Mr. Jeremy Alltop 
Vice President of Administration & Finance/CFO

836 Lucas Administrative Center
(859) 572-5349 | alltopj1@nku.edu

Mr. Jeremy Alltop
Vice President of Administration & Finance/CFO
 

Jeremy C. Alltop began his term as Northern Kentucky University’s Vice President for Administration and Finance/Chief Financial Officer on July 1, 2022.

A West Virginia native, Jeremy brings more than a dozen years of senior level Higher Education and Academic Healthcare experience. Most recently, he served as the Vice President of Finance and Operations/Chief Financial & Operating Officer at Lamar University, a comprehensive regional university in Beaumont, Texas.

While at Lamar, Jeremy substantially improved the university's overall financial position and its Composite Financial Index (CFI) score during challenging financial times. Additionally, he played a key role in securing record new biennial state funding and state capital funding for a major renovation of the Mary and John Gray Library. Jeremy also directed university emergency response activities for three major severe weather events and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prior to that, Jeremy served in key financial and operational leadership roles at several flagship public universities and health sciences centers. Before entering higher education, he worked in financial roles for the State of Ohio and BB&T Bank (now Truist).

Jeremy holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management from Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, and a Master of Science in Administration/Public Administration from Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.

Ms. Bonita Brown
Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer

800 Lucas Administrative Center
(859) 572-5172 | brownb33@nku.edu

Ms. Bonita Brown
Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer

Bonita is our inaugural Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer. She is tasked with campus-wide oversight and execution of our Success by Design strategic framework.

Bonita previously served as the vice president for Network Engagement at Achieving the Dream, a national non- profit leader that champions evidence-based institutional improvement in community colleges across the country. In this role, she was responsible for supporting a network of over 220 community colleges in 41 states as they work to implement sustainable, campus wide student success efforts. Prior to her role at Achieving the Dream, Bonita served as the director of Higher Education Practice with the Education Trust in Washington D.C. While at the Education Trust, she created and led an initiative entitled Optimizing Academic Success and Institutional Strategy (OASIS), which was a national network of regional, comprehensive, minority serving institutions that enroll large numbers of low-income students and students of color.

Over the course of her career, Bonita served as the vice chancellor and chief of staff, and as assistant secretary to the Board of Trustees at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She has also served as the chief of staff at the University of North Texas, general counsel at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and assistant attorney at Winston-Salem State University. She has participated in the HERS Leadership program, the AASCU Millennium Leadership Initiative and is a graduate of the Harvard Institute of Educational Management. Bonita received her BA in history from Wake Forest University and her JD from Wake Forest University School of Law.

Bonita is married to Wesley Brown and has two children, Joshua Brown, a student at Morgan State University and Myliah Brown, a student at Bridgewater College in Virginia.

Dr. Matt Cecil
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

830 Lucas Administrative Center
(859) 572-5788 | cecilm3@nku.edu

Dr. Matt Cecil
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

NKU is pleased to welcome Dr. Matt Cecil as its next Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. Dr. Cecil comes to NKU after a distinguished career as faculty and university administrator.

A native of Brookings, South Dakota, Cecil has more than a dozen years of administrative experience in higher education. Most recently, he served as Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Prior to that, Cecil served as Dean of the College of Arts & Humanities, at Minnesota State Mankato, as Director of Wichita State University’s Elliott School of Communication, and as a department head and program coordinator at South Dakota State University. Cecil served for 17 years as a faculty member in mass communication or communication studies at Purdue University, The University of Oklahoma, South Dakota State and Wichita State. A media historian, Cecil is a leading scholar of FBI history during the J. Edgar Hoover era. He is the author of three books and more than two dozen articles on the topic. His 2014 book, Hoover’s FBI and the Fourth Estate, was named national History Book of the Year by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

Cecil is a graduate of South Dakota State University and earned his M.A. in History at Minnesota State Mankato along with a Ph.D. in Mass Communication at The University of Iowa. Prior to his academic career, Cecil worked as a political journalist in South Dakota and North Dakota, as a media relations specialist for Daktronics, Inc., the world’s largest manufacturer of scoreboards and electronic displays, and as a political press secretary. He and his wife, Dr. Jennifer Tiernan, have one son, Owen Cecil.

Mr. Eric C. Gentry
Vice President for University Advancement

822 Lucas Administrative Center
(859) 572-5129 | gentrye3@nku.edu

Mr. Eric C. Gentry
Vice President for University Advancement

• Eric Gentry was appointed Vice President for University Advancement in October 2013, to lead the university’s fundraising, alumni programs, marketing and communications, media relations, the NKU Foundation, and special events. 
  
  
• Prior to NKU, Gentry was Associate Vice President for Development at The University of Texas at San Antonio, overseeing fundraising, donor relations, prospect research, data services, and development communications.  He led the university through the leadership phase and public launch of its first capital campaign, We Are UTSA – A Top Tier Campaign.  Even with a relatively young alumni base and during a down economy, under Gentry’s leadership the initial campaign goal of $120 million was met two and half years ahead of schedule.
  
  
• Before UTSA, he worked at The University of Texas at Dallas on the Fearless Engineering $100 million capital campaign.  At Purdue University, he worked on the $1.8 billion The Campaign for Purdue.  During both campaigns, Gentry served as a Director of Development in Engineering.
  
  
• Before higher education, Gentry spent more than seven years managing, fundraising, and consulting on political campaigns.  Gentry worked with Sutter’s Mill Fundraising & Consulting, a Washington, DC, based firm that specialized in congressional campaigns.  Gentry’s most recent political campaign work was as President of Cornerstone Strategies, a full service firm in Kentucky, consulting or managing on U.S. Congressional races, state senate and house races, and local issue elections.
  
  
• A native of Leitchfield, Kentucky, Gentry graduated from Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky, with a bachelor’s degree and from the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio, with a master’s degree.  He and his wife Loni have twins – Parker and Emery Lynn.

Dr. Valerie Hardcastle
St. Elizabeth Healthcare Executive Director of the Institute for Health Innovation and Vice President for Health Innovation

225J Health Innovation Center
(859) 572-5376 | hardcastle@nku.edu

Dr. Valerie Hardcastle
St. Elizabeth Healthcare Executive Director of the
Institute for Health Innovation and
Vice President for Health Innovation

• Valerie Gray Hardcastle joined NKU in June 2018 as the St. Elizabeth Healthcare Executive Director of the Institute for Health Innovation and Vice President for Health Innovation. As the ED/VP, she advocates on behalf of the region, serves as a thought-leader around health policy, pursues an aggressive externally funded research program, promotes the transdisciplinary work of health innovation across the institution, and attracts talent to NKU and the region in the healthcare space.
  
  
• Previously, she served as the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and then as the Academic Director of the Weaver Institute for Law and Psychiatry at the University of Cincinnati.   Before coming to Cincinnati, Hardcastle served as Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech as well as Head of the Department of Science and Technology in Society and Director of the Graduate Program in Science and Technology Studies at Virginia Tech.   
   

• An internationally recognized scholar, Dr. Hardcastle is the author of five books and over 170 articles. She received an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in cognitive science and philosophy from the University of California, San Diego, a master’s degree in philosophy from the University of Houston, and a bachelor’s degree with a double major in philosophy and political science from the University of California, Berkeley.
   

• She and her husband Jim Benton live on a farm in southern Campbell County, and she has three grown children.

Dr. Eddie Howard
Vice President for Student Affairs

832 Lucas Admin. Center
(859) 572-6447 | howarde10@nku.edu
 

Dr. Eddie Howard
Vice President for Student Affairs

Eddie J. Howard, Jr. is a Georgia native with over 25 years of professional experience in Higher Education, working in a variety of educational institutions ranging from a major research university to a four year public college and even a two year technical college. With all of these experiences Dr. Howard has gained a unique perspective on the issue of diversity, inclusion, and race relations in this country. As a practitioner working mostly at predominantly white institutions (PWIs), and sometimes being the only person of color in the department, he has had to learn how to lead in these environments, while maintaining a neutral viewpoint and supporting issues that matter.

Eddie began his journey during his undergraduate days while attending Valdosta State University and participated in a variety of activities from working as the Testing Office assistant, Orientation Insight Leader, Campus Activities Board Officer, Resident Assistant, and SGA Senator. GO Blazers!

After graduating with a BA in 1993, he continued in his journey to the University of Georgia, where he was one of eighteen students across the nation selected to participate in the Higher Education Graduate program. Although the schools changed, his desire to remain involved in campus life stayed constant. As a GA in housing he was responsible for over 200 residents at UGA’s Creswell Hall. There he developed and implemented programs which directly impacted the educational and personal aspects of the residents’ lives. GO Dawgs!

After graduating with a Master’s Degree in Student Personnel in Higher Education, his path was set. He accepted a position at the University of Louisville as Coordinator of Leadership and Services. Finding his way was rewarding; however, “Getting paid for something he truly loved” was the icing on the cake. After two years of service, he was promoted to Assistant Director. GO Cards!

Howard moved back to Georgia in 1998 and accepted a position with Georgia College & State University as the Director of Student Activities. He was able to hone his skills as an administrator by creating new programs, establishing a mission and strategic plan for the department, and assisting the university with developing plans and a funding source to renovate a historic church into a Student Center. There he increased overall student participation by changing the campus culture. GO Bobcats!

Those skills and a desire to relocate to another city led him to Augusta State University in 2004 where he was responsible for overseeing the Student Activity Budget, program implementation, supervising the office staff, and serving as building manager for the 50,000 square foot Jaguar Student Activities Center which he designed. During the consolidation of ASU and GHSU (now Augusta University), Dr. Howard was promoted to Assistant Vice President of Student Life. GO Jaguars!

In 2013 he accepted a position at Augusta Technical College as Vice President for Student Affairs and was responsible for providing direction for the offices of Admissions, Financial Aid, Student Records, Counseling Center, and the Office of Student Activities. Working at the technical college truly broadened his prospective on student development and the importance of higher education regardless of the institution.

Before coming to NKU, Dr. Howard’s last move was to the position of Vice President for Student Affairs at Youngstown State University, where he oversaw twelve departments which included the Division of Student Experience and Enrollment Management.  In his first year, Dr. Howard was awarded the Dr. Martin T. Manning Award for his exceptional mentorship to students by the Student Government Association. GO Penguins!

Dr. Howard is excited to be at NKU and ready to use all the skills he has accumulated during his career to lead the Division of Student Affairs to more effectively serve our students and help them succeed. Helping students to realize their dreams and creating the best experience humanly possible is the motto that drives his work. GO Norse!

Eddie is an active member of his fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi, where he has received several awards and distinctions. He also has served as the president of the Georgia College Personnel Association, where he received the Theodore K. Miller Distinguished Service Award in 2012.  As a member of the American College Personnel Association, he was named State and International Division Leader of the year in 2010. Eddie is married to Zelda Hughes-Howard and together they have 4 children, Kristafer, Avery, Taylor and Trinity.

Tammy Knochelmann
Executive Assistant to the President and
Secretary to the Board of Regents

800 Lucas Admin. Center
(859) 572-5191 | knochelmann@nku.edu
 

Tammy Knochelmann
Executive Assistant to the President and
Secretary to the Board of Regents

Tammy manages the day-to-day services and administrative activities of the Office of the President and acts as a liaison between the President, President’s Cabinet, members of the Board of Regents, and other internal and external constituents. She is responsible for Board meeting logistics, inquiries and records.

Tammy holds a bachelor's degree in psychology and an M.B.A. with a concentration in Human Resources, from NKU. She previously received the Professional in Human Resources Certification (PHR).

Prior to joining NKU in 2008, Tammy served for 13 years at General Cable Corporation General Cable Corporation in roles ranging from administrative professional to manager of human resources services. In that capacity, she developed new employee training curriculum, created a successful interviewing program for the company's management team and coached and mentored associates. Prior to her service at General Cable, Tammy served for 11 years at Beiersdorf (formerly the Kendall-Futuro Company).

Tammy is married to Donald Knochelmann and has two children, Bradley and Jared.

Mr. Darryl A. Peal
Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer

824 Lucas Administrative Center
(859) 572-6630 | peald1@nku.edu

Mr. Darryl A. Peal
Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer

Ms. Christina Roybal
Athletic Director

133 Truist Arena
(859) 572-6539 | roybalc1@nku.edu 

Bio

Ms. Christina Roybal
Athletic Director

Christina Roybal joined the NKU athletics staff as Vice President and Director of Athletics, on July 1, 2022. 

She previously was a member of the Northern Iowa athletics staff as Senior Associate Athletics Director for Sports Administration in beginning in 2016.  Roybal also served as Senior Woman Administrator (SWA) and Deputy Title IX Coordinator.

Roybal had administrative responsibility for 14 sports for the Panthers - women's basketball, volleyball, soccer, softball, men's/women's cross country, men's/women's indoor track and field, men's/women's outdoor track and field, men's/women's golf, women's tennis and women's swimming and diving.

In the Missouri Valley Conference, Roybal serves on the Long-Range Planning Committee, Sports Management Committee, and is the MVC Joint Committee sport liaison to the tennis coaches.  Previously, she has also served on the Conference Relations Committee and has been the sport liaison for the swimming and diving coaches.

Before joining UNI, Roybal spent 10 years at Fresno State (2006-16) serving in a variety of administrative roles including Interim Senior Woman Administrator (2015) and sport administrator for women’s lacrosse, men’s/women’s tennis and the implementation of women’s water polo.  She also worked extensively with the Title IX Coordinator in creating and maintaining plans for equity compliance.

Roybal began her professional career at Fresno State working as the Group Sales Coordinator from 2006-2010. She was promoted to Tickets/External Relations Coordinator in 2010.  From 2012-2013, Roybal worked in the Athletics Business Office before being promoted to Director for Administrative Operations in 2013 and Assistant Athletics Director for Administrative Operations in 2015.

She was active on the Fresno State campus serving on a variety of committees including Gender and Minority Equity Subcommittee of the Athletic Advisory Council, Title IX Campus Multidisciplinary Team, Marketing Advisory Council for the Craig School of Business Marketing and Logistics Department, Staff Training and Recognition Day Steering Committee, President’s Commission on Human Relations and Equity, and Co-Chair of National Girls and Women in Sports Day Committee.

In her Interim SWA role, Roybal served on the Mountain West Conference Joint Council, Joint Council Executive Committee, and was the Joint Council liaison to men’s/women’s tennis coaches.

She earned her bachelor of arts in health, physical education, and recreation in 2003 from Saint Mary’s College of California. Roybal added a pair of master’s degrees from Fresno State in kinesiology (2006) and business administration (2013).

Roybal is an active member of National Association of College Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and Women Leaders in College Sports (formerly NACWAA).  She is a graduate of the Institute for Administrative Advancement and Leadership Enhancement Institute. 

Roybal has a son, Bailey, and a daughter, Nicolette.

Ms. Lori Southwood
Chief Human Resources Officer

713 Lucas Administrative Center
(859) 572-6384 | southwoodl1@nku.edu

Ms. Lori Southwood
Co-Interim Chief Administration Officer
Chief Human Resources Officer

• Lori Southwood joined NKU in 2004 as Senior Director of Human Resources.  During her time here, at NKU, she has served as a mentor and coach to division and department heads in order to expand their capabilities to achieve strategic goals.
  
  
• She and her team are responsible for employment, employee relations, position classification and compensation, training and development, payroll and taxes, records and information management, faculty and staff benefit administration and university wellness programs.
  
  
• Lori provided leadership with the multi-year ERP implementation of SAP and completed a comprehensive, market driven, total-compensation redesign of more than 850 non-faculty positions.  She redesigned the Human Resources department and service delivery system, extensively expanding the scope and services of Human Resources.
  
  
• Lori has also helped to achieve a low employee turnover rate and an employee satisfaction rate that has ranked NKU as one of the best places to work in the Greater Cincinnati area.
  
  
• Prior to her appointment at NKU, Lori served as Assistant Vice President of Human Resources at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, where she worked for 15 years.  During her time at CCHMC, Lori provided senior HR leadership for the complex academic, research, and medical center of more than 8,000 employees.  She was responsible for HR Services including employment, employee relations, and created the Division of Employee Training and Organizational Development.  She provided HR leadership for a nationally recognized training and work program for people with disabilities.
  
  
• Currently, Lori is working to support a positive, productive culture based on strengths and wellbeing that will support the university’s promise to put students first, lead with excellence and make a lasting impact.  She holds a Senior Professional Human Resources (SPHR) certification and belongs to the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) and College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR).  Lori serves as an Advisory Board Member for the Masters of Science Executive Leadership and Change (ELOC) Program, Advisory Board Member for the Masters of Industrial-Organizational Psychology (MSIO) Program, Human Resources Committee member for the Board of Trustees for St. Elizabeth Healthcare, and as a Steering Committee member for the Women’s Institute for Leadership Development (WILD).
  
  
• A native of Ohio, Lori majored in marketing at the University of Cincinnati and completed her baccalaureate degree at the College of Mount St. Joseph; she received her Masters of Education in Human Resources Development from Xavier University.  Lori and her husband, Kim are currently living in Fort Thomas, Kentucky and have two sons.