Kistler named provost, chief academic officer at College of Wooster

After a national search, The College of Wooster selected Ashley Kistler as provost and chief academic officer, beginning July 1, 2026. Kistler brings to the role more than 18 years of experience as an educator, scholar in anthropology and faculty leader.

Currently serving as dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Rollins College, a private and regional institution in Winter Park, Florida, Kistler oversees the liberal arts academic programs including 35 majors, 45 minors and three general education programs for approximately 2,300 students.

“Dr. Kistler’s commitment to the value of a liberal arts education and the importance of mentored student research will make her an impeccable leader for our community and strong steward of our Independent Study signature capstone program for every student,” Wooster President Anne McCall said.

Kistler’s personal experience with mentored research when completing her bachelor’s degree in Spanish and Latin American anthropology at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania instilled appreciation for the impact of Wooster’s Independent Study program on students. Volunteering alongside her professor, teaching English as a second language led her to a mentored research project on the journey of adult immigrants to the U.S. She cites this as a formative experience, preparing her for graduate school and her career, as she guided students through similar research projects.

“The commitment Wooster’s faculty and staff have to mentoring students in undergraduate research sets students up for success after graduation and really attracted me to the college,” Kistler said. “I look forward to becoming part of that community.”

As dean at Rollins, Kistler supervises tenure and promotion evaluation processes, manages key parts of the budget for academic affairs, collaborates with academic departments on faculty hiring and retention, and serves as the chief academic planning officer for the college, managing course offerings for a growing student enrollment.

She also works closely with the college’s advancement team to explore fundraising opportunities and prepare grant proposals to support the school’s general education programs. She previously served as president of the faculty for two years and in roles as interim dean, associate dean and department chair of anthropology.

While at Rollins, Kistler has won numerous awards for her research and teaching. She’s published two books on Maya identity and tradition, written several peer-reviewed articles and book chapters in anthropological field journals, and presented at multiple international and national conferences. Kistler earned her master’s and doctoral degrees in anthropology from Florida State University.

Kistler will succeed Lisa Perfetti, who concludes her time as Wooster’s provost at the end of the 2025-26 academic year. Since 2019 Perfetti has helped Wooster navigate the challenges of the pandemic, expanded interdisciplinary and preprofessional offerings, and supported experiential learning enhancements like the campus garden and faculty-led study abroad and guided revisions of the student course evaluation system and faculty review process.

The provost search, chaired by McCall, was supported by academic search leader Ann Die Hasselmo, senior consultant Christopher Butler and manager Kate Cusimano.