Syracuse University Leadership

Candace Campbell Jackson is a Sr VP/Chief of Staff at Syracuse University and Senior Vice President at Syracuse University. She has experience at The University of Akron.

Dara Royer is the Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. In this role she is responsible for oversight of internal and external marketing efforts including strategic marketing campaigns, digital and content marketing, and brand stewardship. Her team of professionals are champions for promoting and protecting SU’s reputation as one of the pre-eminent and inclusive student-focused research universities.

Prior to her appointment at SU, Royer served as Chief Development and Marketing Officer for Mercy Corps, a leading global organization operating in 42 countries. Royer was responsible for private, corporate and foundation fundraising, global marketing and brand development. She also served as a member of the Executive Leadership Team. Under her leadership, her division substantially increased private fundraising while dramatically elevating the organization’s profile. In 2017 Harris Poll EquiTrend recognized Mercy Corps the “Brand of the Year” and “Most Loved” International Aid nonprofit. She and her team were also honored with multiple national industry awards for the development and global rollout of a new brand identity.

Before joining Mercy Corps in 2013, Royer served as Vice President of Brand Marketing for ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the largest healthcare charity in the world. There, she was responsible for overseeing a large and diverse marketing team driving hundreds of national fundraising and awareness campaigns annually. Prior to this role, she spent a number of years as a leader of ALSAC’s Radio and Entertainment Team, raising more than $30 million annually through more than 200 radiothons and celebrity events.

Royer began her career as an Emmy and AP award-winning television journalist with ABC, CBS and NBC affiliates across the country. Royer received a certificate in Executive Leadership from Harvard Business School. She earned her BA in History from Indiana University in Bloomington.

Gretchen Ritter, a leading expert in the history of women’s constitutional rights and contemporary issues concerning democracy and citizenship in American politics, is the Vice Chancellor, Provost and Chief Academic Officer at Syracuse University.

Ritter joined Syracuse University in October 2021. She previously served as the Executive Dean of the College and Arts & Sciences at The Ohio State University. As the chief academic officer for the largest college of arts and sciences in the United States, she was responsible for the academic success and research excellence of more than 17,000 undergraduate students, 2,300 graduate students and 1,300 faculty. The College of Arts & Sciences includes 38 academic departments and schools, more than 20 centers and institutes, and more than 80 major programs. Her accomplishments include restructuring the research portfolio and incentives to return more facility and administrative cost to programs, expanding grant management support and creating a new college-wide research advisory council. She reorganized the office of curriculum development and undergraduate education and secured faculty approval for the university’s new General Education requirements. She also secured the single largest individual donation in the college’s history.

Peter Sala is a VP/Chief Campus Facilities Ofcr at Syracuse University.

Jeff Stoecker joined Syracuse University in April 2020 as Vice President and Chief Communications Officer. Stoecker oversees all day-to-day operations of all communications functions at the University, including executive and internal communications and media relations. He also serves as the University’s primary spokesperson. Jeff leads the development of the University’s communications platform around issues facing Syracuse University, and higher education as a whole, and is focused on building on the momentum and success of the communications team.

Prior to joining Syracuse University, Jeff served as Vice President at Fleishman Hillard, one of the world’s leading communications firm. There, he provided strategic guidance, media relations expertise, crisis counsel and communications support to a variety of clients in the education, consumer, technology and healthcare sectors. His work earned top-tier media coverage for a variety of organizations including Harvard University, Babson College, Bose, Panasonic and Massachusetts General Hospital.

Jeff draws on nearly 13 years of experience as a journalist in cities across the country from Cheyenne to Boston. Jeff’s reporting resulted in two Emmy Awards, several AP Awards, and he was part of a team that won the prestigious Peabody Award for excellence in their coverage of the tragic school shootings in Newtown, Connecticut.

Jeff grew up in Cazenovia, where his family still lives today, and is a graduate of LeMoyne College.

Matthew Ter Molen provides counsel to Chancellor Kent Syverud to determine long-term expectations for a best-in-class advancement organization, including planning, timeline, allocation of resources, capacity projections and infrastructure needs. He cultivates, secures and stewards complex principal gifts, in partnership with the Chancellor and gift officers, while creating an environment of continuous improvement for the advancement organization.

In February 2015, Ter Molen came to Syracuse from Northwestern University, where he had most recently served as associate vice president and campaign manager for “We Will. The Campaign for Northwestern,” a $3.75 billion fundraising effort.

Ter Molen graduated from Miami University in Ohio. After nearly three years in the Peace Corps in Honduras, his first fundraising position was in 1990 at the University of Chicago, where he started as an assistant director in annual giving. From 1990 to 1998, he held successive positions there, spending four years as the director for annual giving during its $500 million “Campaign for the Next Century,” as well as time as a regional major gift officer.

In 1998, Ter Molen was hired as the assistant dean for development for the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern University, and led the arts and sciences portion of “Campaign Northwestern,” directing the fundraising of $190 million for key college priorities over a five-year period. In 2003, Ter Molen became the Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations and Development at Northwestern, managing a variety of giving teams.

Andrew T. Goodrich MBA Ph.D. is a Deputy Director of Athletics & Chief Marketing Officer at Syracuse University and is based in Syracuse, New York. He has worked as Associate Athletics Director - Marketing & Sales at University of Miami, Director of Athletics at Owego Free Academy, and Senior Associate AD for External Relations at University of South Florida USF. Andrew attended CUMBERLAND UNIVERSITY between 1997 and 1999, University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business between 2004 and 2005, and University of South Florida USF between 2008 and 2015.

Kristen Jones Kolod is a Deputy Athletics Director/Chief Financial Officer at Syracuse University and is based in Jamesville, New York. She has worked as Manager of Financial Planning and Analysis at RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES CORP; Supervisor of Corporate Accounting at Penn Traffic; and Director of Budget and Operations, Division of Student Affairs at Syracuse University. Kristen studied at Le Moyne College between 1997 and 2000 and Le Moyne College between 1989 and 1991.

Vanja Malloy is a Director and Chief Curator at Syracuse University and is based in New York City, New York. She has worked as Chester Dale Fellow, Modern and Contemporary Department at Mead Art Museum and Visting Lecturer at Mead Art Museum. Vanja works or has worked as Curator of American Art, Mead Art Museum at Amherst College. She attended Duke University and Courtauld Institute of Art, U. of London.