Ottawa University CEO and leadership

Craig Kispert came to Ottawa University in December of 2021 following an almost 29-year career at Seattle Pacific University, where he served a Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer for the last eight years there. In that role, he had responsibilities for all financial management and investment functions of the University along with Auxiliary Services, Computer and information Services, Facilities, Human Resources, and Risk Management/Campus Safety/Legal. Prior to moving into the role of CFO, he served in a range of increasing roles throughout the financial operations of Seattle Pacific University.

Mr. Kispert has substantial experience in financial modeling, endowment investing, debt structuring and issuance, budget planning, new program modeling, software system implementation, risk management, business insurance, facility development, and staff development/supervision. In addition to his campus roles, Mr. Kispert also served on the boards of several higher education focused captive insurance entities, various committees for higher education professional associations, and an accreditation evaluator for the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. He also has been a speaker at a variety of higher education related conferences for higher education chief financial and business officers.

Mr. Kispert earned a BA in Business Administration (Finance major) from Seattle Pacific University, an MBA (Management focus) from Seattle University, and became a Certified Public Account in 1991.

Dr. Terry W. Haines joined Ottawa University in September of 2005 as the Provost of Ottawa University Kansas City and currently serves as University Provost and Chief Academic Officer. Dr. Haines has served in higher education for more than thirty years, including nineteen of those years as a vice president and dean. Immediately prior to coming to Ottawa University, Dr. Haines served for eleven years as a Vice President and Dean at Huntingdon College, where he also developed extension campuses, an international exchange program with universities in both Japan and Korea, and was instrumental in developing the first program at a national liberal arts college in the United States to provide both a personal computer and international travel to every undergraduate student.

Dr. Haines earned a doctorate from The Pennsylvania State University in 1996, a Master of Arts degree from Ball State University in 1984, and a Bachelor’s of Science from Taylor University in 1980. He completed additional course work in organizational strategic planning at University of Maryland and completed the Institute for Educational Management program in the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University in 1998. Dr. Haines was one of the founders of the National Multi-cultural Student Leadership Conference at Messiah College in Pennsylvania. He developed the Duffy Institute for Church Leadership at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama; served on both the Mayor's Roundtable for Equality and Diversity and the Quad City Economic Development Committee in Davenport, Iowa; and served on the Board of Directors of Save-a-Life in Montgomery, Alabama.

Dr. Haines has presented at national conferences on issues of diversity and multiculturalism, international student leadership, community development, new administrative systems for college academic advising, as well as judicial affairs and management information systems in higher education. Dr. Haines has authored two university handbooks on international student programs and has taught in the areas of the liberal arts, communications, strategic planning, and human development. During his tenure at Huntingdon College, he helped to develop a new liberal arts core curriculum and taught courses on critical thinking in the subject areas of “origins of man” and “justice.” This new curriculum was recognized for special merit and provided commendation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Dr. Haines has also directed successful multi-million dollar fund raising initiatives from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. Department of Education, The Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, and the National Science Foundation.

Dr. Haines grew up in Korea, the son of missionary parents. Dr. Haines and his wife, Mary, have two sons (Joshua and Caleb) and the Haines family lives in Overland Park, Kansas.

Keith Johnson is a Chief Operating Officer at Ottawa University and is based in Lawrence, Kansas. He attended Ottawa University.

A seasoned education executive with 25 years’ experience in strategic planning, marketing and positioning, enrollment management and financial aid modeling, student affairs and academics, profit and loss management in both the traditional residential campus and online learning modalities for complex, multi-campus university systems. Proven executive leadership track record of shaping enrollment and improving student outcomes, as well as achieving net revenue goals and expense budgets in the fast changing landscape of higher education. Considerable experience with U.S. and international markets. Teaching and faculty experience at the undergraduate and graduate level. Coursework includes; statistics, business ethics, organizational design and strategy, management resources. Specialties: *Strategic Planning, Marketing, Enrollment Management, Financial Aid, Academics and Student Affairs, Profit and Loss (P&L), Operations, Traditional Residential Students and Adult Learners, both in-seat and online.

J. Clark Ribordy, came to Ottawa University in February of 2009 following a ten year career at Tutera Health Care Services of Kansas City, where he served as the Chief Financial Officer with responsibilities for the financial management of over eighty long term care facilities nationwide. Prior to that appointment, he served eight years as the Vice President of Finance and Controller for Sage Health Services of Evansville, Indiana. He also worked in public accounting for several years prior to Sage Health Services as an audit manager for Sanden, Shambo & Anderson CPA’s of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Arthur Andersen of Chicago, Illinois, and McGladrey and Pullen of Champaign, Illinois.

Mr. Ribordy has substantial experience in designing, implementing and overseeing complex management and reporting systems; management in an environment with numerous off-site locations; keen attention to detail in a highly regulated and thinly margined industry; acquisitioning and financial feasibility analysis; and capital planning and budgeting. Ribordy has a very “hands-on” approach to leadership, with a proven record of developing, coaching and challenging employees to achieve success through accountability and performance. He has had an essay published in PC World magazine, and has also been a guest speaker at the National Investors Conference in Arlington, Virginia and the Investors and Attorney’s Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Mr. Ribordy earned a BS (Magna Cum Laude) in Accounting and Business Administration from Illinois State University in 1983. He became a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in 1983.