An experienced higher education administrator will lead regional Penn State campuses through change, the university announced Thursday.
Menah Pratt, vice president for strategic affairs and professor of education at Virginia Tech, will become regional chancellor for Penn State's Hazleton, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre campuses, effective Aug. 1.
“Menah is a highly accomplished academic leader whose career reflects a deep commitment to student success, institutional strategy and community engagement,” Renata Engel, vice president for Commonwealth Campuses and executive chancellor, said in a news release.
Leading through transition
Pratt will take over as the Wilkes-Barre campus prepares for closure. The Penn State Board of Trustees voted last year to close seven campuses, including Wilkes-Barre, after the spring 2027 semester. Scranton and Hazleton had also been on the short-list for closure, but the university kept them open and vowed to remain committed to the region.
Elizabeth Wright, named regional chancellor in 2024, stepped down in August 2025. Durell Johnson, and then David Callejo Pérez, served as interim chancellor over the last academic year.
Pratt's experience
Pratt brings extensive experience in higher education leadership, strategic planning, student success and community engagement. She has served in executive leadership roles at Virginia Tech, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Vanderbilt University.
She has served as vice president for strategic affairs at Virginia Tech since 2016 and previously as vice provost for inclusion and diversity. She led university-wide strategic planning efforts, supported enrollment and student success initiatives and worked across academic and administrative units to guide institutional priorities and support shared governance efforts, according to Penn State.
Pratt holds a doctorate and a master’s degree in sociology and a law degree from Vanderbilt University, as well as a master’s degree in literary studies and a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Iowa.
“I am honored to join Penn State and to serve the Hazleton, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre communities,” Pratt said in the news release. “These campuses have longstanding traditions of student-centered education, community engagement and regional impact. I look forward to building on the conversations I began during the interview process and working alongside students, faculty, staff, alumni and community partners to deepen and enhance the campuses’ impact throughout northeastern Pennsylvania.”
