To the University community:

I am pleased to introduce Alisa Macksey as La Salle University’s next Vice President of Mission, Diversity, and Inclusion. Alisa will join our Executive Cabinet upon her arrival. Her start date is Monday, July 25.

Alisa brings extensive national and international Lasallian mission experience to our campus. Her nearly two decades of professional work experience is tied directly to the Lasallian mission and Lasallian education.

Alisa joins us from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, a Lasallian institution which she has served since September 2015. Most recently, as Dean of Student Success and the First Generation Initiative, Alisa developed and implemented strategic plans for student success that align with Saint Mary’s University’s strategic plan and the Lasallian Catholic educational mission. She grew endowments related to the First Generation Initiative from $635,000 to $9.6 million in seven years and represented the university as diversity officer, collaborating with all areas to foster and advocate for unity in initiatives germane to diversity, inclusivity, respect, and solidarity.

Quite notably, Alisa leads representatives from nearly a dozen countries in her part-time role as the inaugural president of the the International Council for Association and the Lasallian Educational Mission—a position to which she was appointed by the former Superior General, La Salle alumnus Brother Robert Schieler, ’72, F.S.C., Ed.D. The council focuses on the vitality of the Lasallian mission worldwide. Additionally, she serves as associate editor of the AXIS: Journal of Lasallian Higher Education, through which she has worked closely with La Salle faculty who have submitted articles for publication.

Born in the Philippines to a Thai mother and American father who met as employees of Bank of America, Alisa moved to the U.S. at age three. And while California is where she spent her formative years, she identifies most closely with the East Coast, where she worked professionally in Washington, D.C., for more than a decade. There, she served as regional programs director for the Christian Brothers Conference, a role in which she oversaw and managed all aspects of meetings, events, and formation programs. And for nearly four years, she served as director of Lasallian Volunteers of the De La Salle Christian Brothers, after having served for two years as a Lasallian Volunteer herself. Of note, she strived for and achieved a record number of applicants and prospective volunteer sites, achieving an increase in the diversity of both ministries and people.

Alisa has twice been recognized as a Distinguished Lasallian Educator—first in 2018 by the Lasallian Midwest District and a year later, in 2019, by the Lasallian Region of North America (RELAN).

Alisa is a doctoral candidate at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, where she is finishing her dissertation on higher educational executive leadership and the level of preparation required before and during the onboarding process. She received a master of arts degree in organizational leadership from Gonzaga University and earned a bachelor of arts degree in sociology and anthropology from Saint Mary’s College of California—yet another Lasallian institution to which Alisa is connected.

I owe tremendous thanks to Brother Robert Schaefer, ’89, FSC, La Salle Trustee and the Brother Visitor of the Lasallian District of Eastern North America (DENA), with whom I partnered and consulted in identifying the next leader to occupy this important position. Also, I thank the representatives of our on-campus Christian Brother communities, members of the Joint Commission on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and our Executive Cabinet who met with Alisa during the process.

On behalf of our entire University community, I extend my sincere gratitude to our outgoing Vice President of Mission, Diversity, and Inclusion—Brother Ernest, who possesses an unwavering dedication to La Salle, our mission, our commitment to educating the whole person, and the Lasallian charism. In July, he departs us to begin his new ministry in New York City as director of the Adrien Nyel Project.

I hope you share my enthusiasm for Alisa Macksey’s selection as La Salle University’s next Vice President of Mission, Diversity, and Inclusion. I look forward to working closely with her to extend the reach of our work and amplify the impact of the Lasallian charism and mission.

Sincerely,

Daniel J. Allen, Ph.D.
President