President’s Cabinet

An accomplished higher education information and technology professional with more than 30 years of experience, Tom Chaves is a member of Albright’s class of 1985 and was an Albright trustee from 2018 through 2023, chairing the board’s Advancement and Communications committee. After graduating from Albright, Chaves launched his career immediately as his alma mater’s Director of Annual Giving, and then spent over 17 years working with more than 100 higher education clients to implement and effectively use SunGard/SCT advancement software. Chaves also served as the AVP for Advancement Operations at St. Joseph’s University and the AVP for Development and Alumni Relations at Lehigh University.

While serving a nine-year tenure on Albright’s Alumni Association board and a five-year tenure on the college’s board of trustees, Chaves also chaired conferences and summer institutes for the global, non-profit Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). He is currently a member of the Anthology (iModules) Strategic Advisory Board and the CASE Commission on Philanthropy, and works closely with other advancement services leaders in understanding the advancement software landscape. Albright bestowed the Mary Fry Good ’49 Service to Alma Mater award on Chaves in 2020, citing service that spans nearly four decades. As an Albright senior pursuing a bachelor’s degree in computer science and mathematics, Chaves was both a founder and first advisor of the Lion Diplomats student organization, which aims to bridge the gap between students and alumni. He graduated as a Jacob Albright Scholar and received the college’s Gold “A” Award, going on to earn a master’s degree in management and business administration from Penn State University.

Bethany Kirkner joined Albright College as executive assistant to former President Jacquelyn S. Fetrow in early 2022. For 20 years, Kirkner worked in various capacities for Music Festivals and Tours in Reading, Pa., last serving as director of operations. During her time with the organization she oversaw planning and onsite logistics for the 250-member Macy’s Great American Marching Band, served as liaison with Macy’s Annual Events, Publicity Department and NBCUniversal, and designed promotional and registration materials. She coordinated winning vocalists’ prize packages with members of Broadway Theatre District for “Broadway Rising Star” and of the Country Music Association for Nashville “Music City Rising Star,” and she coordinated all aspects of student music competitions in six cities across North America. She last served as director of strategic operations for Immanuel United Church of Christ in Shillington, Pa., and prior to that, as director of events and sponsorships with the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance in Reading. Kirkner earned a bachelor of arts in English professional writing with a minor in visual arts from Elizabethtown College. She received the 2013 Rollie Award for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade™ and the Women in Communications Award, Lancaster Chapter.  

Irene Langran is the Vice President for Academic Affairs at Albright College. As a leader in today’s changing higher education landscape, she champions student success, faculty collaboration, and institutional sustainability. She has served as Associate Dean of General Education and Faculty Development as well as professor of Political Science, teaching courses in international law, human rights, and global health. Her research interests include globalization, global health, and global governance. A passionate advocate of interdisciplinary studies, Dr. Langran co-edited Globalization and Global Citizenship: Interdisciplinary Approaches (Routledge, 2016). She has published in several academic journals, including Global Governance, Journal of Asian and African Studies, Asian Studies, New Global Studies, Canadian Journal of Political Science, American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences, and Journal for Peace and Justice Studies. An innovative teacher dedicated to the promotion of civil and productive political conversations in the classroom, Dr. Langran received the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching at Albright College in 2016.

Dr. Langran received her doctorate from the University of Toronto, specializing in the comparative politics of developing countries. The field research for her dissertation focused on health sector reform in the war-torn southern Philippine region of Mindanao. Before joining Albright’s faculty, she worked with nongovernmental organizations in multiple countries—experiences she brings to her work today.

Cynthia Strader is a seasoned accounting and financial professional with data and project management experience. She joined Albright College in August 2021 as the College Process Improvement Manager, where she optimized operational protocols and achieved significant improvements in student onboarding, teacher enrollment in experiential learning programs, zero-based budgeting implementation across the college, and the development of several Standard Operating Procedures.

Cynthia began her career as an Internal Auditor with Food Lion after graduating from Clemson University with a degree in Financial Management. She progressed to management roles in accounts payable and established an Activity Based Costing department before becoming a Senior Financial Analyst at Aon Consulting. There, she designed a capital budget planning tool for IT equipment selection and analysis, which spanned 70 domestic and international locations. She then transitioned to healthcare, serving as Accounting/HR Manager for Wilmington Anesthesiologists and Center for Pain Management and later as Finance Officer for Holland Consulting Planners. Cynthia’s higher education experience began at Brazosport Community College, where she implemented a paperless accounting system, which resulted in the college’s ability to work remotely during COVID-19. At Ogden Newspapers, she automated credit card processing for 23 locations and reduced the reconciliation time for monthly newsprint invoices by 50%.

In August 2024, Cynthia was promoted to Chief of Staff under Interim President Debra Townsley. In this role, she continues to manage a variety of projects, assists in many areas throughout the college, and manages the budget for the Office of the President and Office of Academic Affairs.