Michael Gargano Jr., EdD, is an experienced leader in the field of higher education, having served in various positions of increasing responsibility over the past 36 years. Retired, he most recently served as president and chief executive officer of St. Vincent's College in Bridgeport, Conn.
Previously, Gargano was provost and senior vice president for the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system. He has also held senior administrative positions at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, the Louisiana State University system, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and The George Washington University. Gargano also held administrative positions at the University of Rhode Island and the University of Hartford.
At UHart, he filled many roles, including that of men’s golf student-athlete, men's golf coach, and athletics administrator.
Throughout his career in higher education, Gargano has made increased access to—and affordability of—a college education for low-income, first-generation and underrepresented students a point of emphasis. He has also made increasing retention and graduation rates a priority.
Gargano received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University’s Barney School of Business in 1978, and then went on to earn a doctoral degree in higher education administration from The George Washington University in 2001. He lives in Hartford.