WS Chronicle

Sandra J. Doran has been named the Interim President of Salem Academy and College, effective May 1. Doran will serve in the role while a nationwide search is conducted for a new permanent president.

“Salem is very fortunate to have someone of Ms. Doran’s caliber to serve as Interim President at this juncture in the institution’s long and distinguished history,” said Sallie Craig Huber, chairwoman of the Board of Trustees of Salem Academy and College. “Ms. Doran brings considerable experience in the critical areas of strategic planning, fundraising, student recruitment, team-building, and fiscal discipline, and she is recognized as a thought leader in higher education. She also has firsthand knowledge of the unique challenges faced by women’s liberal arts colleges – having served as chief of staff, vice president, and general counsel at Lesley University — and she is adept at transforming those challenges into opportunities.”

“I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to serve Salem Academy and College, a true trailblazer in the education of young women in the United States,” said Doran. “There is a fervent passion that the entire Salem community shares for their beloved institution, and I am confident that this passion will inspire us to achieve our mission together.”

Doran most recently served as the national program director of the New England Board of Higher Education and as Entrepreneur in Residence at the Stevens Institute of Technology. In the former position, she created and led initiatives focused on new program development and strategies for change. In the latter, she nurtured the university’s nascent entrepreneurs and provided management counsel to companies on marketing, sales, finance, and business development strategies.

From February 2014 to July 2017, Doran served as Chief Executive Officer at Castle Point Learning Systems LLC (CPLS), a company that develops innovative teaching and learning technologies in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). In her capacity as CEO, Doran raised $3 million in seed money, led the development and implementation of the company’s strategic and operating plans, and grew the organization from two founders to a company with thirty employees.

Prior to her position at CPLS, Doran was president of American College of Education. As president, she re-energized the college, growing it into the fifth largest graduate school of education in the country. During her tenure, student retention increased from 73 percent to 96 percent. 

Doran holds a Juris Doctor degree from the Syracuse University College of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Southern Methodist University. Over the years, she has augmented her leadership skills through the Advanced Leadership Program at the Center for Creative Leadership; and through the Finance for Senior Executives program at Harvard Business School.

; and through the Leadership Program offered by the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Institute for Educational Management.