Brian Carlisle, who most recently served as vice president for student affairs at Pitzer College in Claremont, California, has been named Vice President for Student Engagement and Dean of Students at LaGrange College, according to LaGrange College President Dan McAlexander.

He will replace Dr. Marc Shook, who has taken the post of Dean of Students and Deputy Title IX Coordinator at the University of South Carolina.

“Brian brings tremendous energy and creative vision to his new role here on the Hill,” McAlexander said.

“These traits, combined with his strong record of experience, promise to bring wonderful ideas for enhancing our Student Engagement experience. We are confident Brian will build on the great work done by Marc Shook, and are very excited to have him join our leadership team.”

Carlisle said from his first visit to campus, LaGrange College felt like coming home.

“The college is such a warm, open and inviting place,” Carlisle said. “And its student-centered focus is evident. I’m excited by the strategic direction of the institution, and I very much look forward to working with the student engagement team and the rest of the campus community to help fulfill that vision for the college.”

A native of the Mobile, Alabama area, Carlisle earned his bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics and his master’s in higher education administration from The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa and a juris doctor from Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles.

He worked as a mathematics professor at Central Alabama Community College in Childersburg, then transitioned into administration when he became assistant dean of students, and later associate dean of students, at the University of California in Los Angeles. He then became associate vice president of student affairs and dean of students at San Francisco Art Institute, dean of students at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and vice president for student affairs at Pitzer College.

Carlisle is an advocate for foster care, serving as vice chair for the board of directors of RaiseAChild in Los Angeles. He is a certified foster parent in California and has volunteered with KidSave in Culver City, California; Five Acres Foster Family Agency in Altadena, California; and the Eau Claire County Humane Association.

He is the inaugural winner of the namesake Brian A. Carlisle Leadership and Strategic Planning Award at Pitzer College and the recipient of the Ron Satz award for Student Advocacy and the Roma Hoff Outstanding Adviser of the Year Award, both at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.