Todd Snovel named Vice President for Student Affairs & Community Engagement

Todd Snovel has been named Vice President for Student Affairs & Community Engagement at Pennsylvania College of Art & Design. A member of the College’s staff since 2019, Snovel previously served the PCA&D community as Director of Development & Strategic Initiatives.

“We are delighted to have his extensive experience in higher education, government, and nonprofit leadership,” Michael Molla, President of PCA&D said in a letter to the College community. “We are thankful for Todd’s successful work at PCA&D thus far, cultivating innovative partnerships, actualizing strategic plans, and enhancing our fundraising efforts while supporting and leading numerous pan-institutional projects and activities.”

Snovel says he is excited to be stepping into a role that directly works with students to develop leadership capacities and skills.

“Whether you participate in a student organization, collaborate on projects with your amazing faculty members, or work on campus,” he said in a letter to PCA&D students, “we know that each of those impactful moments is building the resume that effectively shows employers your abilities to communicate effectively, work in collaborative teams, and think critically and innovatively.”

Active in a number of professional associations and boards, Snovel has an extensive background in conference and event planning, volunteer engagement, and campaign management. He currently serves as an advisory board member of The Foundation for Enhancing Communities’ Fund for Women and Girls, is the past chair of the Lancaster LGBTQ+ Coalition, and is vice president of the Keystone Business Alliance: Central PA’s LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce. He is also a Trustee for the Foundation of ACPA: College Student Educators International. In 2018, Snovel was appointed by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf to establish the nation’s first statewide Commission for LGBTQ Affairs. As the Commission’s Executive Director, he connected individuals, organizations, agencies, and resources across Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, developed relationships with local, state, and federal legislators, engaged in strategic planning, and advised the Governor on policies, legislation, and programs that support LGBTQ individuals and their communities.

Snovel also is the  former Assistant Dean for Engagement and Inclusion at Lebanon Valley College. There, he mentored and supervised the Student Affairs team, developed student communication and engagement plans, drafted and implemented policies for LVC, and engaged individuals and corporate partners in support of a number of diverse and broad programs for the College. He also was instrumental in creating the Symposium for Inclusive Excellence and co-chairing LVC’s first Committee on Inclusive and Intercultural Learning. He has experience teaching at the college level as well, instructing both undergraduate and graduate courses on diverse topics.

Snovel earned his bachelor’s degree manga cum laude from Lebanon Valley College, and his master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Mansfield University, with a thesis on “The Effects of Collaboration on Administrative Leadership Practice in Higher Education.”  He was recognized last year by Central Pennsylvania Business Journal as one of Central Pennsylvania’s 40 Under 40 and was also awarded with the Business Diversity Catalyst Award by the Harrisburg Regional Chamber of Commerce in 2019. Todd is frequently requested as a regional speaker/presenter on topics of inclusion and LGBTQ advocacy.

His goal in this new position, Snovel wrote to students, is “to do everything that I can to ensure that you feel a sense of identity and belonging at PCA&D and that this academic community is a brave space where we all thrive and flourish.

“I want PCA&D to offer you a rich and diverse array of experiences and opportunities that immerse you in a journey of engagement that goes well beyond the day you cross the Commencement stage and throughout the course of your lifetime. Your college journey should be one that helps you discover who you are, what you are passionate about, what you want to create, and the powerful stories told through your art and design.”