Montana Technological University announces candidate visits in its search for its 13th chancellor
March 14, 2025
BUTTE, MT – The Montana Technological University search advisory committee announced today two candidates for the position of chancellor for the University. The candidates in order of their campus visits are Karen A. Marrongelle, Ph.D. and Johnny MacLean, Ph.D.
Dr. Karen Marrongelle will visit campus on March 23-24, 2025. An open forum will be held on campus in the Student Union Building, Copper Lounge on March 24 from 3:30-4:30, followed immediately by a community reception in the same location. The full interview schedule can be found here.
Dr. Marrongelle is the chief operating officer of the National Science Foundation, where she oversees operations of the $8.5 billion federal agency with a mission that includes support for all fields of fundamental science and engineering. Previously, she served as assistant director of the National Science Foundation for Education and Human Resources (EHR). She led the EHR Directorate in supporting research that enhances learning and teaching to achieve excellence in U.S. science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.
Prior to joining NSF, Marrongelle was dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Portland State University and professor of mathematics and statistics, where she oversaw 24 departments and programs across the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences.
In addition to her work as dean, Marrongelle has served as a faculty member in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Portland State University since 2001. Prior to her appointment as dean, she held positions as the vice chancellor for academic strategies and assistant vice chancellor for academic standards and collaboration with the Oregon University System.
From 2007-2009, Marrongelle served on a rotation as a program officer at NSF and led numerous grants, collaborating with researchers nationally and internationally to improve undergraduate mathematics education and K-12 mathematics professional development.
Marrongelle has a bachelor's degree in mathematics and philosophy from Albright College, a master's degree in mathematics from Lehigh University and a doctorate in mathematics education from the University of New Hampshire.
Dr. Johnny Maclean will visit campus on March 24-25, 2025. An open forum will be held on campus in the Student Union Building, Copper Lounge on March 25 from 3:30-4:30, followed immediately by a community reception in the same location. The full interview schedule can be found here.
Dr. Johnny MacLean is currently the provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at Montana Western. He previously served in the Office of the Provost at Southern Utah University (SUU) since 2016. He served as associate provost (2020-2022), assistant provost for Faculty Affairs (2018-20) and as provost faculty fellow (2016-18) at SUU.
He completed his B.S. in Geology at Furman University in 2001, his M.S. degree in Earth Science at Syracuse University in 2004, and a Ph.D. in Geosciences at the University of Montana in 2007. Upon completion of his academic studies, MacLean worked in the oil and gas industry in Texas as a geologist and in the environmental consulting industry in Montana. As an associate professor of geology at Southern Utah University (SUU), Dr. MacLean combined his passion for the outdoors and belief in teaching authentically by taking his students outside to learn from nature and to see concepts come to life.
While serving in the Office of the Provost at SUU, MacLean was involved in the supervision of the following offices, including budgetary and financial planning: Institutional Effectiveness, Center of Excellence for Teaching & Learning, Online Teaching & Learning, Sponsored Programs, Agreements, Research, & Contracts, Library, Concurrent Enrollment, Career & Technical Education, General Education Program, Honors Program, Institutional Review Board, APEX lecture series, and the Festival of Excellence.
For more details, please visit the chancellor search website at https://www.mtech.edu/chancellor-search/.