Executive Leadership

Ken Styron – President

Ken Styron’s role as the president of Columbia Southern University in Orange Beach, Alabama, began on May 1, 2018. Since joining CSU in 2002, Styron has capitalized on decades of experience in information technology to propel the online...
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Dr. Jeffrey Barksdale – Provost and Chief Academic Officer

Jeffrey Barksdale comes to CSU with 29 years of experience as a professor of clinical laboratory sciences and biology and the associate provost for academic affairs at Auburn University at Montgomery (AUM). He holds a bachelor’s...
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Pat Troup – Chief Financial Officer

Pat Troup, a Mobile, AL native, joined CSU in February 2008 bringing more than 15 years of experience in the areas of accounting, information technology and supply chain management. He currently oversees the departments of accounting...
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Scott Oswald – Chief Information Officer

Scott Oswald serves as the chief information officer for Columbia Southern University. Capitalizing on more than 20 years of information technology experience in the corporate sector, Scott brings expansive knowledge and expertise to...
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Eric McHaney – Chief Marketing Officer

Eric McHaney serves as chief marketing officer for Columbia Southern University. In this role, he oversees a division that includes marketing, corporate outreach and community & alumni relations. As an executive with more than 18...
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Chelsea Hoffman – Chief of Staff

Chelsea Hoffman serves as the chief of staff at Columbia Southern University. After completing her bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Alabama, Chelsea moved to the Gulf Coast in 2009 and began...
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Institutional Leadership

Sue Butts – Vice President, Human Resources

Sue Butts joined the human resources department of CSU in January 2008. During her time at CSU, Sue has served in multiple roles and contributed to many areas within the university. She...
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Rick Cooper – Vice President, Business Development and Military Initiatives

Rick Cooper serves as the vice president of business development & military initiatives at CSU. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration at CSU in 2002. He manages educational representatives responsible for...
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Caroline Walters – Associate Vice President of Outreach & Alumni Engagement

Caroline Walters serves as associate vice president of outreach and alumni engagement overseeing corporate outreach, corporate relations, community relations and student and...
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Ed Witherington – Associate Vice President Of Business Intelligence

Ed Witherington Jr. joined CSU in April of 2010 and currently serves as the associate vice president of business intelligence for Columbia Southern University. Ed brings more than 18 years of experience in operations...
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Academic Leadership

Khalilah Burton – Assistant Provost of Institutional Effectiveness & Accreditation

Khalilah Burton joined CSU in April 2013 as the director of curriculum planning and outcomes assessment. Prior to joining CSU she earned bachelor and master of biology degrees...
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Dr. Elwin Jones – Assistant Provost and Dean for the College of Business

Elwin Jones joined CSU in 2008 as an adjunct faculty member and served as chair of undergraduate business, dean of faculty services, and the interim dean of the College of Business. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business...
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Dr. Misti Kill – Assistant Provost and Dean for the College of Safety & Emergency Services

Misti Kill joined CSU in 2012 and is the assistant provost for the College of Safety & Emergency Services. A graduate from North Dakota State University and Minnesota State University...
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Dr. Joe Manjone – Assistant Provost of Special Programs

A longtime member of the CSU family, he has served as president of Waldorf University from 2009-2011 and as CSU provost. Manjone holds a bachelor’s degree in math, a master’s degree in sports administration from Penn State, and a...
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Dr. Scott Rounds – Vice Provost of Student Affairs

Dr. Scott Rounds acts as the vice provost of student affairs at Columbia Southern University located in Orange Beach, AL. With over 35 years of experience in the fire service and...
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Dr. John Willey – Interim Dean for the College of Arts and Sciences

John Willey joined CSU in 2010 as an adjunct member of the faculty of English and served as the academic program director of communicative arts for three years. He attended the University of Florida on a football scholarship and...
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