Dr. Helena Judith Sturnick, a visionary leader with strengths in fundraising and campus expansion, was appointed president of Montserrat College of Art in June, 2007. A seasoned college president, Dr. Sturnick has led The Union Institute and University, Cincinnati, OH; Vermont College, Montpelier, VT; Keene State College, NH;  and the University of Maine at Farmington. She has also served as Vice President and Director of the Office of Women in Higher Education and the American Council on Education, both in Washington, DC. She previously served as Vice President for Academic Affairs at Southwest State University, MN; and as Interim Provost at Paul Smith’s College, NY. 

She has chaired numerous national and regional task forces and committees and is the recipient of honorary doctorates for her leadership from Capital University, Columbus, Ohio and Rivier College, Nashua, NH. She has also been honored with numerous awards for her work with women, minorities and global leadership issues. She founded and directed the Master's Program in International Leadership at the Graduate Theological Foundation. She recently completed two terms as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Institute for Transpersonal Psychology (CA) and a term on the Board of Directors of the International Institute of Social Artistry, presenting leadership programs in developing nations in collaborative affiliation with the United Nations Development Programme.

Her accomplishments include expansion of Vermont College’s campus and merger with the Union Institute to form The Union Institute and University, and the initiation of the university’s first national strategic planning process. She also raised more than $50 million for the construction of five new buildings and other major campus renovations at Keene State College, as part of the Master Facilities Planning project, which she began.

Dr. Sturnick holds a BA in English and History from the University of North Dakota, an MA in English from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio and her PhD in English from Ohio State University, Columbus, OH.  She is an accomplished pianist and draws in pastels.