College of St. Benedict St. John’s University Hire First Joint Chief Operating Officer

(KNSI) — The College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University has hired its first joint chief operating officer.

Kara Kolomitz has worked in Catholic higher education for over 25 years, including six years as a COO at Regis College in suburban Boston, according to a press release from CSB/SJU. Kolomitz started at Regis College in 2001 as director of community and residential life and rose to become dean of students and vice president of student affairs and enrollment. As COO, she led all internal operations, units and staff at the school, which serves approximately 3,400 students, and was responsible for institutional, organizational and operational strategy, risk management, and financial aid budget and modeling.

Kolomitz earned a doctorate in educational leadership from Johnson & Wales University in 2016 and completed a master’s degree in higher education at Providence College in 1997. She served at Providence in residential life and student affairs positions for eight years after her 1993 graduation from Regis University in Denver with a bachelor’s degree in communication arts and philosophy.

Brian Bruess, who last summer became the inaugural president of both CSB and SJU, praised her, saying, “Dr. Kolomitz brings a deep passion for our mission. The search committee was impressed with her leadership qualities, her deep understanding of the challenges facing higher education and her proven ability to lead change.”

She begins her duties on February 6th.

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