Dr. Stephanie Chaney Hartford is a collegiate-level administrator and educator with more than 25 years of experience. She has held a variety of positions in both academic affairs and student services. In 2023, she was selected to serve as the College’s Provost, which provides oversight to Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, and the Child Care Resource & Referral center. Prior to this role, she served as Assistant Provost of Academic Affairs. In this role, Dr. Hartford was responsible for the College’s transfer and career and technical education programs, workforce education, community education, adult basic education, alternative secondary education, and the learning resources to support these programs. Dr. Hartford champions student success and strives to deliver excellent educational programs that best serve students and the College’s district.
Dr. Hartford has also served as the Department Chair of Humanities and Fine Arts and Professor of Communication. For 16 years, Dr. Hartford was a fulltime faculty member and had the privilege of teaching hundreds of students, many of whom took her public speaking courses. She was also highly involved with students while serving as the department’s academic advisor.
Throughout her time at the College, she served on numerous committees including the Higher Learning Commission Accreditation team, strategic planning, assessment, curriculum and instruction, online assessment team, strategic enrollment planning, behavior intervention team, master facility planning, integrative technology, scholarship committee, and more. She also served on several contract negotiating teams.
In addition to her academic experience, Dr. Hartford held several positions in student services. Areas include academic advising, new student orientation, non-traditional student services, early alert system, career services, admissions, and the Foundation.
Dr. Hartford earned a Ph.D. from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in speech communication with a specialization in organizational communication. Additionally, she holds a M.S. Ed. with a specialization in college student personnel, and her bachelor’s degree is in public relations. Finally, Dr. Hartford is a proud graduate of Southeastern Illinois Community College where she was a scholarship member of its nationally recognized competitive speech team.
Dr. Hartford resides in Carterville with her husband of 30 years, Jeff Hartford, and she is the mother of two children, Anna Hartford, and Nolan Hartford.
Dr. Susan LaPanne is a higher education finance and administration leader with extensive experience guiding institutions through organizational change, fiscal realignment, and strategic growth. She most recently served as Vice President for Finance and Administration at Keene State College, where she oversaw finance, human resources, information technology, facilities, and student support operations while advancing sustainability and student success initiatives. Previously, she was Associate Commissioner for Finance and Management for the Rhode Island Council on Postsecondary Education, serving as Chief Financial Officer for the state’s public higher education system, which managed a budget in excess of $1 billion and served approximately 43,000 students.
Dr. LaPanne holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Management from Capella University, a Master of Science in Accounting from the University of Rhode Island, and a B.A. in Psychology/Education and English Literature from Mount Holyoke College. A Certified Public Accountant, Certified Fraud Examiner, and Chartered Global Management Accountant, she has also taught as a tenure-track faculty member in accounting. Her teaching philosophy centers on connecting with students through respect, encouragement, and real-world application, helping them discover their ability to succeed while engaging with business ethics and accounting as powerful tools for understanding the world.
She is passionate about building collaborative teams, mentoring colleagues, and aligning financial stewardship with institutional mission to support student success. A longtime resident of Rhode Island, Dr. LaPanne recently relocated to Marion, Illinois, to be closer to family. She is especially proud of her two grown children—her son, an engineer, and her daughter, a clinical psychologist—who continue to inspire her both personally and professionally.