Senior Leadership

Dr. Renée T. White became provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs of The New School on August 1, 2021. With more than 25 years of experience working in higher education, Dr. White joined The New School from Wheaton College in Massachusetts, where she served as provost and a professor of sociology since 2016. She previously served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Simmons University from 2011 to 2016. Before working at Simmons, Dr. White served in faculty roles, including professor of sociology and Black studies and academic coordinator for Diversity and Global Citizenship at Fairfield University and a joint appointment in the Department of Sociology and the African American Studies Research Center at Purdue University.

Dr. White is the editor of three books, including the acclaimed Spoils of War: Women of Color, Cultures, and Revolutions, and is the author of Putting Risk in Perspective: Black Teenage Lives in the Era of AIDS. She has served as editor of the Journal of HIV/AIDS Prevention in Children and Youth and as editorial advisor to the Journal of HIV/AIDS and Social Services. Dr. White also was a Wye Faculty Fellow at the Aspen Institute and completed a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship in Black film studies. Her current research is in the areas of the impact of public discourse on social policy concerning reproductive rights, representations of Blackness in popular culture, and applications of Black feminist theory to higher education leadership.

Dr. White holds an AB with honors from Brown University and an MA and PhD from Yale University, where she was awarded a Mellon Foundation doctoral fellowship. She is a member of the Editorial Review Board of the Journal of Women and Gender in Higher Education. She also serves on the Vision 2020 National Leadership Circle and as a member of the Rachel Carson Council (RCC) National Advisory Council. From 2019 to 2021, she served on the Chief Academic Officers Task Force of the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC).

Mark Diaz serves as The New School’s Interim Executive Vice President for Business and Operations. Mark brings extensive knowledge of finance, operations, strategy, and governance and over 25 years of leadership experience in higher education, healthcare, and professional services. From 2018 to 2022, he was the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at George Washington University (GW). He served as GW’s chief operating, administrative, and finance officer and provided leadership for finance and budget, human resources, information technology, facilities and operations, risk management, safety and security, as well as GW’s athletics programs and clinical enterprise. Previously, Mark served for 19 years in leadership roles at the University of Miami, most recently as Vice President for Budget and Planning reporting to the Provost and the Executive Vice President. He shepherded the development of the university’s operating and capital budgets as well as organizational and business development across the university. For a three year period, he also served as Interim Chief Financial Officer of the University’s Miller School of Medicine and UHealth, the university’s health system, which includes three hospitals, more than 30 outpatient facilities and more than 1,200 physicians and scientists. He was also a key leader in Miami’s culture transformation initiative to improve employee services and morale. Mark earned his Bachelor’s and Master's degrees in Accounting at the University of Miami.

Anne Adriance joined The New School in October 2013, charged with elevating the university's public profile. Today, in addition to leading all marketing and communication university-wide, she oversees new ventures including executive and online education, corporate partnerships, and licensing. To enhance university recognition and understanding, she launched a celebrated new brand identity system, with a distinctive algorithm-based font, that graphically integrates the university and its’ colleges. Named the American Marketing Association’s Marketer of the Year, she led our team to create a comprehensive and integrated marketing campaign recognized as groundbreaking in higher education and to establish enterprises that have expanded The New School’s ability to bring its differentiated academic offering to new audiences, including executives, online learners, and partners in a wide range of organizations. Throughout her tenure, Anne’s focus has been on advancing the story of The New School’s distinctive vision, forward-looking educational approach, and remarkable contributions to the world. 

She brings to her job more than 25 years of experience in marketing communication and strategic brand design in commercial, nonprofit, government, and media settings, for companies and organizations such as General Mills, CNN, Cartoon Network, BusinessWeek, Kodak, Procter & Gamble, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Of special note is her work with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control to launch the nation's largest and most successful public health media campaign and the first national effort to prevent childhood obesity. Anne has held senior executive positions at the Burns Group, a brand consultancy and innovation agency she co-founded; Saatchi & Saatchi, as executive vice president, leading the largest account in the company's New York office; Time Warner, as the senior vice president for Turner Broadcasting's licensing and merchandising and global brand management; and Guideposts, as senior vice president for consumer marketing at the country's largest publisher of inspirational publications and digital content. Anne has a bachelor's degree from Princeton University.

As senior vice president for Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice, Melanie Hart focuses on elevating the strategies, values, and practices of equity, diversity, inclusion, and social justice at The New School. Melanie brings to this work a strong connection to the university and deep experience in social justice-based institutional management and change. Melanie is an alum of the university’s MA program in Public and Urban Policy at the Milano School, where she is presently completing her PhD. She received her JD from the University of Virginia School of Law and practiced law as a corporate and securities attorney before returning to public service in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors and with city agencies. Most recently, she served as the deputy commissioner for Workforce Development at the New York City Department of Small Business Services. Before that, she was the executive vice president of Community Programs and Development at the New York City Housing Authority. 

Dr. Jennifer E. Hobbs joined The New School in April 2020 as senior vice president for Administration and chief of staff. In these roles, she works in collaboration with institutional leaders, colleagues across the university, and constituents to plan, coordinate, and advance the university’s vision and academic mission. She has been in higher education administration for more than ten years, working to remove impediments to institutional advancement and to develop efficient, data-driven, humanistic approaches to institutional decision making, processes, and policies. Before coming to The New School, she served as chief of staff and vice provost in the Office of the Provost at Emory University. She earned her BS in Biology at Loyola University Chicago and her PhD at Northwestern University through the Driskill Graduate Program in the Life Sciences at the Feinberg School of Medicine.

Jonah Nigh joined The New School in September 2021 as senior vice president of Development and Alumni Engagement. In this role, Jonah leads The New School’s strategic fundraising, institutional advancement, alumni engagement, corporate and foundation relations, and related areas. An accomplished fundraising leader with 16 years of experience, Jonah comes to The New School from the Jewish Museum, where he served as the director of Major Gifts, senior director of Individual Giving, and acting deputy director of Development before being appointed chief development officer in February 2020. In that role, he oversaw the planning, management, strategy, and execution of the museum’s fundraising efforts during a time of unprecedented challenges. Jonah was previously the major gifts officer for Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and was the assistant director of Development for Opera America. Prior development roles include positions at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Columbia University’s School of the Arts, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Jonah has served as a panelist for the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and serves regularly as a guest speaker on the topic of fundraising on podcasts, in university arts administration programs, and in other outlets related to development. A classically trained singer, he earned his undergraduate degree at Lawrence University and a Master of Music degree at the New England Conservatory. His performance credits include roles at the Aspen Music Festival, Boston Lyric Opera, Dorian Opera Theatre, and Opera Boston and in national commercials and films. Jonah is a longtime New York City resident and serves on the Executive and Economic Development committees of Bronx Community Board Four.

A highly accomplished attorney, Alex brings nearly two decades of experience in legal affairs at leading law firms and in higher education. He joined The New School from the Rutgers University—New Brunswick campus, where he served as Chief of Staff and Senior Vice Chancellor in the Office of the Chancellor-Provost, overseeing a broad spectrum of administrative, operational, and service functions across various Rutgers–New Brunswick units. Alex concurrently served Rutgers University as Associate General Counsel in the Office of the General Counsel. In this capacity, he worked closely with Rutgers University leadership on a variety of legal matters, focused on athletics and international matters. Prior to serving as Chief of Staff and Senior Vice Chancellor, Alex worked in the Rutgers Office of the General Counsel where he provided legal advice in all aspects of education law, including student affairs, faculty matters, governance issues, athletics and academic affairs. Alex started his legal career as an associate in the general practice group at Sullivan & Cromwell, LLP in New York City. He received a B.A. from Columbia University and a J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law. He is a member of the National Association of College and University Attorneys and is a frequent presenter and speaker on topics relating to athletics and international matters.