Josh Jensen

AMHERST — Amherst College President Michael Elliott announced the appointment of Josh Jensen as vice president for Communications, effective July 1. Jensen will lead all aspects of the college’s communications and public affairs work, including media relations, digital strategy, internal communications, and brand stewardship.

Jensen joins Amherst from Oberlin College and Conservatory, where he has served as vice president for Communications since 2021. At Oberlin, he led the full spectrum of marketing and communications, from print and digital marketing to social media, video, crisis communications, and overall strategy.

Among his notable achievements, Jensen refreshed Oberlin’s visual identity and brand standards across the institution and conceptualized and launched “Running to the Noise,” a podcast hosted by Oberlin President Carmen Twillie Ambar. He also reorganized the communications team to build a unified, multi-channel approach to constituent engagement.

“Josh brings exactly the vision and expertise Amherst needs as we work to share our story with the world,” Amherst College President Michael Elliott said. “His record of building high-performing communications teams, stewarding the stories of prominent liberal arts institutions, and navigating complex reputational challenges speaks for itself, and his genuine commitment to the communities he serves will make him an invaluable partner. I look forward to working alongside him to amplify the voices of our remarkable students, faculty, staff, and alumni.”

Before Oberlin, Jensen spent five years at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Wash., where he served first as vice president for Communications and Public Relations and later as vice president for Enrollment and Communications. In the latter role, he oversaw a team across admissions, financial aid, communications, and analytics, and introduced an innovative early financial aid award guarantee process to reduce financial barriers for prospective students. He also developed a strategic messaging platform grounded in rigorous mixed-methods research with prospective students, alumni, and key college stakeholders.

Earlier in his career, Jensen held communications leadership roles at Connecticut College and Boston College, where he led marketing and communications for a portfolio of departments, including undergraduate admission and institutional diversity.

“Amherst has a profound legacy and a vibrant future,” he said. “It will be a privilege to lead the communications team and work alongside President Elliott, faculty, staff, students, and alumni to tell the powerful stories that define the Amherst experience.”

Jensen holds a PhD in higher education from Boston College’s Lynch School of Education, an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management, and a bachelor’s degree in music, magna cum laude, from the University of Hartford’s Hartt School. He has also served as a teaching assistant at Harvard Extension School and as a marketing instructor at Newbury College.

AMHERST — Amherst College named Angie Tissi-Gassoway its new chief Student Affairs officer (CSAO) and dean of students. She will be responsible for all functions of the Office of Student Affairs, including residential engagement and well-being, housing and operations, identity and cultural resources, counseling and mental health, student activities and leadership, health and community safety services, accessibility, case management, community standards, new student programs and orientation, and immigration and visa services. The appointment is effective immediately.

Tissi-Gassoway has served as the interim CSAO since February, before which they served as the interim chief Equity and Inclusion officer for 14 months.

Tissi-Gassoway joined Amherst in July 2012 as an area coordinator in Residential Life and, since then, has held various roles in the offices of both Student Affairs and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), including director of the Queer Resource Center, assistant dean of students and director of Identity and Cultural Resources; and associate dean of students for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. During that time, she co-led new-student orientation and co-developed the social-justice leadership LEAP program, founded and served as the inaugural director of the Queer Resource Center, and helped to establish a structure and expansion of the college’s cultural and identity resource centers, including the creation of the inaugural affinity-based graduation ceremonies, which have become a cherished tradition at Amherst.

To reinforce the college’s commitment to inclusion and community, Tissi-Gassoway spearheaded the “I Belong” campaign, the Day of Dialogue on Race and Racism, the Amherst Reflects series, and the Cultural Heritage Committee. In the past year, they co-created and launched the Civil Rights and Title IX Office in the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and worked side-by-side with the provost’s office to recruit and retain a diverse faculty. They also currently chair the recently formed Campus Safety Advisory Committee.

Tissi-Gassoway has dedicated the last 20 years of their career to student affairs and diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education. Prior to their tenure at Amherst College, they served in Mount Holyoke College’s Health Education office. Before that, Tissi-Gassoway worked at Oregon State University, where she first found her passion for community building, equity, and student engagement. She earned a master’s degree in education in social-justice education from UMass Amherst and a master’s degree in public health and bachelor’s degree from Oregon State University.

“I am honored to serve as Amherst’s chief Student Affairs officer and dean of students,” Tissi-Gassoway said. “It is a true privilege to work with our remarkable students, engage our collective community, lead the extraordinary team of Student Affairs, and collaboratively advance the work of community, equity, and belonging at the college.”

AMHERST — Amherst College named Michael Thomas its new chief financial and administrative officer (CFAO). On the finance side, he will be responsible for all finance functions of the college, including budgeting, accounting, financial reporting, long-range financial planning, and asset, liability, and risk management. On the administrative side, Thomas will oversee facilities, health and safety, and business services (dining and auxiliary), among key operating functions.

He joins Amherst from Middlebury College, where he was vice president for Administration and chief risk officer for the past two years and vice president for Finance and assistant treasurer for the previous four and a half years. He will report to and serve as a strategic partner to President Michael Elliott. His appointment is effective March 27, and he succeeds former Amherst CFAO Kevin Weinman, who became the president of Marist College in the fall of 2021.

In his more than nine years at Middlebury, Thomas led all aspects of financial matters, including accounting, financial systems and reporting, budgets, debt and cash management, and endowment reporting, as well as risk evaluation, campus safety, environmental health and safety, emergency management, and land and property management. He led several critical initiatives for the Middlebury enterprise, including the institution’s COVID-19-related operations; a student safety coalition initiative at the college; the acquisition, financing, and renovation of a residential housing facility of Middlebury’s Institute of International Studies at Monterey in California; the implementation of an enterprise resource planning system for a consortium of higher-education institutions, for which he serves as secretary of the board; and a major long-term financial-sustainability plan.

Before that, he was the controller and director of financial resources for Skidmore College (2006-13); the controller, manager of Financial Systems and Accounting, and a financial analyst for General Electric Silicones, Americas (1999-2006); and an associate at PriceWaterhouseCoopers (1995-98). He graduated from Union College with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and from the University at Albany with a master’s degree in accounting.

“I am excited to be joining Amherst College as the CFAO,” Thomas said. “I look forward to working with President Elliott and getting to know and work with the students, faculty, and staff to support the mission of the institution. Supporting Amherst College in the education of some of the brightest minds from around the world is an honor.”