Philomena V. Mantella

President Philomena V. “Philly” Mantella is the first woman and the fifth president to lead Grand Valley State University, the fourth largest university in Michigan. Philly’s career in higher education is marked by significant success propelling universities forward into new markets, expanded relationships, and countless program innovations. Her strategic plan and vision for Grand Valley, Reach Higher 2025, positions the university to address the challenges of our time with an eye on relevance and growth amid disruption. During her tenure at Grand Valley, she has expanded the university’s offerings with programs aimed at non-traditional and underrepresented students and in the fall of 2022, GVSU enrolled the most diverse class in its history. President Mantella also founded the REP4, a growing alliance with other public colleges and universities across the country to use student voices to improve pathways to graduation and bring student insights forward in institutional transformation. She is deeply committed to partnerships and collaborations with industry that lead to accelerated improvement in outcomes for students and that assure Michigan has the necessary talent to drive its knowledge economy. President Mantella acts with integrity and keeps an unrelenting focus on an empowered learning environment and on delivering high value to every learner, a primary driver of GVSU’s success. She earned a Ph.D. in college and university administration from Michigan State University and master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Syracuse University.