Mary K. Surridge

President

Phone: (773) 244-6264
Office: Old Main, 2nd Floor
Campus Box: 06
Email: msurridge@northpark.edu

Mary K. Surridge is the 10th president of North Park University. Prior to her appointment as President, she served North Park as the vice president for advancement, as well as providing leadership as interim vice president for undergraduate admissions. Surridge’s previous higher education experience includes several years as associate director of planned and major gifts at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois; director of residence life and student activities at Concordia University in Mequon, Wisconsin; and dean of students at Marian College (now Marian University) in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Additionally, she has worked for the Chicago White Sox and Milwaukee Bucks.

Surridge holds a BS in communications from Northwestern University and an MS in student personnel administration from Concordia University (Wisconsin). She and her husband Dr. Jack Surridge have one daughter, Jessie, a student at Butler University. They are longtime members of North Park Covenant Church in Chicago.

Michael Carr

Provost

Phone: (773) 244-5570
Office: Old Main, 2nd
Campus Box: 11
Email: mcarr3@northpark.edu

Dr. Michael Carr and the provost team work with faculty, staff, and students to support academic excellence at North Park University. Dr. Carr comes to us from National Louis University in Chicago where he has served as deputy provost. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Olivet Nazarene University, his master’s from Ball State University, and his PhD in molecular biology from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Carr is an accomplished scholar and proven administrator, and he is very enthused about the mission and opportunity to serve North Park, lead our faculty, and be a strong strategic senior partner with the president.

Dennis R. Edwards

Vice President for Church Relations and Dean of the Seminary

Phone: (773) 244-6235
Office: Nyvall Hall, 1st
Campus Box: 14
Email: dredwards@northpark.edu

Rev. Dennis R. Edwards, PhD, is ordained in the Evangelical Covenant Church and is a highly accomplished New Testament scholar with more than 25 publications to his credit most recently as co-editor for a book on the Bible’s affirmation that Black lives matter. Dr. Edwards joined the North Park Theological Seminary faculty in 2019, serving as professor of New Testament. Additionally, Dr. Edwards has three decades of urban pastoral ministry experience having served churches in Minneapolis, Washington, D.C., and Brooklyn.

Dr. Edwards holds a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from Cornell University and has been a high school science and math teacher. He also earned a Master of Divinity in urban ministry from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School as well as Master of Arts and PhD in biblical studies from Catholic University of America. Dennis enjoys baking, playing his flute and saxophone, as well as weightlifting and cycling. Dennis and his wife Susan Steele Edwards are the parents of four children, and grandparents of five.

Francisco X. Gaytán

Vice President for Student Engagement

Phone: (773) 244-5740
Office: Johnson Center 150
Campus Box: 24
Email: fgaytan@northpark.edu

Francisco X. Gaytán was appointed vice president for student engagement for North Park University in August 2021. Dr. Gaytán comes to us from Northeastern Illinois University, where he served most recently as associate provost for student success and retention—the university’s lead student engagement strategist. A skilled and strategic student life administrator and a champion for student success, Dr. Gaytán has a proven track record of dramatically improving student retention rates, closing equity gaps in retention, and improving student completion and success. Dr. Gaytán brings deep understanding and connection for our Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) in Chicago, and has proven experience in successfully managing the external funding available to HSI’s through federal grants. Dr. “Frank” Gaytán is a person of expressed Christian faith and has been an active member of St. John’s Episcopal Church for nearly 10 years.

Anthony Scola

Vice President of Enrollment Management and Marketing

Phone: (773) 244-5705
Office: Old Main 2nd
Campus Box: 05
Email: ascola@northpark.edu

Anthony Scola has served as vice president for enrollment management and marketing at North Park University since 2018. He previously worked at Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois, in roles that included associate vice president of admissions and financial aid, enrollment systems manager, and data analyst. Anthony earned a BA in corporate communications from Dominican University in 2006, and an MS in management and organizational behavior from Benedictine in 2009. Additionally, he has served on the board of the Columbian Club of Chicago since January 2018. Anthony and his wife Nicole have two sons, Nicholas and Camden.

Scott Stenmark

Vice President for Finance and Administration and CFO

Phone: (773) 244-5610
Office: Old Main, 3rd Floor
Campus Box: 34
Email: sestenmark@northpark.edu

Scott Stenmark (C’91) has served as vice president of finance and administration and chief financial officer at North Park since 2017. Prior to that, he was CFO for BMO Global Asset Management; he has also worked for Belden, Inc., Kraft Foods, and Nabisco and served on North Park’s School of Business and Nonprofit Management Advisory Board. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors for Covenant Trust Company, serving on the Audit & Investment Committees. Scott is married to Teresa (C’91); they have two daughters, Taylor and Kiersten (a current North Park student) and a son, Carter. The Stenmarks are members of Naperville Covenant Church.

Melissa Vélez-Luce

Chief of Staff

Phone: (773) 244-4796
Office: Old Main, 2nd Floor
Campus Box: 05
Email: mvelezluce@northpark.edu

Melissa Vélez-Luce serves as chief of staff in the Office of the President at North Park University. Melissa is a two-time graduate of North Park University, earning her Bachelor of Arts in psychology in 2004 and her Master of Arts in education in 2012. She has worked at North Park since 2009. Melissa is a member of Edgebrook Covenant Church, where she served as board chair from 2016–20. Melissa is married to Steven (C’91); they have one daughter, Charlotte.