The State University of New York Board of Trustees voted to name Dr. Dawn Meza Soufleris as the eighth president of SUNY Brockport. Dr. Meza Soufleris currently serves as Vice President for Student Development and Campus Life at Montclair State University, and is a three-time SUNY alumna, having earned a Bachelor of Arts in History and a Master of Arts in Teaching from State University of New York at Binghamton and a PhD in Sociology from the State University of New York at Buffalo. The appointment is effective on July 20.
“I am proud to welcome Dr. Dawn Meza Soufleris as SUNY Brockport’s next president, and know that her dedication to student success, demonstrated through her work at Montclair State University, will further solidify SUNY Brockport’s position as an essential institution of higher education and upward mobility,” said SUNY Chancellor King.”I want to thank President Heidi Macpherson for her dedicated leadership and her commitment to SUNY Brockport’s students. I look forward to working with Dr. Meza Soufleris to continue President Macpherson’s legacy and ensure that SUNY Brockport moves forward into a successful future.”
Dr. Dawn Meza Soufleris said,”I have a deeply personal commitment to ensuring that all students have the support they need to thrive, which is why I am beyond excited and grateful to be appointed as the eighth president of SUNY Brockport. Thank you to the SUNY Board of Trustees, Chairman Tisch, and Chancellor King for entrusting me with this extraordinary opportunity to build on SUNY Brockport’s incredible momentum and empower students to succeed. I am excited to return to the Rochester area and the greater SUNY Brockport community and look forward to hitting the ground running.”
“Dr. Meza Soufleris brings to SUNY Brockport a wealth of student-centered leadership experience across a wide array of responsibilities. In addition to her administrative duties, it is important to note that Dr. Meza Soufleris has made time to serve in the classroom at all her prior institutions,” said Scott Turner, Chair of the SUNY Brockport University Council and the Presidential Search Committee. “I am confident that her vast experience in higher education, combined with her experiences as a first-generation college student and as a proud three-time graduate of the SUNY system, have well prepared her to lead SUNY Brockport into the future. The Search Committee and the University Council are exceedingly delighted that she will be our University’s eighth President.”
About Dr. Dawn Meza Soufleris
Dr. Dawn Meza Soufleris currently serves as Vice President for Student Development and Campus Life at Montclair State University, where she leads the Division of Student Development and Campus Life (SDCL). The SDCL encompasses a wide range of student-centered departments that work collaboratively to enhance the student experience across both the Montclair and Bloomfield campuses. In addition to her administrative role, Dr. Meza Soufleris serves as an adjunct faculty member in Montclair State University’s Higher Education master’s program.
As a first-generation college student, Dr. Meza Soufleris brings a deeply personal commitment to ensuring that all students feel supported, connected, and empowered throughout their college journey. She has dedicated more than 35 years to the field of higher education with extensive expertise spanning student affairs, enrollment management, retention, and student success initiatives.
Prior to her time at Montclair State University, Dr. Meza Soufleris served as Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at La Salle University, where she led a comprehensive reorganization of the Enrollment Management division, developed a university-wide Strategic Enrollment Plan, and oversaw initiatives that contributed to increased graduate, adult, and transfer enrollment, as well as notable first-year retention gains through predictive persistence models and success coaching programs. She also led at the Rochester Institute of Technology in successively senior roles for 25 years, from residential life to student affairs. Her areas of expertise include student development theory, generational trends, Title IX, crisis management, the transition to college, and the impact of student engagement on retention.
Dr. Meza Soufleris holds a PhD in Sociology from the State University of New York at Buffalo, a Master of Arts in Teaching (Social Sciences) and a Bachelor of Arts in History from State University of New York at Binghamton, and a graduate certificate in Higher Education Legal Compliance from the Thomas R. Kline School of Law at Drexel University.
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