About the Office
Dedication. Passion. Expertise. Wisdom. The Office of the Provost convenes a diverse team of leaders who serve across the university, campuses and colleges of WesternU and provide resources in support of its collective success. The varied backgrounds and lived experiences of the team bring unique perspectives to the work and reinforce WesternU’s culture of interprofessionalism and inclusion. With expertise in medicine, business, finance, legal, academia, healthcare, social justice, media, education, and leadership, the Office of the Provost is a robust reservoir of specialized assets that support the success of all faculty, staff, students and administrators. We invite you to meet the team below and encourage you to leverage their experience and proficiency.
Office of the Provost Leadership
Paula M. Crone, DO Provost
As an alum of COMP herself, Dr. Crone has dedicated her career to the success of the university and its future healthcare professionals. Her leadership was integral to the founding of COMP-Northwest, serving as Founding Site Dean from its inception until 2013, when she was instated as Dean of COMP and COMP-Northwest and Vice President of the Oregon campus. Dr. Crone was the program director for the Family Medicine residency at Eastmoreland Hospital in Portland, Oregon and the founding DO of a multi-physician primary care clinic in Portland, Oregon prior to joining WesternU in full-time academic leadership. Dr. Crone completed her residency in Family Medicine at Eastmoreland Hospital in Portland, Oregon.
College Deans
Karoline Almanzar, MLIS Director, Pumerantz Library
Suresh Appavoo, EdD, MIM Vice President for Humanism, Equity, and Anti-Racism
Jonathan Daitch, MEd
Associate Provost,
Online Education
Beverly A. Guidry, EdD
Senior Vice President,
University Student Affairs
Bradley S. Henson, DDS, PhD Senior Vice Provost
Di Lacey, DHSc Vice Provost, Strategy, Growth and Transformation
Rick Leeper, MBA
Assistant Vice President, WesternU Oregon,
Executive Director for Academic and Financial Affairs
Mirabelle Fernandes Paul, EdD Vice President, University Student Affairs, Oregon
Elizabeth Rega, AM, PhD Vice Provost, Academic Development
Dean Smylie, DVM Associate Provost, Ventures, Assistant Professor, College of Veterinary Medicine
Rob Warren, DO, MBA Associate Provost, Clinical Affairs, Associate Professor of Family Medicine, College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, Executive Director, WesternU Health
Tim Wood, DHSc, PA-C
Associate Vice President,
Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL)
Tim is a physician assistant by clinical training and has been teaching in the College of Health Sciences since 2007. He continues to teach in the Department of Physician Assistant Education as an Associate Professor after having held the position of academic coordinator before taking on university-wide duties for faculty development. He completed his doctorate in the foundations of education/teaching and learning and continues to pursue his research interests of student learning styles, as well as the use of technology in the classroom to improve learning outcomes.