Archives: People

André Kinney is the associate vice president of Real Estate Strategies and Operations for George Mason University and is responsible for developing and implementing long-term strategic plans for the university's real estate portfolio, including acquisitions, dispositions, partnerships, and development projects supporting the academic mission across all campuses, working with senior leadership and units across the university.

In this role, Kinney manages operations, contracts, and leasing for university assets, as well as university leases with third parties. Kinney partners with groups across the university to engage stakeholders across the George Mason community around real estate initiatives to maintain positive relations, while ensuring all activities comply with local, state, and federal regulations.

Kinney brings more than 30 years of real estate experience to the university, which includes strategy, development, transactions, and management. He previously served as chief operating officer and director of asset management for Real Estate Capital Partners and led the team responsible for all facets of strategy and oversight of a $7 billion real estate portfolio. Kinney has been a professor in George Mason’s master of science in real estate development program, as well as a guest lecturer at Georgetown and the University of Wisconsin for real estate students.

André Kinney
[email protected]

Christine Auñón Zanellato serves as assistant vice president for Operational Finance and Enterprise Governance (OFEG) at George Mason University. In this role, she provides strategic direction and operational oversight across divisional financial planning, institutional investment governance, and enterprise project execution. Reporting to the senior vice president and chief operating officer for Administration and Operations, Zanellato collaborates closely with university leaders to align financial strategy with mission-focused priorities and advance cross-functional initiatives that improve institutional performance.

Zanellato brings extensive expertise in financial and program management, enterprise planning, and strategic advisory, developed through leadership roles in both public and private sectors, including positions at Eli Lilly, Bear Stearns, Freddie Mac, and AstraZeneca. Her background includes end-to-end budget management, cost modeling, revenue forecasting, and risk mitigation across complex, large-scale organizations.

In her career, Zanellato has led multimillion-dollar initiatives, designed sophisticated financial and operational models to support long-term planning, and created tools to facilitate integrated budgeting and capital allocation. She has also advised executive teams on optimizing resource utilization, aligning fiscal strategy with organizational goals, and building scalable systems to support institutional growth consistently delivering actionable insights and operational enhancements that strengthen financial resilience and strategic alignment.

Zanellato holds a master of business administration with concentrations in finance and accounting from the University of Michigan, and a bachelor of science in industrial engineering from Purdue University. She is a former Division I student-athlete and a recipient of full academic and athletic scholarships.

Kimberly Raley
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As vice president for Facilities and Campus Operations, Frank Strike has more than thirty years of experience in project management, contracting, design, and facilities operations and management. With a proven record of achievement serving as a senior executive, developing and leading high-performing and highly complex organizations, Strike has managed the full range of facilities engineering, project management, environmental compliance, contracting, and public works services.

Strike joined George Mason University in 2014 and is responsible for developing, managing, and executing a capital and non-capital design and construction program in excess of $200 million. He oversees the operations of nine million square feet of facilities. He is also responsible for the operations at Mason Square and SciTech campuses. Strike’s previous roles at the university include assistant vice president for Planning, Design, and Construction and the director of Facilities Management.

Prior to joining George Mason, Strike was the business director for the Naval Facilities Engineering Command in Norfolk, Virginia, where he was responsible for 13,000 employees and a business volume exceeding $12 billion annually. In addition, he served as the executive director of the Navy Region Mid-Atlantic; business manager and utilities department head at Navy Public Works Center, Norfolk; and the deputy public works officer at Naval Weapons Station, Yorktown.

Strike holds several degrees, including a bachelor of science in civil engineering from Bucknell University; a master of engineering from Old Dominion University; and a master of business administration from College of William and Mary. He is also a registered professional engineer in Virginia.

Strike lives in Fairfax, Virginia with his wife Estrella and they have two daughters, one grandson and one granddaughter.

Amy Millman
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Pascal Petter is an associate vice president for Auxiliary and Business Services at George Mason University, where he plays a pivotal role in supporting campus life and operations.

Since joining George Mason in 2021, Petter has led key areas such as Mason Dining, the Mason Card Office, and technology services. His leadership now extends to overseeing Parking & Transportation, Student Centers, the Child Development Center, print and mail services, banking services, the university’s bookstore, vending, pouring-rights agreements, EagleBank Arena, and the ABS business support teams, including finance, marketing, and human resources.

Previously, Petter managed auxiliary operations at various higher education institutions for ten years and brought more than twenty years of hospitality experience to George Mason. Pascal holds two international bachelor’s degrees in hotel and hospitality management and a master of public management degree from Carnegie Mellon University.

Andrea Bilson
703-993-2840

Dr. Charmaine Madison serves as the vice president and chief information officer, overseeing George Mason University's central Information Technology Services (ITS) department. ITS is responsible for the university’s technology infrastructure; telephony, wired and wireless networks, and enterprise business, student information, and finance systems, such as Canvas, Salesforce, and the Ellucian Banner suite. ITS is also responsible for the enforcement of the university’s IT Security and Risk & Compliance. She serves as the university’s technology leader in integrating the emerging Artificial Intelligence ecosystem, enhancing innovation, research, operational efficiencies, and student learning experiences.

Madison is a visionary IT executive leader with a solid track record of guiding global business strategy using established and emerging technologies to achieve maximum operational impact with minimum resource expenditures. She joined George Mason in 2024, bringing more than 30 years of federal government IT experience. Madison is a retired cyber officer from the US Air Force and a retired senior digital officer from the Central Intelligence Agency.

An expert negotiator with high business acumen, Madison is adept at forging solid relationships with strategic partners and building consensus across multiple organizational levels. She is an effective communicator with a strong history of technical consulting with executive leaders and cross-organizational and industry stakeholders to implement digital transformation projects and develop roadmaps for business infrastructures.

In her pastime, Charmaine is an executive leadership coach and enjoys giving back to her local community, as well as spending time with her two children.

Whitney Sublett
[email protected]

Dr. David Farris serves as George Mason University’s associate vice president for Risk, Safety, and Resilience, overseeing integrated programs in environmental health and safety, occupational safety, fire safety, emergency preparedness, and operational risk management. With his current appointment in 2024, he also supports Employee Health & Well-Being programs and is responsible for shaping a comprehensive approach to campus safety, resilience, and risk mitigation.

Farris began his service to George Mason in 2004 as the institution’s chemical hygiene officer and helped establish George Mason’s laboratory safety, environmental compliance, and occupational safety programs. Before joining Mason, he held multiple roles at Clean Harbors Environmental Services across environmental compliance, remediation, and industrial services.

Farris holds a doctorate in Higher Education Administration and master of business administration from George Mason University and a bachelor of arts in Biology from Texas A&M University. His research focuses on organizational behavior in higher education, university governance, and committees. He is an affiliate faculty instructor with George Mason’s Higher Education Program, teaching courses on compliance, risk management, and governance. In 2022 he was honored with the College of Humanities and Social Sciences Distinguished Alumni Award in Higher Education for his leadership in university-wide compliance and governance initiatives.

The author of "Understanding University Committees: How to Manage and Participate Constructively in Institutional Governance," and Farris’s publications include studies on organizational citizenship behavior in administrative committees and best practices in emergency management.

Heather Aleknavage
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Dr. Aurali Dade is interim vice president for Enterprise Risk Management at George Mason University. In this role, Dade leads efforts focused on understanding and mitigating institutional risk through strategic and intentional engagement and action with senior leadership and risk owners.

Dade returned to George Mason after spending the last 3.5 years at the National Science Foundation (NSF) in an Intergovernmental Personnel Act appointment. In that role, she was responsible for engaging nationally and internationally on initiatives focused on technology, innovation, and national competitiveness. She managed a portfolio of approximately $90M in grants and contracts, co-developed new funding opportunities, and represented the National Science Foundation in various engagements.

Prior to her time at NSF, Dade spent approximately a decade at George Mason, taking on roles of progressive responsibility, including serving as the interim vice president for Research, Innovation, and Economic Impact. She served in several inaugural roles at the university prior to this appointment, including as the associate vice president for Research Development, Integrity and Assurance and executive director of the Institute for a Sustainable Earth.

Prior to joining George Mason, Dade served in leadership roles focused on compliance, risk, and environmental health and safety at two other R1 universities. She co-edited and authored a book focused on research compliance, has received grants focused on institutional capacity and research integrity, and also taught at both the undergraduate and graduate level on these topics.

Heather Aleknavage
[email protected]