Fox Valley Technical College is pleased to announce the selection of three vital leadership positions.
Dr. Jennifer Lanter has been named the Vice President for Learning and Chief Academic Officer, and Elizabeth Burns has been selected as the Vice President for Student Success. Rayon Brown will continue to serve as Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. All three will serve as members of the FVTC Executive Team.
In her new role, Dr. Jennifer Lanter will be responsible for overall leadership of eight academic divisions as well as services to business and industry. She joined Fox Valley Technical College in 2018 as the dean of General Studies and has been serving as interim chief academic officer since August 2021.
Prior to joining Fox Valley Technical College, Dr. Lanter served as the dean of General Studies at Moraine Park Technical College in Fond du Lac. Dr. Lanter’s career also includes eight years at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay where she was an assistant professor and then associate professor with tenure in the Human Development and Psychology departments. She was the founding director of the Language Learning Lab and also served as the director of the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning.
Dr. Lanter received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois and a Ph.D. in Psychological and Brain Sciences from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.
As Vice President for Student Success, Elizabeth Burns will oversee the operational and strategic implementation of student services functions, enrollment management and marketing operations at Fox Valley Technical College.
Burns began her FVTC career in 2007 and has held director positions in various Student Services departments and most recently held the position of associate vice president of Student Services.
She serves on the Fox Cities YMCA Corporate Board of Directors and is a member of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee for the YMCA board. She received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, a Master of Science degree from St. Cloud State University, and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School.
For the past year, Rayon Brown has been serving a dual role as Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as well as Interim Vice President for Student Services. As Burns assumes leadership for student services, Brown’s efforts will focus squarely on DEI initiatives at the college. His responsibilities will also expand to include regional campus operations and Global Education.
Brown joined FVTC in 2004. Before being named Chief Diversity Officer in July 2020, he held various positions at the college including director of Diversity & Inclusion, manager of Multicultural Student Services, intercollegiate athletics/student life coordinator and student life recreation assistant. In 2014, he served as the director of the Brother-to-Brother program, an initiative designed to increase retention rates of students of color at the college.
Active in the community, Brown chairs the Ryan Community Board of Directors and co-chairs the Imagine Fox Cities Coordinating Committee. He serves on several other boards and planning committees, including the NACCE Mentoring Council, LEAVEN Community Resource Center Outcomes and Evaluation Committee, Community Health Action Team, POINT Action Groups, Celebrate Diversity Fox Cities Board of Directors, Wisconsin Technical College System Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Team, Fox Cities Chief Diversity Officers Collaborative, and Voices of Men Fox Cities.
Brown earned an associate degree in Marketing from FVTC and a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee. He earned his master’s degree in Organizational Leadership & Administration from Concordia University in Mequon.
