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Originally from Clyde, New York, Kyle Gilbert has more than 15 years of experience working in finance and accounting. A majority of that time has been spent working in higher education, which includes positions as accounting manager and director of finance at Hellenic College Holy Cross, and comptroller at Elmira College.
Gilbert earned his bachelor’s in business administration, marketing at Alfred University and his MBA at the University of Rochester – Simon Business School.
As VP of finance and administration, Gilbert leads the Accounting and Finance, Information Technology, and Facilities departments. He manages the annual budget process, cash flow planning, short and long range financial planning, and advises the Senior Team on financial matters, facilities, and information technology.
Paula Lee Hobson, a native of Coquille, Oregon, brings a wealth of fundraising success to Elmira College.
Hobson most recently served as the vice president for college advancement at Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York and helped to launch Hartwick’s current $55 million fundraising campaign. She completed two additional fundraising campaigns at Plymouth State University in Plymouth, New Hampshire and at Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, Nevada. These fundraising campaigns raised $31.1 and $25 million, respectively, and set records for the institutions.
A first-generation college graduate, Hobson earned her bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Oregon and her master’s degree from the University of Nevada in journalism.
Dr. Patricia Ireland is originally from northern New Jersey. She has experience in traditional and remote learning and has held teaching and administrative positions as dean and provost at colleges in New Jersey, New York, Maine, and Pennsylvania, before coming to Elmira College in 2021.
Ireland earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Boston College, a master’s degree from Andover Newton Theological School, and a master’s and PhD from Drew University.
As provost of the College, Ireland is the chief academic officer and oversees faculty and academic programs. She is charged with providing leadership and vision in defining the academic mission and she is also responsible for maintaining a collegial environment that is conducive to scholarly pursuits among faculty and students.
Dennis Kelly brings more than 30 years of experience working in higher education. During Kelly’s extensive career, he has increased enrollment and improved the diversity of student populations at multiple institutions including Cheyney University, Notre Dame University of Maryland, Wilmington College, Cabrini University, Georgian Court, and Marywood University. At Wilmington, Kelly ushered in the two largest entering classes in the college’s history and was recognized for multiple awards by the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society, 3Enrollment, and Hobsons. In 2019 he was appointed to Hobson’s National Advisory Board and he remains active within the enrollment management sector. Kelly is the only enrollment officer whose teams have won both RNL National Awards for Recruitment and Retention.
Kelly, a United States Army veteran who served in the Vietnam Era, earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and a Master of Business Administration in Marketing Management from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, New Jersey. He holds an Associate of Liberal Arts from Atlantic Cape Community College in Mays Landing, New Jersey. Before getting into the enrollment side of higher education, Kelly was an assistant professor in Marketing and Business at Upsala College in East Orange, New Jersey. He then became the dean of admissions at Centenary University in 1993 before taking on the role of vice president for enrollment.
As vice president of enrollment management for Elmira College, Kelly oversees recruitment, enrollment, financial aid, and institutional research efforts.
Throughout her career, Jen Swain has worked extensively within the non-profit, government, and higher education industries with experience in communications, grants administration, multi-agency project management, event planning, and fundraising. She holds the Accredited in Public Relations (APR) designation from the Universal Accreditation Board and Public Relations Society of America, and currently serves as treasurer for PRSA's Northeast District, which encompasses eight chapters across six states. A native of the NY/PA Twin Tiers region, Swain earned a bachelor's degree in Journalism with a concentration in Public Relations and a minor in Environmental Science from the University of Maryland College Park and a master's degree in Management from Elmira College.
As vice president of communications and marketing, Swain leads a team of professional staff responsible for content strategy, media relations, social media, digital advertising, web content, brand creative, crisis communications, and community relations. The Office works with the President and other campus leaders to develop and promote authentic communications about people and programs that reflect the College's mission and set the College apart from other small, private institutions.