Business Division announces new interim academic administrators

During the month of June, Lesli Rice and Chip Verst are serving as Interim Academic Administrators and are responsible for a limited number of Associate Dean duties for the Business Technologies Division (BTD).

Chip will be “on duty” primarily on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and Lesli on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They can be reached at their shared office phone number, (513) 569-1630, or at their respective email addresses (lesli.rice@cincinnatistate.edu or charles.verst@cincinnatistate.edu).

Chip Verst has served as a Pathway Advisor for BTD since 2022, and also is an adjunct instructor for courses in Public Speaking, Interpersonal Communication, and Introduction to Film Studies. He holds a Master of Arts in Communication from Bellarmine University (Louisville, KY).

Chip said, “I’m looking forward to serving students in my new role outside of the classroom, and I appreciate the support I’ve received from everyone in the division.”

Lesli Rice, a Professor and the Program Chair for Marketing Management, has been at Cincinnati State since 2013. She is a facilitator for the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program and is a sought-after strategist in assisting small businesses, community organizations, and K-12 institutions.

Lesli earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Xavier University and an MBA from the Haile College of Business at Northern Kentucky University.

Lesli said she is “excited for the opportunity to serve Cincinnati State in this expanded capacity.”

Dean Yvonne Baker said, “I am grateful to have this duo assisting the division, and they are sure to make a positive impact.”

Dean Baker said Eimee Donbar will return as Interim Associate Dean for BTD on July 1. A search for a permanent Associate Dean of the Business Division will begin soon, since the position is now vacant as a result of former Associate Dean Audrey Woods moving to the Director of Admissions position.