Ron W. Darbeau, PhD
Dr. Ron Darbeau is the Chancellor of Penn State Altoona.
He previously served as Vice President for Faculty Affairs & Academic Operations at Commonwealth University (the recent integration of Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, and Mansfield universities) and Administrator for its Lock Haven and Clearfield campuses. Prior to this role, he was Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Lock Haven University (2020 to 2022), Dean of the College of STEM & School of Education (2015 to 2020) and Interim Dean of the College of Health Sciences (2019-2020) at the University of Arkansas, Ft. Smith. His academic career began at McNeese State University in 1996 where he served as Department Head for the last 12 years of his tenure.
A Physical Organic Chemist, he has secured over $2 M in grants for research, research training, infrastructure, and student aid. He has mentored over 80 undergraduate and graduate students – many of whom are co-authors on his publications.
Darbeau is a native of the twin-island Republic of Trinidad & Tobago where he earned his undergraduate degree in Chemistry at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine. After teaching math and science in middle and high school for five years in Trinidad, he earned his master’s (1992) and Ph.D. (1996) in Organic Chemistry from the Johns Hopkins University.
A Fellow of the American Chemical Society, he is the recipient of numerous awards and honors including The Sarah and Adolph Roseman Award for Outstanding Accomplishment (Johns Hopkins), The College of Science Endowed Professor, The Pinnacle Excellence Award, Calcasieu Parish Development Board Professorship for Industrial & Economic Development, The President’s Tough but Good Award and The Distinguished Faculty Award (McNeese State University). Darbeau serves, or has served, on many committees, councils, and boards at the local, state, and national levels. Among these are the American Chemical Society – Committee on Professional Training, The University of Pittsburg Medical Center (UPMC) Regional Advisory Council, The Arkansas Deans’ Association, and The Advancing Coherent and Equitable Systems for Science Education (ACESSE) Group.