view of Saint Leo University campus from above

President's Staff

Edward W Dadez, MBA ’02, Ph.D.

President   
ed.dadez@saintleo.edu

Dr. Dadez joined Saint Leo University in 2000.  He has been Vice President for Student Affairs; and Continuing Education and Campus Operations for 18 years.  He has also taught as a Visiting Faculty member in Graduate Education and Undergraduate Business.  

He holds undergraduate degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University in psychology and biology, a master’s in student personnel administration from Ohio State University, an M.B.A. from Saint Leo University, and a doctorate in College and University Administration from Michigan State University.  Dr. Dadez has been in college administration for more than 40 years, and has worked at Ohio State University, University of Dayton, Michigan State University, Bucknell University and Chowan University.   
 


James DeTuccio ’07

Vice President of Business Affairs/CFO   
james.detuccio@saintleo.edu

DeTuccio joined Saint Leo University in January 2008 as University Controller. Over the years James has been promoted into roles with increasing responsibilities, most recently serving as senior associate vice president of finance. During a period of transition, James served as interim vice president of the Business Affairs division from December 2017 – June 2018. He also led the efforts to secure the university’s first-ever public bond rating and bond placement, which helped to finance part of the Wellness Center.   

Prior to Saint Leo, James held many roles in accounting and finance. This included working at Kforce, a national and publicly traded employment agency based in Tampa; St. Joseph’s Hospital, part of Baycare Health System; and public accounting firm Carter, Belcourt & Atkinson. He received his Master of Business Administration degree from Saint Leo University and his bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance from Florida State University. James has been a licensed CPA in the state of Florida since February 2000.   
 


Stacy Gato, MS

Vice President of University Enrollment Management   
stacy.gato@saintleo.edu

Stacy Gato joined Saint Leo University in July, 2022. In her role, she is responsible for the oversight of the Division of University Enrollment Management, which consists of University Campus and Worldwide Enrollment, which includes the university’s 16 education centers, online and graduate programs. Stacy has worked in enrollment for more than 25 years and has provided leadership and served in many areas of enrollment management including registrar, student financial services, admissions, and international student programming as a coordinator of branch campuses in Israel. Stacy graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree and double majored in English and communications from Saint Joseph’s College of Maine, and a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Goodwin University.


Susan Kinsella, Ph.D.

Vice President of Academic Affairs   
susan.kinsella@saintleo.edu

Dr. Susan Kinsella served as the Dean of the College of Education and Social Services and Professor of Human Services from 2016-2022 before her appointment as VPAA. She joined Saint Leo in 2011 as Undergraduate Dept. Chair for Human Services and was originally located at Saint Leo’s Savannah Center where she worked to develop both the on-ground and online graduate programs in Human Services Administration. She later became Regional Academic Director for the Central Region.  Dr. Kinsella has a Ph.D. in Social Work from Fordham University, an MSW from Marywood University, and a BSW from Pennsylvania State University. She has over 35 years of teaching and administrative experience in higher education programs in PA., GA., and FL. with numerous publications and textbooks written in her discipline.


Stephen Kubasek ’08, ’12, ’17

Vice President of University Advancement   
stephen.kubasek@saintleo.edu

Dr. Kubasek originally joined Saint Leo University as a member of the Advancement Division in 2010. He holds an undergraduate degree in Marketing, a Master of Business Administration, and a Doctorate of Business Administration from Saint Leo University. Prior to Saint Leo, Stephen spent time doing volunteer work in Honduras followed by an executive position with the Boy Scouts of America. Throughout the years that he has worked at Saint Leo, he held many progressively responsible roles within University Advancement. These include serving as director of parent relations, development officer, director of advancement services and planned giving, and most recently, associate vice president of University Advancement.


James Sartain, Ph.D.

Chief Strategy Officer   
james.sartain@saintleo.edu

Dr. James "Jim" Sartain began his affiliation with Saint Leo University in 2005 as a co-developer and co-facilitator of the Leadership Saint Leo program and partner in campus-wide retreats and strategic planning initiatives. He joined Saint Leo in December 2022 as a Business Development Strategist before assuming the role of Chief Strategy Officer in July 2023. Dr. Sartain has held a range of executive leadership roles for various organizations, including President and CEO of an organizational development company, Senior Vice President of a large national child-caring organization, Director of Human Resources, Executive Director of a social services agency, and most recently, Senior Partner of a professional consulting services firm specializing in designing and delivering strategic leadership and organizational development programs. His academic leadership includes serving as the Strategy Lead and Professor of Strategy for the Jack Welch Management Institute's MBA program, where he holds full professor rank. Dr. Sartain holds an undergraduate degree in Psychology, a Master of Business Administration, and a Ph.D. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology.


Jen Shaw, Ph.D.

Vice President of Student Affairs   
jen.shaw@saintleo.edu 

Dr. Shaw joined Saint Leo University in 2019. Jen has worked in Student Affairs for more than 25 years including as a Senior Fellow for NASPA, the Associate Vice President/Dean of Students at the University of Florida (UF), Dean of Student Relations at the University of South Florida, and the Dean of Students and Coordinator for Academic Integrity at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG). Dr. Shaw held Associate Professor rank at UF and UNCG and has taught undergraduate and graduate courses throughout her career. A nationally recognized crisis management expert, she has won numerous awards and has published and presented widely regarding crisis management in higher education. Jen’s Ph.D. degree is from Florida State University.


Staci Rhodes Shelley

General Counsel   
staci.shelley@saintleo.edu

Staci comes to Saint Leo University from Walden University where she led Walden’s Legal team supporting academic faculty and staff serving over 52,000 students and offering more than 100 undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs. Prior to that, Staci served in senior legal roles supporting both campus-based and online higher education institutions and hospital systems.

Staci graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Communications from North Carolina State University and with a J.D. from The Catholic University of America, serving as Associate Editor of the Law Review.


Steven A. Carroll ʾ06, ʾ09

Chief Information Officer   
steven.carroll@saintleo.edu

Steven Carroll joined the University as an Information Technology Services member in 2001, holding varying positions of responsibility until 2016. After a brief absence from Saint Leo, Steve returned to assume the Chief Information Office role in July 2023. He holds an undergraduate degree in Computer Information Systems and a Master of Business Administration from Saint Leo University. Steve has worked in Higher Education Information Technology for over twenty-two years and has provided leadership in IT Operations, Academic Technology, Client Services, Enterprise Applications, and Information Security. He holds multiple industry certifications, including CISSP, CCSP, CRISC, CDPSE, and ISO 22301 Lead Auditor.


Marcal Lazenby

Director of Athletics, Wellness & Recreation   
marcal.lazenby@saintleo.edu

Marcal Lazenby joined Saint Leo University in August 2017 as the director of NCAA compliance. In his current role, he is responsible for the oversight of Athletics, Wellness & Recreation. Over the years Marcal has been promoted into roles with increasing responsibilities, most recently serving as associate athletic director of internal operations. As associate athletic director at Saint Leo, Lazenby was responsible for oversight of compliance, athletic communications, facilities, ticketing, concessions, merchandising, and sponsorships. Prior to serving as the associate athletic director, Marcal served as the assistant athletic director for compliance and athletics diversity and inclusion designee. Lazenby came to Saint Leo after serving as the director of athletics at his alma mater, Glenville State University (DII) in West Virginia. He also served in various roles at Glenville State University including assistant to the president, president's office administrator, director of college completion center and director of compliance. While Lazenby earned his bachelor's degree from Glenville State, he also was a four-year member of the university's football team.


Ana Di Donato ’00, ’06

Special Assistant to the President   
ana.didonato@saintleo.edu

Ana Di Donato originally joined Saint Leo University in December 1999. During her eighteen years of service, she held leadership roles in the following areas: student success, student affairs, campus life, student activities, residence life, and as an adjunct instructor. She holds an undergraduate degree from Saint Leo University in English Literature, a Master of Education in College Student Affairs from the University of South Florida, a Master of Business Administration from Saint Leo University, and is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Florida, pursuing a Doctorate in Educational Leadership. Di Donato has worked in higher education over 23 years and returned to Saint Leo University in August 2022, after serving in academic affairs at the University of Tampa.


Contact

Office of the President:
PresidentsOffice@saintleo.edu