Debra M. Townsley is an American academic administrator who served as president of

Nichols College Nichols College is a Private college, private business college in Dudley, Massachusetts. Founded in 1931 as Nichols Junior College, Nichols College offers both bachelor's and master's degrees, as well as certificate programs. History Nichol ...

from 1998 to 2010, William Peace University from 2010 to 2015, and Labouré College from 2018 to 2019. Throughout her career, she led significant institutional changes, including expanding academic programs and transitioning Peace College to a

coeducational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

institution.

Life

Townsley grew up in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. She earned bachelor's degrees from

American University The American University (AU or American) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Its main campus spans 90-acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, in the Spri ...

, a M.A. in psychology and a Ph.D. in

industrial and organizational psychology Industrial and organizational psychology (I-O psychology) "focuses the lens of psychological science on a key aspect of human life, namely, their work lives. In general, the goals of I-O psychology are to better understand and optimize the effec ...

from the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, commonly referred to as the University of Vermont (UVM), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont, United States. Foun ...

, and a M.B.A. from

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

. Townsley began her career at

IBM International Business Machines Corporation (using the trademark IBM), nicknamed Big Blue, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company headquartered in Armonk, New York, and present in over 175 countries. It is ...

and

Booz Allen Hamilton Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation (informally Booz Allen) is the parent of Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., an American company specializing in intelligence, AI, and digital transformation. It is headquartered in McLean, Virginia, in the Washing ...

before transitioning to academia at

Marymount University Marymount University is a Private university, private Catholic university with its main campus in Arlington County, Virginia, United States. It was founded as Marymount College in 1950. Marymount offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degre ...

. After three years, she became an assistant professor and chair of the accounting and

data processing Data processing is the collection and manipulation of digital data to produce meaningful information. Data processing is a form of ''information processing'', which is the modification (processing) of information in any manner detectable by an o ...

departments at

Northern Virginia Community College Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC and, informally, NOVA) is a public community college with six campuses and four centers in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. It is the third-largest multi-campus community college in t ...

, where she also taught business. Townsley later served as director of undergraduate and graduate management studies at

Saint Michael's College Saint Michael's College (St. Mikes) is a private Catholic college in Colchester, Vermont, United States. Founded in 1904 by the Society of Saint Edmund, it grants Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in more than 40 majors to abou ...

. She joined

as dean of academic affairs. In 1998, she became its sixth president, the first woman to hold the role. Under her leadership, the college introduced new academic specializations, including arts and entertainment, and expanded its facilities with new residence halls, an athletic center, and apartment-style senior suites. During the

2008 financial crisis The 2008 financial crisis, also known as the global financial crisis (GFC), was a major worldwide financial crisis centered in the United States. The causes of the 2008 crisis included excessive speculation on housing values by both homeowners ...

, Townsley navigated the institution through economic challenges with

financial plan In general usage, a financial plan is a comprehensive evaluation of an individual's current pay and future financial state by using current known variables to predict future income, asset values and withdrawal plans. This often includes a budg ...

ning. Nichols College maintained its position as the largest

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular ...

program in

Central Massachusetts Central Massachusetts is the geographically central region of Massachusetts. Though definitions vary, most include all of Worcester County and the northwest corner of Middlesex County. Worcester, the largest city in the area, and the seat of Wor ...

during this period. She resigned in 2010. In 2010, Townsley became the tenth president of

Peace College William Peace University is a private college in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, it offers undergraduate degrees in more than 30 majors and its School of Professional Studies (SPS) offers accelera ...

, succeeding Laura C. Bingham. During her tenure, the college underwent significant changes, including renaming the institution William Peace University and allowing men to enroll in its day programs starting in 2012. Under her leadership, the university experienced increased enrollment. While supported by the board, her administration faced criticism from some faculty, students, and alumnae regarding reduced faculty numbers and various campus issues. Townsley announced her retirement in 2013, declining an extension of her contract. She retired on June 30, 2015. In February 2017, Townsley became the interim president of Wheeling Jesuit College. In the spring of 2018, she became the seventh president of Labouré College, succeeding Jack P. Calareso. She was succeeded by Lily Hsu on July 1, 2019. On July 1, 2024, she became the interim president of

Albright College Albright College is a private liberal arts college in Reading, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1856 and had an enrollment of 1,652 students as of fall 2023. History Albright College traces its founding to 1856 when "Union Sem ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Townsley, Debra Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) Academics from Pittsburgh Albright College faculty American University alumni University of Vermont alumni George Washington University alumni Marymount University faculty Northern Virginia Community College faculty Saint Michael's College faculty Nichols College faculty William Peace University faculty Labouré College faculty Wheeling University faculty Women heads of universities and colleges American women academic administrators Heads of universities and colleges in the United States 21st-century American women academics 20th-century American women academics