Chris Monsere, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science (MCECS), was named Interim Vice Provost for Faculty Success in September 2023.
Dr. Monsere received his doctorate and master’s in civil engineering from Iowa State University and a bachelor of civil engineering from the University of Detroit Mercy. He is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Oregon, and before joining Portland State University, he held engineering positions at the Oregon Department of Transportation.
He has served Portland State University since 2003. Before serving as Associate Dean in MCECS, he was chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering from 2014 to 2021 and has served in many departmental, college, and university roles, including as a member of multiple bargaining teams and as a faculty senator.
Dr. Monsere is a dedicated educator and scholar. His research focuses on improving traffic safety, especially for those bicycling and walking. Cumulatively, this body of research has contributed to changes in design guidance and provided the evidence that cities have needed to improve infrastructure and operations. As PI or co-PI, he has collaborated on nearly $6.5 million in research. He is the author or co-author of 47 peer-reviewed journal articles, 28 peer-reviewed conference papers, and 49 reviewed technical reports.
Delaney Ybarra, MA, joined the Office of Academic Affairs in September as the Special Assistant to the Vice Provost for Student Success. She is an alum of PSU and has worked in University Studies and the Office of Student Success, and has been an adjunct instructor at Portland Community College and Pacific University. Delaney is trained as a project manager and most recently worked at Nike in Human Resources as a transformation data specialist.
Delaney earned her MA from PSU’s Department of Applied Linguistics in Teaching English as a Second Language and her BA from the University of Oregon in Family and Human Services with a Minor in Spanish. She is thrilled to be back at PSU and to work alongside the Vice Provost of Student Success and is passionate about higher education and helping students reach their goals. She is also passionate about improving experiences for international students and students who speak English as a second or other language.
Kara Lise Miller, is joining the Office of Academic Affairs as the Executive Assistant to the Vice Provost for Faculty Success.
She has worked at Portland State University since 2014. Before serving most recently as the Executive Assistant to the Dean in the School of Social Work, she was in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences as an Office Specialist for the Psychology Department, and a student worker in the CLAS Dean's Office.
Kara is currently enrolled in PSU working towards a BS in Psychology. She is passionate about higher education as a career, and is very active within the university and nationally with other higher education Executive Assistants. She is looking forward to joining the Office of Academic Affairs, and assisting the Vice Provost for Faculty Success in shaping PSU for our faculty and students.
Jenny Carron, M. Ed., recently joined the Office of Academic Affairs as the Executive Assistant to the Provost, starting on October 31st. She holds a Master's in Higher Education Administration from Boston University and a BA in Political Science with an Art History minor from the same institution.
Jenny's professional journey includes significant roles at Boston University School of Law, where she served as Assistant to the Dean, Executive Assistant to the Dean, Academic Affairs Associate, and Assistant Director of Academic Affairs. She also dedicated her skills to three education-related nonprofit organizations as an Executive Assistant.
Hailing from Los Angeles but feeling like she should've been born on the East Coast, Jenny is not only passionate about higher education and operations but also an avid traveler and a dedicated reader.
Katherine Barich, Program Scheduler in University Studies, joined the Office of Academic Affairs in November as a course enrollment analyst. Before joining PSU in 2005, Katherine worked as an engineer-trained industrial master planner, and has experience in high-tech, and large and small scale manufacturing. Her expertise includes capacity and workforce planning, forecasting and performance monitoring.
Katherine received a BA in Psychology from Western Washington University, and an MBA and Graduate Certificate in Business intelligence and Analytics from Portland State University.