President’s Cabinet
Janice Warner, Ph.D.
Provost
Provost Janice Warner, Ph.D. is chief academic officer for Georgian Court and leads the university’s faculty and curriculum in the School of Arts and Sciences, the School of Business & Digital Media, the School of Education, and the Hackensack Meridian Health School of Nursing and Wellness at GCU. She also serves in the lead role for student affairs and athletics roles that she has held since 2018.
Dr. Warner, named one of NJBIZ’s Best 50 Women in Business for 2017, was previously Dean of Georgian Court’s School of Business & Digital Media, where she was responsible for seven undergraduate majors and the MBA program. In that role, she expanded and revamped programs to meet industry demands; converted concentrations in finance, management, and marketing into three new majors; and expanded graduate programs. She was instrumental in developing the MS in Communication and Digital Marketing, which uniquely combines the expertise of both the business and communication/graphic design sides of the school.
Having worked abroad herself, she advocated for making global education a key focus of the student experience. Dr. Warner conducted and presented research on the merits of international, collaborative online learning projects in Tanzania and Bhutan, and in 2018 led GCU students on a business tour of Germany where they learned from professionals at companies including Amazon and BMW.
Dr. Warner has also served as a full-time faculty member and held such leadership positions as chair of the Business Curriculum Committee.
As Provost, Dr. Warner provided leadership during the pandemic, ensuring classes were offered remotely and ensured that proper precautions were followed in the classroom. During this challenging period, she helped develop and implement GCU’s Strategic Compass and strategic enrollment plan.
As a senior member of the President’s Cabinet, she leads the GCU Dean’s and Provost’s Councils, and has held many strategic task force positions, including in master planning and academic planning. She provides service to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and participated in two reaccreditation review teams.
Dr. Warner, who has degrees from Columbia University (B.S. and M.S., electrical engineering) and Rutgers University (M.B.A., Ph.D., management), came to academia from industry, where she maintains strong ties.
Erika K. Davis, Ed.D.
Vice President of Enrollment Management
Erika K. Davis, Ed.D. joined Georgian Court University on July 17, 2024, with proven experience in increasing institutional enrollment in mission driven institutions. Combining progressive management experience in both undergraduate and graduate operations she has become a compelling storyteller. Dr. Davis strategizes to execute creative and impactful recruiting initiatives that support the mission, ensure consistent brand messaging, and produce positive results. A servant leader who can build, coach, and mentor cross-functional teams and cultivate strong partnerships with stakeholders.
Dr. Davis is a resident of Allentown, PA and previously served as the Vice President of Enrollment Management and Marketing for Cedar Crest College, Allentown PA where she successful delivered the colleges first total enrollment increase in fall of 2021 during the pandemic. Fall 2021 total surpassed 2020 at 1,440 students, with incremental increase after six-year deficit. Serving on Middle States Accreditation Team Working Group for Standard IV: Support of Student Experience. Dr. Davis launched several new programs including Division III Women’s Wrestling for Fall 2022, Doctor of Occupational Therapy, and Master of Art Therapy online.
In addition, as the Assistant Vice-President of Online & Graduate Enrollment, Dr. Davis architected strategic initiatives for undergraduate online education and numerous signature graduate degree programs. She served as relationship manager among internal/external clients at executive management level to build articulation agreements with two-year and four-year institutions across a platform of programs. In Spring 2020, she increased the total student headcount and credit hours for College of Education. Dr. Davis also grew new student numbers for online and graduate division by 20% and increased total headcount for undergraduate online programs by 10% for Fall 2019 term.
A true believer Dr. Davis has also completed management roles at Neumann University (PA), Delaware State University (DE) and Trinity Washington University (DC). Dr. Davis has degrees from the University of Pittsburgh (B.A. in Communications), Carnegie Mellon University (M.A. in Professional Writing) and Morgan State University (Ed.D., Community College Leadership).
Ketan N. Gandhi, Ed.D., MBA
Senior Vice President of Finance & Administration, Chief Financial Officer
Ketan N. Gandhi joined Georgian Court University on August 21, 2023, with an impressive track record in financial leadership and a wealth of experience in higher education administration. He has a strong reputation as a visionary financial leader, driven by his ability to balance budgets, turn around deficits, and help colleges achieve financial stability. His impressive achievements and extensive experience in financial leadership make him the ideal person to make even greater strides toward the university’s fiscal success and sustainability.
Mr. Gandhi, a longtime Monmouth County resident of Asbury Park, previously served as VP of Finance and CFO at Caldwell University in Caldwell, N.J., where he successfully developed a balanced budget, turning around years of deficit and solidifying his reputation as a visionary financial leader. By applying fiscal discipline and implementing effective internal controls, he raised the university’s Department of Education (DOE) score, increased cash reserves, and fostered investment growth. He served as co-chair of the Strategic Planning build and the initiator and leader of the institution-wide Strategic Enrollment Group.
Mr. Gandhi earned an MBA from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and holds a postgraduate degree in Management from K.C College of Management Studies and a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting from Bombay University. He has an Ed.D. in Educational & Transformational Leadership from Rowan University.
Matthew R. Manfra
Vice President for Institutional Advancement
Veteran development and alumni relations expert Matthew R. Manfra brings decades of experience and innovation to his role as vice president for institutional advancement at Georgian Court University. He has worked in wide-ranging development and advancement roles throughout his career.
Mr. Manfra spent his early years as an admission officer, alumni affairs director, and human resources executive at the College of New Jersey (TCNJ). He also worked at Syracuse University as their first assistant vice president for annual giving and alumni relations—two historically separate operations. His experience further includes stints at Rutgers University and the University of Northern Colorado as their chief alumni relations officer.
Before joining Georgian Court, Mr. Manfra was chief alumni officer at the George Washington University (GWU). In 2017, he served as interim vice president of development and alumni relations at GWU, where he led the team that executed GWU’s largest campaign to date: a $1 billion comprehensive campaign.
Mr. Manfra holds a B.A. in Political Science from TCNJ. A leader in the industry, he has served numerous professional organizations and has been a keynote speaker and resource for many international groups, including the Embassy of Switzerland in the United States.
Jeffrey Schaffer
Executive Director of Mission & Ministry
Mr. Jeff Schaffer brings more than three decades of pastoral experience in higher education to his role as Georgian Court’s Interim Executive Director of Mission and Ministry. He began his service to the university in 2013 as the Director of Campus Ministry.
Jeff maintains strong ties with the Conference of Mercy Higher Education (CMHE) and the Catholic Campus Ministry Association (CCMA) where he serves as the co-chair of the Pathways Certification Program. Jeff has wide-ranging experience with service and social justice programs and a depth of knowledge regarding the Catholic Social Justice Tradition and the Mercy charism.
Jeff has a Master in Pastoral Studies from Loyola University, New Orleans, a Graduate Certificate in Mercy Spirituality from Georgian Court, and the highest level of certification as a professional Catholic campus minister from CCMA.