Boetcher Commons in fall

University Leadership

President Dr. Salvador D. Aceves, in collaboration with the Board of Trustees and university administrators, ensures that Regis remains true to its Jesuit Catholic heritage, honors its commitment to academic excellence and operates with agility and an eye to the future.

Honoring tradition. Embracing the future.

president salvador d. aceves

President

Salvador D. Aceves, Ed.D.

Dr. Aceves became President of Regis University on Jan. 1, 2023, and is the University’s first lay and first Latino President. Prior to being appointed President, he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Regis University from 2014 to 2023.

Read More About Salvador Aceves

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Jake Bucher

Provost

Jake Bucher, Ph.D.

A sociologist who researches social injustice and the experiences of marginalized groups, Dr. Bucher joined the Regis community in July 2023. He previously was the founding dean of the College of Applied Sciences at Dominican University in Illinois.


Read More About Jake Bucher

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President's Cabinet
Senthil Kumar

Senthil Kumar, D.B.A

Senior Vice President and Chief Enrollment Officer

Dr. Senthil Kumar joined Regis as vice president for strategic enrollment management in 2022 and was promoted to Senior Vice President and Chief Enrollment Officer in 2023. He is responsible for providing executive leadership to the offices of Admissions, Enrollment Services, Financial Aid, Global Engagement and Strategic Initiatives. In addition, Kumar jointly oversee student-athlete recruitment and roster management with the Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics & Strategic Partnership, as well as search engine optimization and web services management with the Associate Vice President of Marketing and Communications.

An accomplished higher education professional with over 22 years of experience and a proven track record in strategic enrollment planning and global engagement, Kumar also brings with him an additional eight years of senior-level managerial experience in human resources, corporate finance, and management information systems.

Kumar, who most recently was vice president for strategic enrollment management at Saint Leo University, a private Catholic institution in Florida, created the Center for Global Engagement and led a team of over 150, managing the marketing, recruitment, and admissions for the university's main campus, online learning, and 17 education centers that include multiple military installations across all branches of service in Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas. Under his leadership, the university welcomed three consecutive years of record enrollment from 2019 to 2021.

Before joining Saint Leo, Kumar also held leadership roles at Juesheng Education Group in China, Bay State College in Massachusetts, The National Graduate School of Quality Management in Massachusetts, and Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island.

He began his enrollment management career at his alma mater, Oklahoma City University, where he earned a Master of Business Administration in Finance and a Bachelor of Science in Business from the Meinders School of Business. Kumar earned a Doctor of Business Administration in QSM specializing in Health Systems and the Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt from the National Graduate School of Quality Management, now known as NGS at Cambridge College Global.

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Kevin F. Burke, S.J.

Vice President, Mission

Rev. Kevin F. Burke, S.J., is the Vice-President for University Mission at Regis and Professor of Theology in Regis College. Fr. Burke first came to Regis shortly after his ordination and served as Associate Campus Minister (1988-1992). He was involved with the Regis Service-Learning Office in its early years and was a co-founder of Romero House.

After Tertianship and Doctoral Studies (1992-1997) he joined the faculty of Weston Jesuit School of Theology, Cambridge, MA (1997-2006) as Assistant/Associate Professor of Fundamental and Systematic Theology. In 2006 he became Dean of the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, CA (2006-12) and Acting President (2008-09). He returned to the faculty of JST-SCU and served as director of the Doctoral Program from 2012-2017.

A member of the Regis University Board of Trustees (2011-2017), Fr. Burke stepped down from that position to become VP for Mission. In this role, he seeks to promote the future of the Jesuit Catholic mission at Regis and extend our sense of mission to our sister schools in the AJCU.

Author or editor of seven books, including The Ground beneath the Cross: The Theology of Ignacio Ellacuría (Georgetown, 2000), Pedro Arrupe: Essential Writings (Orbis, 2004), and The Ignatian Tradition (Liturgical Press, 2006), he is currently writing a book on the theological vision of the poet, Denise Levertov. He chairs the board of directors of the journal, Theological Studies, serves on the board of the Catholic Theological Society of America and the board of trustees of the University of San Francisco.

barbara wilcots

Barbara Wilcots, Ph.D.

Vice President, Student Affairs

Dr. Wilcots joined the Regis community in 2017 after serving as associate dean of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Division, Dean of the DU-Iliff Joint Doctoral Program in the Study of Religion, and associate provost for Graduate Studies at the University of Denver. She holds a Ph.D. in English from DU, an MA in English from Texas Woman’s University, and an MA in Public Relations and a BA in Journalism from Drake University. Her areas of scholarship are 20th Century American literature and literature of the African Diaspora with a special focus on African-American and Caribbean literatures. With a commitment to inclusive excellence, she has engaged in leadership and diversity training as a participant, invited speaker and trainer in workshops and conferences across the United States as well as in the Caribbean, South Africa and Bologna, Italy.

"I sought professional opportunities at Regis because I wanted to serve in a faith-based institution committed to social justice and dedicated to developing in students the tools and determination to make a positive difference in the world. Having held leadership positions in academic affairs, serving graduate, professional, and undergraduate students, my current role as vice president of Student Affairs allows me support the academic and civic formation of all students at Regis. An integral aspect of civic formation is encouraging students not only to confront the social justice issues of our times but also to challenge their own perceptions—to seek the magis, to become the truest version of their best selves and to serve others for the greater good of the world in which we live."

Kelly Purdy

Kelly Purdy

Vice President, Advancement

Regis alumna Kelly Purdy returned to her alma mater to lead University Advancement in June 2022. She is a lifelong fundraising professional with experience across the full spectrum of philanthropy. She has a passion for connecting generosity with impact to create strong communities and vibrant institutions. She previously was Senior National Director for Philanthropy and Foundations at the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, where she oversaw institutional fundraising, principal gifts, and planned giving. Prior to joining BGCA, Kelly served as Vice President of Engaged Philanthropy at The Denver Foundation, where she led fundraising and donor services efforts helping that institution reach nearly $1 billion in total assets stewarded across nearly 1,000 donor-advised, scholarship and endowment funds. Kelly also served as Vice President of Development and Communications for Global Greengrants Fund, a Boulder-based international nonprofit working at the intersection of human rights and the environment.

She serves on the board of the Colorado Planned Giving Roundtable where she chairs the DEI Taskforce, and she also supports the Curriculum Committee for the Institute of Leaders in Development. Kelly's commitment to a career in service to social justice missions started as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine, where she met her husband. She is a Colorado-native and attended University of Colorado for her undergraduate degrees in political science and international affairs. In 2011 she received her Master's in Nonprofit Management from Regis University.

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Stephanie Morris, CPA, MSA

Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Stephanie Morris joined Regis University in 2008 as manager of accounting, bringing her experience and skills to the finance and accounting team. Morris was promoted to associate vice president in 2011 where she oversaw all aspects of the university’s financial operations including accounting, budget, cash management, accounts payable, student accounts, and business insurance functions. Regis University President Salvador D. Aceves promoted Morris to succeed him as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in 2023, becoming Regis’ first female CFO.

Prior to coming to Regis, Morris served as controller for The Fund for Colorado’s Future, an education not-for-profit organization in Denver, and controller for Center for the New West, a not-for-profit public policy think tank. With over 29 years of experience in the not-for-profit sector, her career experiences fuel her passion for Jesuit values which challenge us to think critically and serve those in need. Her care and commitment to Jesuit Catholic education grew through her participation in the Ignatian Leadership Program. Morris has served as a leadership coach and mentor, guiding her team to meet the campus community's growing and evolving needs. Her expertise in higher education can be seen through her work as a Higher Learning Commission (HLC) Peer Reviewer. HLC recognized Morris as the recipient of Peer Corps Hero Rookie of the Year in 2021.

A proud Regis alumna, Morris became a legacy parent when her daughter enrolled as a freshman in Fall 2022. Morris holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Accounting from the University of Phoenix where she graduated with honors. She also earned a Master of Science in Accounting with honors from Regis University. She is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant in Colorado.