Wilkes University names new vice president, general counsel

WILKES-BARRE — Wilkes University President Greg Cant announced two new staff members Monday: Ellen Gallagher as Vice president of finance and chief operating officer; and Elizabeth Leo as general counsel and Title IX coordinator.

According to a media release, Gallagher “has nearly 30 years of experience as a financial leader in the nonprofit sector.” Her most recent position is senior vice president and chief financial officer at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. She has also worked at The Public Theater and New York Shakespeare Festival, the Lincoln Center Redevelopment Corporation, the Tucker Music Foundation and the Pennsylvania Ballet.

She will be Wilkes’ “most senior financial officer,” overseeing finance, information technology services, facilities and dining services, campus security and capital projects, among other things.

An area native living in the Shavertown section of Kingston Township, Gallagher graduated from Wyoming Seminary in Kingston, earned a bachelor’s degree in international business from King’s College, a masters in data analytics from Villanova University, and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame.

Leo has “over 25 years of legal experience,” according to the release. She clerked for U.S. District Attorney for the Southern District of New York Kevin Thomas Duffy, then worked with Morgan Lewis and Bockius, LLP in New York. after moving to Pennsylvania, she worked with Rosenn, Jenkins and Greenwald, LLP, Commonwealth Health and Ufberg and Associates.

The “Title IX coordinator” designation refers to the federal Title IX civil rights law passed in 1972, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school that receives federal funding.

In her new position at Wilkes she’ll be responsible for leading the legal affairs of the University as well as educational and awareness initiatives in identifying, reporting and prevent sexual misconduct, ensuring a safe and equitable learning and working environments for students and employees.