Two Women Presidents Announce Their Intentions to Leave Their Posts in 2023

Patti Neuhold-Ravikumar, president of the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmund, has announced her intent to leave the university, effective January 31, 2023. Neuhold-Ravikumar, became the university’s 21st president, and its first women president, in July 2019. She has been with the university since 2007, serving in a variety of roles, including vice president for finance.

“I am sad to leave my wonderful colleagues and friends at UCO. We’ve been through some incredible times over the past 15 years. My love for UCO is inextricably linked to this community of people, and I am proud of what we have achieved together,” President Neuhold-Ravikumar said.

President Neuhold-Ravikumar earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology with an emphasis in management from Oklahoma Christian University. She holds a master’s degree in industrial/ organizational psychology from the University of Tulsa and is currently a doctoral candidate in organizational leadership at Concordia University – Chicago.

Susan Muscarella, founding president of the California Jazz Conservatory in Berkeley, has announced she will be stepping aside from the presidency, relinquishing the title and duties of president to focus mainly on her continuing role as a teacher. The transition will take place in May 2023.

“My love for teaching was, in big part, what inspired me to found the school in 1997, so it is like coming full circle – I look forward to returning to that role,” President Muscarella said.

Dr. Muscarella is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, where she majored in music composition. She holds a Ph.D. in musicology from the University of Évora in Portugal.