Dr. Dave Bergh was appointed interim president by the College Board of Trustees upon the retirement of former president Dr. Ron Chesbrough. Dr. Bergh’s appointment became effective January 15, he was then appointed president February 28. He has more than 25 years of experience in higher education leadership and administration.
Dr. Bergh joined the College in 2016 as vice president for planning and institutional effectiveness and in 2019 was promoted to executive vice president. He has led a number of campus and college-community initiatives, including revising the College’s governance structure and developing and implementing the College’s institutional strategic plan.
In his previous role, Dr. Bergh oversaw the operations of several departments, including Admissions, Institutional Research and Assessment, Human Resources, Athletics and Recreation, the Equine Education Center, and the Catherine Cummings Theatre. He has served as the College’s accreditation officer, as co-chair of its self-study process for Middle States Commission on Higher Education accreditation, and as a member of the College’s Commission on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. He also established the Center for Entrepreneurship and Community Development and earned recognition for the College from NYSERDA for advancing clean energy initiatives.
Before coming to Cazenovia, Dr. Bergh was dean of student life and college relations and held other student-focused roles during his 19-year tenure at Johnson State College in Vermont. There, he was recognized for establishing a career and internship center, advancing the college's diversity and inclusion efforts, receiving external recognition of the college as LGBTQ-Friendly, establishing a dedicated Veteran's Center, expanding student transportation services, launching a comprehensive plan for Athletics, contributing to the establishment of the Office of First-Year Experience and initial design of first-year seminars.
The Central New York native and Cazenovia resident has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Allegheny College, a Master of Public Administration degree in Public Management from the State University of New York at Albany, and a Doctor of Education degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Vermont.
In the community, Dr. Bergh is vice president of the Cazenovia Area Community Development Association, and co-facilitator for Cazenovia Welcomes Refugees. He also served on the board of the Greater Cazenovia Area Chamber of Commerce.