Heather Black
Assistant Vice President, Student Affairs

hblack@lindenwood.edu

Jason Coomer
Vice President, Intercollegiate Athletics

jcoomer@lindenwood.edu

Jason comes to Lindenwood after spending 14 years at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, including the last six years as the Deputy Athletic Director. Prior to his most recent role, he served as Senior Associate Athletic Director from 2012-16. In addition to his administrative duties, Jason was the head coach of the tennis program from 2010-16. Jason’s passion for athletics began as a student-athlete, extended as a coach, and continues through his tenure in administration.

Orrie Covert
Vice President, Advancement and Community Engagement

ocovert@lindenwood.edu
(636) 949-4939

Orrie Covert has approximately 20 years of experience in higher education, the majority of which have been in senior leadership positions. He has held positions at Syracuse University, Northwest Missouri State, the University of Florida at Gainesville, the University of Missouri, and most recently the University of Texas at Tyler, where he served as vice president for advancement for two years. He has been a part of numerous successful fundraising initiatives, including billion-dollar capital campaigns at the University of Missouri and the University of Florida, respectively, and realized the largest cash gift, $2.1 million, in the history of Northwest Missouri State. As vice president for advancement and community engagement, he manages the development and alumni functions of the university.

Mark Falkowski, JD
General Counsel

mfalkowski@lindenwood.edu
(636) 949-4916

Mark Falkowski brings to Lindenwood extensive experience as a higher education attorney, including previously both in private practice as a member of the higher education practice group for a large national law firm and as in-house and general counsel. He has successfully represented numerous colleges and universities in state and federal courts and in various administrative agency proceedings, including with the United States Department of Education. His legal experience supports all areas of University operations and helps ensure compliance with state and federal laws and regulations applicable to University operations including the ACA, ADA/Section 504, the Clery Act, COBRA, ERISA, FERPA, FLSA, FMLA, HIPAA, Title IV, Title VI, Title VII, and Title IX. He provides day-to-day legal advice to University departments on matters of legal significance and is also responsible for managing outside counsel.

John Kaufhold
Vice President, Fiscal Affairs / Chief Financial Officer

jkaufhold@lindenwood.edu

John Kaufhold, “JK”, joins Lindenwood with previous experience as Senior Director, Business Operations at Yale University. He oversaw facilities operations, real estate/commercial property and partnership with the City of New Haven, and the Office of Administration which manages Yale’s graduate housing , parking, transit, and more. Kaufhold also has industry leadership experience with the Barnes Group, Inc. as a strategic business unit controller. Kaufhold is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from the University of Missouri-Columbia and an MBA from Eastern Michigan University.

Dr. Dan Kirk
Interim Provost/Vice President, Academic Affairs

dkirk@lindenwood.edu
(636) 949-4618

Before joining Lindenwood, Dr. Kirk was the Director of Academic Development at Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and was formerly Dean of the College of Education and a Professor of Education at Winona State University in Minnesota. Earlier in his career, Dr. Kirk was senior faculty at the Emirates College for Advanced Education in Abu Dhabi, where he led the Division of Leadership and Educational Policy and was an Associate Professor of Education. Dr. Kirk was the Founding President of the Gulf Comparative Education Society and currently sits on several editorial and advisory boards based within the Gulf region and the United States. Kirk has been commissioned by various educational organizations and government agencies to conduct bespoke consultancy services, with a particular focus on developing educational institutions, policies, and practices in educator preparation in the Gulf States and internationally. Dr. Kirk holds a PhD from the University of Georgia, USA, and a Bachelor of Arts (Honors) degree, a Master of Arts degree, and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE with Qualified Teacher Status), all from the University of Sunderland, UK.

Diane Moore, EdD
Senior Vice President, Operations

dmoore@lindenwood.edu
(636) 949-4901

Dr. Diane Moore is the senior vice president for operations and has been in her role since September of 2017. Dr. Moore oversees all campus operations including development and implementation of the procurement process, oversight of Public Safety, Facilities, Housekeeping and Grounds Departments in addition to mailroom, vending and food services. Prior to her current role, she had been assistant vice president for facilities. Dr. Moore has more than 20 years of dedicated experience in financial and facilities management in educational and government institutions. She was assistant superintendent and COO of Webster Groves School District as well as an adjunct instructor at Southwest Baptist University and Lindenwood University. She was an account executive at SMART, Inc., a role in which she consulted with school districts and hospitals to design and implement healthcare programs. While at SMART, INC., Dr. Moore developed fiscal studies and revenue projections for school districts to implement state and federal Medicaid programs. In addition to those roles, Moore worked in the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as the director of desegregation services and, later, assistant to the commissioner of education. She was also a legislative analyst in the Missouri Department of Revenue.