and visual culture, Berger is also the author of three books and an exhibition catalog: Man Made: Thomas Eakins and the Construction of Gilded Age Manhood (2000), Sight Unseen: Whiteness and American Visual Culture (2005), Seeing through Race: A Reinterpretation of Civil Rights Photography (2011), and Freedom Now! Forgotten Photographs of the Civil Rights Struggle (2013). His latest book, Inventing Stereotype: Race, Representation, and Interwar America, will be published in 2025 by the University of Chicago Press.

Vice President for Campus Operations

Tom’s responsibilities include managing facilities and operations, enhancing the School’s built environment, and overseeing Campus Security. He is also responsible for managing academic resources such as the Media Centers, instructional shops, and specialized academic facilities. This unique blend of departmental responsibilities creates an inclusive and effective team with a shared mission to manage, plan, and operate support services in a specialized educational institution. 

Vice President of Financial Analysis and Planning

As vice president of financial analysis and planning, Cathy serves as the leader on every aspect of SAIC’s finances. She manages the strategic budget development process and partners with campus leaders to ensure the fiscal health and sustainability of School resources. She oversees contract negotiations, management reporting tools, long-range planning related to operations and capital planning, and forecast analysis. Cathy is a Certified Public Accountant with more than 10 years of experience in higher education finance.

Dean of Graduate Studies 

In her role, Delinda oversees the School's graduate programs. She is also a scholar of modern and contemporary African art, media theory, and Cold War-era global art. She is the author of two books: Repainting the Walls of Lunda: Information Colonialism and Angolan Art (2016) and Media Primitivism: Technological Art in Africa (2020).

Executive Vice President and General Counsel

As executive vice president and general counsel, Leslie oversees legal operations for both the School and museum. Leslie has extensive experience managing diverse legal issues in the nonprofit, public, and private sectors. 

Dean of Undergraduate Studies

Dawn oversees undergraduate studies at the School. Her work investigates issues of loss, appropriation, identity, and displacement, employing a range of media from collage and installed drawings to digital video. 

Chief of Staff

Allison has worked at SAIC for 16 years, and has supported the Office of the President since 2011. She received her master of arts in Arts Administration and Policy from SAIC. As chief of staff, Allison is responsible for driving strategy for the Office of the President. She also serves on the Board of Directors for America's Urban Campus. 

Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration

To best serve the missions of the museum and School and enhance collaboration across central administration, Alexandra oversees human resources, information services, enterprise systems, accounting, and the endowment. She has spent her career serving the private and public sectors in the arenas of infrastructure, budget, and finance. 

Interim Vice President and Dean of Student Affairs

Debbie leads the Student Affairs team who support the needs of a diverse and creative student body. She and her team work to support students' academic, artistic, and personal success, well-being, and career readiness. Debbie has more than 30 years of experience in student affairs, where she has led the development and strategic direction of various student services and programs. As the senior student affairs administrator for the campus, she is responsible for providing leadership for the areas of Academic Advising and CAPX, the Wellness Center, Residence Life, Student Support, International Affairs, Campus Life, Korean and Chinese Advising, and Student Success.

Dean of Faculty and Vice President of Academic Affairs

As dean of faculty and vice president of academic affairs, Camille oversees the quality and coordination of SAIC’s academic programs, research and professional practice activities, and faculty diversity and inclusion efforts. Camille is also a professor in the Department of Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects here at SAIC, a registered architect and researcher, and the founding principal of both Martin-Thomsen Architecture, PLLC and TCM Studio.

Vice President of Enrollment Management

As vice president of enrollment management, Rose crafts and implements strategies to identify and support prospective and incoming students, ensuring equitable access, success, and retention. With more than 30 years of experience in higher education, Rose oversees admissions, financial services, and enrollment marketing at SAIC. 

Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

As the inaugural vice president, Dr. Nzinga works to advance the School’s commitment to creating a diverse, inclusive, accessible, anti-racist, and equitable school community by serving as thought and action partner alongside leadership, faculty, staff, and students throughout the School. Sekile brings a wealth of expertise as an intersectional feminist scholar, educator, and executive leader, having worked across academic, governmental, and not-for-profit sectors. 

Vice President of Educational Technologies and Chief Information Officer

Devarajulu leads Computer Resources and Information Technologies (CRIT), consisting of five teams that strategically partner with SAIC students, faculty, and staff to achieve their goals, utilize appropriate technology, and reimagine processes for current and future needs.

As a school-wide resource, CRIT explores, implements, and administers solutions in support of Admissions, Student Financial Services, Continuing Studies, faculty affairs, space and inventory management, websites, security and compliance, and general administrative functions. CRIT also maintains a data warehouse for cross-functional reporting and analysis.

Support services include the help desk, service bureau, advanced output center, print services across campus, computer hardware lifecycle management, teaching and learning support, and administrative software acquisition. CRIT collaborates with the central Information Services department for IT needs that span the school and the museum.

Interim Vice President of Marketing and Communications

Bree brings 20 years of experience in marketing and communications to her role as interim vice president of the Office of Marketing and Communications. Having worked in both the nonprofit and corporate sectors, she is a strategic leader with expertise in brand building, reputation management, thought leadership, and digital communications. Bree came to SAIC in 2014 as a freelance communications specialist, and in the decade since, she's played a critical role in creating brand awareness, advancing the School's reputation, and supporting our institutional priorities. Having started her career on the agency side (Cramer-Krasselt, Edelman), she has stewarded brands ranging from consumer packaged goods to healthcare to financial services.