Background
Dr. Sal D. Rinella is Chief Executive Officer and Senior Associate of Penson Associates, Inc. He served formerly as President of Austin Peay State University; Vice President for Administration at Cal State Fullerton; Vice Chancellor for Business and Finance and Director of Institutional Analysis at the University of Michigan – Dearborn; and Assistant Director for Institutional Research and Planning at the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore.
He currently serves as the Coordinator of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Experienced Presidents Retreat. He has also served in several leadership positions for the Society for College and University Planning, including President, Member of the Board of Directors; Chair of the SCUP International Conference; and facilitator and author of SCUP roundtables and monographs on timely topics, including New Forces and Realities: Making the Adjustment and The Presidential Role in Disaster Planning and Response. He has also served as Chair of the Chief Administrative and Business Officers Association of the California State University System.
Dr. Rinella is a member of Advisory Board, Special Olympics of Los Angeles, has served as Chair of the Clarksville, Tennessee March of Dimes Annual Campaign, and as a member of the Board of Progressive Directions, in Clarksville, Tennessee; Family Services Association of Orange County, California; and Henry Ford Hospital in Dearborn, Michigan. He was also Charter President of the Sunrise Rotary Club in Dearborn Heights, Michigan.
For the past ten years, Dr. Rinella has served as a consultant to all sectors of higher education, with a particular emphasis on assisting public, regional comprehensive universities. His consultations have been in strategic planning and positioning; feasibility studies for campus and program expansion; formulating partnerships – real estate, programs, services – to advance the institution; identifying transformational initiatives by linking strengths with opportunities; identifying new revenue sources; performance assessment; team development; and providing advice and counsel.
Dr. Rinella earned a B.A. from Ohio University, an M.Ed. from Cleveland State University, and a Ph.D. from Peabody College of Vanderbilt University.