CCAD names veteran art school administrator to new operations role

Columbus College of Art & Design President Melanie Corn has appointed veteran art and design school administrator Lisa Stoneman to a new senior operations role.

Stoneman, who's currently Associate Provost for Academic Administration at California College of the Arts, will serve as CCAD's new Vice President for Administration and Operations starting in mid-March.

In her current role at CCA, Stoneman manages a broad portfolio of directors and senior academic staff. She is responsible for academic operations, scheduling, academic budgeting, strategic and campus planning related to academic programs and initiatives, and faculty employment and labor management. She has been instrumental in a number of high-profile projects, including the unification of two college campuses and integrating finance, HR, and student information systems.

At CCAD, Stoneman will be charged with overseeing HR, facilities, food and other auxiliary services, and CCAD's campus stores, including Ampersand Emporium.

"Lisa is a seasoned art and design school administrator with outstanding strategic planning and project management skills," Dr. Corn said. "I'm confident she'll be a great asset to the college."

Stoneman said she's excited to join CCAD.

"I'm thrilled to be working again under the leadership of Dr. Corn and find the college's recent strategic plan to be very inspiring and unique," she said. "I'm also excited to serve an institution that has a rich connection to its city and its city to it. I will be new to Columbus and have a lot to learn, but I already know it to be a thriving city that nurtures creative cultures."

Stoneman’s new role will help CCAD increase operational efficiencies and align with peer institutions, many of whom separate operations and administration from finance.

The shift will also allow Jeff Fisher, who currently serves as Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration, to focus more on finance and upcoming campus planning projects, including the new state-of-the-art Cloyd Family Animation Center.

Fisher, whose title will change to Senior Vice President for Finance and Planning, said he's looking forward to the change.

"I'm excited to have more time to devote to finance and campus planning projects," Fisher said.

Stoneman earned an MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute in 2005 and a BFA in Studio Arts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1999. She was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, and grew up throughout the South, with her family spending time in Georgia and Alabama before settling back in North Carolina in Asheville.