The Executive Committee

Javier Miyares

President

president-office@umgc.edu

Javier Miyares is president of University of Maryland Global Campus, the nation's largest public online university and a constituent institution of the University System of Maryland. Since his appointment in 2012, he has expanded access and opportunities for adult learners through key initiatives and has been in the forefront of leveraging "big data" and analytics to fuel advances in learning science. The university—which offers courses online and in a hybrid format at more than 20 locations stateside and in more than 20 countries around the world—has also expanded its corporate and institutional alliances under his leadership.

Miyares has maintained a singular focus on quality, access, and affordability for Maryland's adult learners and members of the U.S. military around the world. The Maryland Completion Scholarship enables Maryland community college graduates to earn a bachelor's degree from UMGC for a total cost of $20,000—including their community college tuition. Through a partnership with Prince George's Community College and Prince George's County Public Schools, UMGC has also created the Prince George's 3D Scholarship pilot program that allows high-achieving students to earn college credit while still in high school and ultimately complete a bachelor's degree for $10,000 or less.

In fall 2015, the university made headlines when it replaced publisher textbooks with open educational resources in all undergraduate courses, a move that saves students millions of dollars each year. UMGC's Graduate School followed suit in fall 2016.

Miyares has also committed his support to the university's evolving learning model, which focuses on a personalized learning experience for students at scale, with greater emphasis on competence and confidence as students prepare to enter professional positions.

Miyares worked closely with and received the unanimous approval of the University System of Maryland Board of Regents in creating a new business model that serves to keep tuition low and allows for innovative approaches to fulfilling UMGC's public mission. UMGC Ventures, a nonprofit supporting organization, now serves as a holding company for commercial enterprises that will provide the university with additional revenue streams.

During Miyares' tenure, UMGC was named 2015 Educator of the Year by the World Affairs Council of Washington, D.C., and ranked No. 1 by Military Times among "Best Colleges: Online and Nontraditional Schools" for 2018. The university's competitive cybersecurity team, the Cyber Competition Team, won the 2014 Global CyberLympics in Barcelona, Spain; the 2013 and 2014 Maryland Cyber Challenge; and the inaugural Cyber DiploHack competition, organized by the prestigious Center for Strategic and International Studies, in 2015.

Miyares has often cited higher education as his gateway to the American Dream. Born in Havana, Cuba, he was taken out of the country by his Jesuit teachers on July 4, 1961, at age 14, after his father was imprisoned by Fidel Castro during the Bay of Pigs invasion. Miyares later joined Operation Pedro Pan and eventually moved to Maryland, where he attended the University of Maryland, College Park, earning bachelor's and master's degrees in sociology. He completed all the requirements but the dissertation for a doctorate in educational measurement and statistics.

Miyares currently serves on the board of directors of the American Council on Education (ACE); as a commissioner with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education; on the board of directors of Achieving the Dream; and on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Advisory Committee on Education.

Note: If you contact the Office of the President via e-mail, the president's staff will ensure that your e-mail reaches the UMGC staff or faculty member best positioned to respond.

Michael Freedman

Senior Vice President and Journalist in Residence

301-985-7200
michael.freedman@umgc.edu

Michael Freedman is senior vice president and Journalist in Residence at UMGC. In a distinguished career spanning more than 35 years, Freedman has served as general manager of CBS Radio Network News, managing editor for the Broadcast Division of United Press International, vice president and professor of journalism at The George Washington University, senior vice president and professor of the practice at University of Maryland Global Campus, and executive producer of the public broadcasting series "The Kalb Report."

Over the course of his career, Freedman has collaborated on programming with such icons as Walter Cronkite, Marvin Kalb, Tony Bennett, Ernie Harwell, Dan Rather, Charles Osgood, and Abba Eban. He has forged groundbreaking partnerships with CNN, The National Press Club, POLITICO, and The Newseum in Washington, D.C.

Freedman and his teams have been honored with more 85 honors, including 14 Edward R. Murrow awards for excellence in broadcast journalism. He is co-author of The Broadcast Voice Handbook and a contributing author to Broadcasting Through Crisis, Responsible Journalism and The Encyclopedia of Journalism. He is a member of the National Press Club Board of Governors and the Newseum Educator Advisory Team.

Lloyd "Milo" Miles

Senior Vice President, Global Military Operations

301-985-7257
lloyd.miles@umgc.edu

Major General Lloyd "Milo" Miles (U.S. Army, Ret.) currently serves as senior vice president of Global Military Affairs at UMGC. In this role, he oversees the administration and management of the university's global operations and partnerships in more than 20 countries and territories in Europe, Africa, and Asia, including the Middle East.

Before joining UMGC in January 2015, Miles served in the military for more than 32 years in a decorated career that included multiple distinguished leadership positions in education, training, strategic policy development, operational deployments, and combat. In his last duty assignment, Miles served as senior commander of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, one of the largest military organizations in the country, with approximately 40,000 soldiers and airmen and 15,000 government civilians and contractors. His various military assignments have enabled him to serve in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America.

He has commanded at every level from captain to major general in assignments that included one of the earliest peacekeeping missions to the Sinai Desert as a company commander; a battalion task force on a peace enforcement mission in Kosovo; combat operations in Iraq commanding a brigade combat team; and the international effort to advise, train, and equip the Iraqi Army.

Miles is the fourth soldier to be promoted to general as an amputee since the Civil War. He is the only amputee general to serve in either Iraq or Afghanistan and the only one to serve multiple combat tours after becoming an amputee.

His principal staff assignments included serving as a battalion and brigade operations officer; liaison officer to the Egyptian Ministry of Defense in Cairo, Egypt; political-military planner for North Korea, Joint Staff, Pentagon; executive officer to the commander, U.S. Southern Command; and executive officer to the chief of staff of the Army.

Miles earned a BS in engineering from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and an MS in national strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College.

Erika Orris

Senior Vice President, Chief Enrollment and Marketing Officer

301-985-7435
erika.orris@umgc.edu

Erika Orris is chief enrollment and marketing officer at UMGC. In this role, she oversees the Offices of Marketing, New Student Admissions, and Student Advising and Retention. She joined UMGC in March 2016.

Orris is a veteran administrator whose career has focused on helping students achieve their education goals. Before coming to UMGC, she was vice president for enrollment management at DeVry University and its Keller Graduate School of Management. While serving in this position, she built an acclaimed advisor training program, spearheaded development of a digital self-service process for student enrollment and financial aid, and oversaw the development of hundreds of corporate, college, and high school partnerships.

Prior to that, Orris served in various leadership roles in admissions and operations at the Art Institutes, a system of more than 40 campuses across North America that offer degrees and programs in the creative and applied arts. Her 19-year career there included leading a start-up operation; serving as vice president of marketing and admissions, where she also chaired the scholarship committee; and managing information technology-related projects to enhance the student experience. She led the development of virtual student interviews and career-oriented multimedia presentations in the 1990s, well ahead of its time.

Orris received a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Pittsburgh and an MBA from University of Maryland Global Campus. Her experience in serving a wide variety of students—including high school students and adults as well as those in the military—in both on-site and online formats will lend itself well to UMGC's mission to improve the lives of adult learners.

Blakely Pomietto

Senior Vice President and Chief Academic Officer

blakely.pomietto@umgc.edu

Blakely Pomietto has served since April 2020 as UMGC's senior vice president and chief academic officer. In this role, she defines, implements, and advances key academic initiatives, strategic planning, and institutional priorities, guiding the leadership team in Academic Affairs and coordinating with senior leaders across the institution. Pomietto and her team oversee quality of programs and instruction, academic support programs and services, digital teaching and learning, instructional design, faculty affairs and development, academic operations, policies and procedures, and UMGC's compliance with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education standards.

Pomietto has previously served as UMGC's Deputy Chief Academic Officer, as well as Acting Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. She joined the university in 2015 as Assistant Vice Provost for Policies and Reports, including oversight of the Academic Affairs policy portfolio, academic program reviews and approvals, and mandated reporting.

Prior to joining UMGC, Pomietto served as chief of staff in the University of Maryland, College Park School of Public Health. In that role and others, she led the school through initial and reaccreditation by the Council on Education for Public Health and coordinated with the school's dean's office and individual units, including academic affairs, communications, finance and administration, research, and student services. Previously, she served as director of student services and program coordinator for the Master of Public Health and taught for 12 years as an adjunct faculty member in the School of Public Health.

Pomietto holds a bachelor's degree in biology from George Mason University and a Master of Public Health, with a concentration in community health education, from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Frank J. Principe, Jr.

Chief of Staff, President's Office

301-985-7314
frank.principe@umgc.edu

Frank J. Principe Jr. is chief of staff in UMGC's Office of the President. In that role, he directs all activities and operations in the Office of the President and serves as the principal aide to the president, participating with the president and other senior officers in institutional planning, policy development, and a variety of other matters of institutional importance.

Principe joined UMGC in February 2015, serving most recently as vice president for Government Affairs, overseeing all aspects of state and Federal government relations. He came to UMGC with a wealth of experience in public affairs, public policy, government and community relations, and higher education.

Prior to joining UMGC, Principe served as chief of staff in the Office of the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Transportation, where he represented the governor's and secretary's interests with external stakeholders. Earlier, he served as government affairs director at the Baltimore County Executive Office for seven years and, prior to that, as executive director for government relations in the Office of the President at Towson University.

Principe began his career more than 25 years ago in the Office of the Maryland Senate President, Thomas V. "Mike" Miller Jr. There, he rose to serve as special assistant to the president, a position he held for more than five years.

Principe holds a master's degree in political management from George Washington University and a bachelor's degree in English, with honors, from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Louis (Lou) C. Pugliese

Executive Vice President

lou.pugliese@umgc.edu

Lou Pugliese brings to UMGC Ventures more than twenty years in e-learning innovation. He is an innovator, thought leader, and successful venture-growth entrepreneur with a lifelong passion for seeking and engaging new ways to disrupt, displace, and advance business models. Before joining UMGC Ventures, Pugliese was a senior innovation fellow and managing director of the Arizona State University (ASU) Action Lab EdPlus, a research and development enterprise focused on the design and scalable delivery of digital teaching and learning models. Before joining ASU, Pugliese held senior leadership positions in venture equity and educational technology companies. He was chairman and CEO of Moodlerooms, entrepreneur-in-residence for Novak Biddle Venture Partners, CEO of AnswerLogic, and founding CEO of Blackboard Inc. Pugliese also teaches social entrepreneurship at the University of Pennsylvania and University of Maryland, College Park. He is deeply involved with the Community Coalition for Haiti education programs, which promote student learning through teacher development; child wellness; and safe, learning-centered school environments.