Leadership

Andrew P. Manion, Ph.D. assumed the role of President of Edgewood College on June 1, 2020. 

Dr. Manion previously served as President of Marian University from 2016 - 2020. Under his leadership, the university successfully completed a $12 million capital campaign, enjoyed significant growth in first-year student enrollment, expanded academic and athletics facilities, and made significant strides in the areas of diversity, inclusion, and social justice. 

Prior to that work, he served for nearly 20 years in multiple academic and administrative roles at Aurora University, including Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Provost, and Executive Vice President. 

Dr. Manion served on the faculty of Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota from 1991 to 1998, first as Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology, then as Director of the Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies, and as Associate Dean of Humanities. 

Dr. Manion holds a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology and a Master of Arts in Psychology from Adelphi University in Long Island, New York. He is a graduate of St. Norbert College in DePere, Wis. where he majored in Psychology. 

He is past-President of the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC), of which Edgewood College is a member. A native of Providence, Rhode Island, he is married to his wife Amy, and both are proud parents of Jack, Kevin, and Clare.

Michael Guns joined Edgewood College as Vice President of Business and Finance in April 2011.

Prior to his current position, Mr. Guns served as Chief Financial Officer of Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan and as Vice President of Finance for a national health plan.

Mr. Guns is a Certified Public Accountant with public accounting experience serving mission-driven organizations including colleges and universities. He brings a wealth of financial management and facilities management expertise.

Dr. Willie Larkin joined Edgewood College in September 2019.

Dr. Larkin is the immediate past President of Grambling State University in Louisiana.  Before assuming the role of Grambling’s President, he was the Chief of Staff and Executive Assistant to the president of Morgan State University, Dr. David Wilson, in Baltimore, Maryland from 2010 to 2015.  Dr. Larkin also served as the Chief of Staff and Executive Assistant for Dr. Wilson during his tenure as the Chancellor of the UW Colleges and UW-Extension in Madison from 2006 to 2010. 

Dr. Larkin holds two degrees from Tuskegee University, and a Ph.D. from The Ohio State University. He has more than 40 years of successful senior level experience in higher education.

Dr. Larkin is a member of the Dane County Chapter of the NAACP, is a member of the Mount Zion Baptist Church Trustee Board, and serves on the Foundation Board of Agrace Hospice.

Dr. Salas joined Edgewood in November 2020.

Dr. Salas most recently served as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Framingham State University in Massachusetts.  She began her career as an assistant professor of English at Adrian College, in Adrian, Mich. From there she served as an associate professor of Languages and Literature at Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa.

Dr. Salas advanced her administrative career at Indiana University Southeast, where she served as Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, and then Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. Prior to those roles, she was promoted to full professor and was the founding Director of the Indiana University Southeast Honors Program. She was a Distinguished Scholar in Residence at James Madison University’s “Furious Flower” Conference, was recipient of the Indiana University Southeast Distinguished Teaching Award, and has been inducted into Indiana University’s Faculty Academy on Excellence in Teaching. A long-term member of the National Collegiate Honors Council, she served as the organization’s Treasurer in 2014. She has served as her campus liaison to the Higher Learning Commission, supported Hanover College’s accreditation efforts, and has been a peer reviewer for the National Collegiate Honors Council since 2008. Salas is the author of 15 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, as well as the book, “Flashback Through the Heart:” The Poetry of Yusef Komunyakaa (Susquehanna University Press).

 Dr. Salas’ career began as a first-generation college student, earning her bachelor’s degree in English with honors from Ursinus College, in Collegeville, Penn. She continued her studies at the University of Nebraska-Kearney, earning the Master of Arts in English. She earned her Ph.D. in English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. 

Amber Schultz, Ed.D. joined Edgewood College in July 2019 as Vice President for Enrollment Management

Dr. Schultz previously served as Assistant Vice President for Admissions, Marketing, and Recruitment at St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minn. Dr. Schultz also served as adjunct faculty member in the Higher Education Administration Master’s Program at St. Cloud State.

She has held leadership positions in Enrollment Management at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, The University of Minnesota – Crookston, and Winona State University.  Dr. Schultz holds an undergraduate degree from UW-LaCrosse, a Master of Science in Educational Leadership degree from Winona State University in Winona, Minn., and a doctoral degree from the University of Minnesota.

Katie Vesperman joined Edgewood College in a professional role in 2007 and currently serves as Interim Vice President for Institutional Advancement.   Prior to joining the College, Katie served as Program Director for the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce.  She is a 1999 Edgewood College graduate from the School of Business.  Her husband Mac graduated in 2015 from the Henry Predolin School of Nursing and currently serves as a pediatric nurse at the American Family Children’s Hospital. 

Katie is an active member of the Madison Chapter of the Association for Fundraising Professionals, Kiwanis, Wisconsin Association of Charitable Gift Planners, and is a graduate of Leadership Greater Madison. She currently serves on the Image and Development Committee for St. Vincent De Paul and is a member of the Alumni Advisory Board for the Cutting Edge program at Edgewood College.

In her free time, Katie enjoys the outdoors, sports, and spending time with her family.