Board of Trustees Biographies
Antoinette Farmer-Thompson, D.H.Ed, Ex officio
Dr. Antoinette Farmer-Thompson was appointed as the 18th President of Strayer University in April 2024, following her role as the Provost and Chief Academic Officer, which she begin in November of 2021. A distinguished leader in higher education, with over 16 years of experience, her previous roles include Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operations Officer of Educational Outreach and Student Services at Arizona State University, and Senior Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness and founding Honors College Dean at Grand Canyon University. Dr. Farmer-Thompson holds a Doctor of Health Education in Health Sciences from A.T. Still University, a Master of Business Administration in Healthcare from Grand Canyon University, a Master of Arts in Education from the University of Phoenix and a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Arizona State University. She also holds an Artificial Intelligence in Business Strategies and Applications Certificate from the University of California Berkeley, and an Executive Women in Leadership Certificate from Cornell University. Dr. Farmer-Thompson’s research interests focus on innovation in education to enhance economic mobility, organizational transformation through analytics and institutional effectiveness, and the development of women in leadership.
Charlotte F. Beason, Ed.D., Chair
Dr. Beason is the Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees. She has served as a member of the Board of Trustees since 1996. She has extensive experience in education, distance learning, and the accreditation of education programs. She was Executive Director of the Kentucky Board of Nursing from 2005 to 2012. From 2000 to 2003, Dr. Beason was Chair and Vice Chair of the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (an autonomous agency accrediting baccalaureate and graduate programs in nursing). From 1988 to 2004, Dr. Beason was with the Department of Veterans Affairs, first as Director of Health Professions Education Service and the Health Professional Scholarship Program, and then as Program Director, Office of Nursing Services. Dr. Beason has served on the Board since 1996 and is a member of the Nominating Committee. She is also Chairwoman of the Strayer University Board of Trustees. Dr. Beason holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Berea College, a master’s degree in psychiatric nursing from Boston University and a doctorate in clinical psychology and public practice from Harvard University.
Mr. Steve Dorner
Mr. Dorner was elected to the Board of Trustees in 2025. Mr. Dorner is Managing Director of Media Design School at Strayer. Mr. Dorner has over 15 years industry experience, 24 years teaching experience and is a member of the Visual Effects Society, an honorary society that recognizes and celebrates achievements in the field of visual effects. Mr. Dorner also serves on both the Visual Effects Society, Global Education and Outreach Committee and the Visual Effects Professionals Guild of New Zealand, Screen Educators Group. He is active in organizing networking and lecture events designed to connect students with the VFX community, keeping one foot firmly in industry and the other in education. In addition to being a dedicated VFX artist and educator, Mr. Dorner has overseen numerous award-winning short films as Executive Producer and is credited as writer for the MDS film, Dust Bunnies and co-writer on Interception. Mr. Dorner holds an associate's degree in media communications from Pima Community College, a national certificate adult education and teaching from Auckland University of Technology, and a master of arts in Arts Management from Whitecliffe College of Arts & Design.
Jonathan Gueverra, Ed.D.
Dr. Gueverra has served as a member of the Board of Trustees since 2012. He now serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the College of the Florida Keys. Prior to this appointment, he was the founding Chief Executive Officer of the Community College of the District of Columbia, the first community college in Washington, D.C. With over 25 years of higher education experience, Dr. Gueverra has served in a variety of administrative and faculty positions in two-year and four-year colleges and universities along the nation’s east coast. In 2015, he was elected to the board of trustees for the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges, Commission on Colleges. Prior to this, he served as a member of the board of the American Association for Community Colleges and co-chaired the Commission on Workforce Development. In addition, Dr. Gueverra served on the Steering Committee and the Communications Committee for the Council of Presidents for the Florida College System. He currently serves as a board member of Baptist Health South Florida’s Fishermen’s Community Hospital, and as a subcommittee member of the Education for Sea Power Advisory Board (E4SAB) United States Naval Community College. In 2024, Dr. Gueverra was elected to serve on the Board of Directors of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Dr. Gueverra holds an associate degree from Newbury College, a bachelor’s degree from Providence College, and a master’s degree in business administration and a doctorate in education both from the University of Massachusetts.
Leslie Hitch, Ed.D.
Dr. Hitch has served as a member of the Board of Trustees since 2018. She is often a member of a New England Commission for Higher Education (NECHE) team evaluating foreign universities for NECHE accreditation. In that capacity she has been to Vietnam, Rwanda, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. She was Teaching Faculty at William James College and Associate Teaching Professor, Northeastern University as well as Visiting Fellow at Swinburne Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Australia where she designed curriculum and taught in masters and doctoral programs in Leadership, Global Studies, and Higher Education Administration and for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). In addition to her faculty position in Australia, she has extensive teaching experience internationally in Hong Kong and Vietnam. Her higher education administrative experience includes Director of Academic Technology Services at Northeastern University; Vice President, Harcourt, Inc.; Program Director at Simmons University; and director of executive education at Babson College. She, and her co-author Shreshthi Mehta, received second prize in the Ivey-Publishing/Indian Business School Global Case Writing competition in 2015 and an honorable mention in 2017. She is a member of the Board for the Center for Independent Documentary. She holds a B.A. and MBA from Simmons University; Certificate, Management and Leadership in Education from Harvard School of Education; and an Ed.D in Higher Education Administration from the University of Massachusetts, Boston.
William C. Reha, M.D.
Dr. Reha is a Board Certified Urologic Surgeon in Woodbridge, Virginia. He has served as a member of the Strayer University Board of Trustees since 2007 and is currently Vice-Chair of the Student Affairs, Alumni & Career Services Committee and is also a member of the Nominating and Curriculum & Assessment Committee of the Board of Trustees. Dr. Reha has served as President of the Prince William County Medical Society, the Potomac Hospital Medical Staff, the Virginia Urological Society, and the American Association of Clinical Urologists (AACU). Dr. Reha was also Speaker and President of the Medical Society of Virginia. He Chairs the AACU Delegation to the American Medical Association and is a member of the American Urological Association Public Policy Council. He is an oral board examiner for the American Board of Urology. Dr. Reha holds an M.D. from New York Medical College, a Master’s in Business Administration from Strayer University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from Binghamton University. He completed his residency in Surgery/Urology at Georgetown University. Dr. Reha is a Fellow of the Medical Society of Virginia Foundation’s Claude Moore Physician Leadership Institute.
Peter D. Salins, Ph.D.
Dr. Salins has served as a member of the Board of Trustees since 2002 and is Vice-Chair of its Curriculum and Assessment Committee. Having served as Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs of the State University of New York (SUNY) system from 1997 to 2006, he is currently a John S. Toll Professor at SUNY’s Stony Brook University and the senior faculty member of its graduate program in public policy. Dr. Salins is a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners and a Director of the Citizens Housing and Planning Council of New York. Dr. Salins holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture, a master’s degree in regional planning and a doctorate in metropolitan studies and regional planning, all from Syracuse University.
Mr. Joe Schaefer, M.B.A.
Mr. Schaefer has served as a member of the board of trustees since 2018. He currently serves as the President of Education Technology Services for Strategic Education, Inc., Strayer University’s parent company. Mr. Schaefer formerly served as Strategic Education’s Chief Transformation Officer and Chief Information Technology Officer. Prior to that, for more than 10 years, he held multiple senior leadership positions at Strayer University, including Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, Senior Vice President of Academic Operations and Chief Information Officer. Prior to joining Strayer University, Mr. Schaefer held various technology leadership positions at Accenture, one of the world’s leading consulting companies. Mr. Schaefer holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Virginia Tech and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.
Carol Shapiro, M.D.
Dr. Shapiro has served as a member of the Board of Trustees since 2015. Dr. Shapiro, a plastic surgeon, is the Medical Director of the Wound Healing Center of Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center. She has served as President of the medical staff of the two hospitals in the county in which she practices. She has also served as President of the Prince William County Medical Society and was the first woman to be elected President of the Medical Society of Virginia. She chaired the Virginia Delegation to the American Medical Association. Dr. Shapiro has served as President of the National Capital Society of Plastic Surgeons, and was appointed to serve on the Ethics and Judicial Committees of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Additionally, she has served on the Board of Trustees of the Prince William Hospital and Potomac Hospital. Currently, she is the Vice Chair of the Potomac Health Foundation and Chairs the Grants Committee, and serves on the Board of Trustees of Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center. She recently completed a 12-year term on the Board of Visitors of Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Shapiro did her undergraduate work at the University of Pittsburgh and earned her MD at the Woman’s Medical College in Philadelphia. After completing a residency in General Surgery and Plastic Surgery at Georgetown University, she started a solo practice in Woodbridge, Virginia. For several years, Dr. Shapiro was a Clinical Instructor at Georgetown University Department of Plastic Surgery. In 1996, she earned an MBA from George Mason University.
J. Chris Toe, Ph.D.
Dr. Toe has served as a member of the Board of Trustees since 2003. He served as President of Strayer University from 2003 to April 2006 and as Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Liberia from 2006 to 2009. Dr. Toe now serves as Executive Chairman of Agrifore Advisory & Investment Services (AAIS), Incorporated in Liberia and Senior Advisor for Country Strategic Planning for the World Food Programme in Rome, Italy. Dr. Toe holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Liberia, and a master’s degree in agricultural economics and a doctorate in economics, both from Texas Tech University.
Mr. Andrew E. Watt
Mr. Watt has served as a member of the Board of Trustees since 2019. Mr. Watt is President, US Higher Education for Strategic Education, Inc., Strayer University’s parent company. Mr. Watt is charged with providing leadership to both Strayer University and Capella University along with shared services functions that support these institutions. Mr. Watt most recently served as Chief Operating Officer of SEI. Previously, Mr. Watt served as Senior Vice President of Post-Secondary Education for Capella Education Company and has held leadership roles in operations, finance, analytics and product management since joining the company in 2002. Earlier in Mr. Watt’s career he worked in transaction advisory services at Deloitte & Touche and Arthur Andersen. He earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of St. Thomas.
Michael E. Wooten, Ed.D.
Dr. Wooten has served as a member of the Board of Trustees since 2023. Dr. Wooten is a small business owner and a Marine Corps veteran of Afghanistan. He is a former board chair for Northern Virginia Community College and was recently appointed to the board of the Virginia Community College System by Governor Glenn Youngkin. After his 20-year Marine Corps career, his assignments include Professor of Contract Management at Defense Acquisition University, Deputy Chief Procurement Officer for the District of Columbia, Acting Assistant Secretary at U.S. Department of Education, and Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy at the Office of Management and Budget. In this role, he was the U.S. procurement policy chief.
Dr. Wooten holds a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania, masters degrees from The George Washington University, the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, and Norwich University. He received his bachelor’s degree from Chapman University.