Mark Kennedy
President of the University of North Dakota

EMAIL: mark.r.kennedy@UND.edu
PHONE: 701.777.2122

Mark Kennedy began his tenure as the 12th President of the University of North Dakota in July of 2016. Before coming to UND, he served as the Director of the Graduate School of Political Management at George Washington University. A native of Benson, Minnesota, Kennedy began his career achieving experience as an executive with several firms, including Pillsbury and today’s Macys. He then served his home state in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001 to 2007, followed by appointments as an advisor on international trade to both Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. His years in Congress were followed by leadership roles in business and higher education. Kennedy’s recently published book, Shapeholders – Business Success in the Age of Activism, modernizes the rules for business engagement with society reflecting the rise of activism and expanded political involvement in commercial affairs.

Thomas DiLorenzo, Ph.D.
Provost of the University of North Dakota
Vice President for Student Affairs

EMAIL: thomas.dilorenzo@UND.edu
PHONE: 701.777.2167

Dr. DiLorenzo became UND's provost and vice president for academic affairs in May 2013. As provost, he provides academic leadership and vision for the campus, champions academic excellence, integrity, and fairness, engages in strategic planning and prioritization, and supports faculty, staff, and student initiatives to enrich the quality of education and further the University's mission in teaching, research and creative activity, and service to the public. DiLorenzo previously served as associate vice president for Innovation, Commercialization, and Entrepreneurship at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), after serving two years as the founding dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at UAB. Prior to his position at UAB, DiLorenzo was at the University of Delaware, where he was chair of the Department of Psychology since 2002. He served as dean of the University of Delaware's College of Arts and Sciences (which included the arts, humanities, and sciences) from 1999 to 2001. Prior to that (1990-1999), he was chair of the University of Missouri-Columbia Department of Psychology.

Grant McGimpsey, Ph.D.
Vice President for Research & Economic
Development and Dean of the School of Graduate Studies

EMAIL: grant.mcgimpsey@UND.edu
PHONE: 701.777.6736

Dr. McGimpsey was named Vice President for Research and Economic Development (VPRED) at the University of North Dakota in September 2015 and Dean of the School of Graduate Studies in July 2016. Dr. McGimpsey is responsible for creating and implementing strategies to enhance research and scholarship and increasing the impact of UND’s research on the economy of North Dakota. Before joining UND, McGimpsey served as Vice President for Research and Sponsored Programs at Kent State University (KSU) from 2011-2015. While at KSU, he worked to establish the University’s reputation as a center of impactful research. Prior to joining KSU, Dr. McGimpsey served at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), holding such positions as Professor and Associate Provost for Research (ad interim). He also directed the WPI Bioengineering Institute, where he established the Institute’s mission and strategy, and led the business and economic development, research and outreach efforts of the institute. Dr. McGimpsey’s research interests include surface chemistry, particularly as it applies to biology and biomedical engineering, photovoltaics, implantable prosthetics, and nanoscience. He holds nine issued patents, and has authored or co-authored over 80 journal articles.

Mark Askelson, Ph.D.
Interim Executive Director of RIAS
Professor of Atmospheric Sciences

EMAIL:  askelson@aero.UND.edu
PHONE: 701.777.6334

Dr. Askelson is a Professor of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of North Dakota. He has over 20 years of research and applications experience with weather radar, including advanced applications involving radar polarimetry and phased array technologies. His areas of expertise include radar meteorology, numerical weather prediction, data assimilation, and unmanned aircraft systems (UASs). His current foci include the use of phased array radars in aircraft deconfliction systems for UASs and the use of cooperative information to enable deconfliction of unmanned aircraft with other aircraft. Dr. Askelson has led multiple UAS research efforts, including multimillion-dollar research efforts focused on integration of UAS into the National Airspace System using both ground-based phased-array radars (development of the Ganged Phased Array Radar-Risk Mitigation System; GPAR-RMS) and cooperative data (the Limited Deployment-Cooperative Airspace Project; LD-CAP). He is currently a lead in the ASSURE "Small UAS Detect and Avoid Requirements Necessary for Limited Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) Operations" effort.