Senior Administration at
New England College

Paula A. Amato, CMA
Vice President of Finance and Administration

Paula Amato brings over twenty years’ experience in financial management, operations, and human resources to her role as Vice President for Finance and Administration. Her areas of responsibility include the Office of Finance, the Office of Human Resources, the Office of Student Financial Services, the Office of Information Technology, and the Office of Campus Facilities.

Paula serves as the liaison to the Finance and Investment Committee, the Audit Committee, and the Infrastructure Committee of the Board of Trustees. She holds direct responsibility for the College’s fiscal strategies including developing the process to oversee the College’s $32 million budget, monthly forecasting, and trend analysis reporting.

Since joining New England College in 2007, Paula has played a key role in drafting a number of policies designed to ensure internal financial control. She has been instrumental in designing the College’s staff compensation model and implementing a performance review process for all staff employees at the College. She is currently taking the leadership role in developing a Master Facility Plan for the College that works in coordination with the Strategic Plan and a Capital Campaign Readiness Plan.

Paula has served as the chief financial officer for the New Hampshire Community Technical College in Manchester and the CFO, Treasurer, and COO for the L.E. Bagley Company. She has held positions with the State of New Hampshire Liquor Commission, the New Hampshire Insurance Company, and AINetwork. Paula has also held adjunct faculty positions at New Hampshire Community Technical College, NHTI, and Hesser College, and she currently teaches in the Master of Science in Higher Education Administration program at New England College.

Paula is a Certified Management Accountant and received her MBA from Plymouth State University and her Bachelor of Science degree from New Hampshire College.

Hilton Hallock, Ph.D.
Vice President for Academic Affairs

Dr. Hallock’s career in higher education includes extensive experience with both academic and administrative responsibilities in undergraduate and graduate education. Her expertise includes teaching, program and faculty development, advising, assessment and accreditation, and a broad understanding of the higher education landscape.

Dr. Hallock served as Vice President for Enrollment and Student Engagement at New England College for two years (2008-2009). She is currently Professor of Higher Education and director of the new master’s program in higher education administration. She holds a B.A. from the University of Virginia, an M.Ed. from The University of Vermont, and a C.A.S. and Ph.D. from Syracuse University. Faculty and student engagement, curriculum development, and services dedicated to student achievement are themes that are integral to her academic and professional work.

As demonstrated in the positions she has held at Syracuse University, Longwood University, and the University of Virginia, Dr. Hallock has particular strength in the professional development of faculty and in the design and implementation of programming related to service learning and civic engagement. She has also contributed to the creation of innovative advising and seminar programs for first-year and undeclared students. As a faculty member and director of the Executive Doctorate in Higher Education Management at the University of Pennsylvania, she led an innovative educational program and advised senior administrators.

Dr. Hallock has authored or co-authored articles, chapters, and monographs on higher education administration and pedagogy, has given presentations at numerous academic conferences, and is on two editorial boards for national journals in higher education. In addition to consulting with institutions across the country, she has served as an evaluator for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and is currently NEC’s Accreditation Liaison Officer for NEASC. Among her many honors and awards are the Advisor of the Year at Longwood University, and the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award and Jefferson Scholar at The University of Virginia.

Gaye LaCasce
Assistant Vice President of Advancement

Gaye brings more than 20 years’ experience in fundraising to her position and has successfully managed capital campaigns, annual and planned giving, and corporate and foundation relations. Most recently, Gaye served as the Vice President for Development and Community Relations for the Visiting Nurse and Hospice of Vermont and New Hampshire. In her five-year tenure she was responsible for a combined annual fundraising goal of nearly two million dollars. She also brings extensive experience in education and served previously as Director of Alumni Affairs at Colby-Sawyer College in New London, New Hampshire and as the Director of Development at St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire. While at Colby-Sawyer, Gaye increased volunteerism by 150 percent and contributed to a successful $30 million capital campaign. Gaye holds an AB in English from Bowdoin College, earned a Master’s certification in alternative dispute resolution at the Muskie School of Public Policy, and received her Maine State Teaching Certification in Elementary Education from the University of Southern Maine. She is an active community leader in northern New England, past board chair for the Lebanon Opera House, and a musician and past member of the New Hampshire Council of the Arts.

As part of the College’s senior leadership team, Gaye is responsible for all development and alumni programming associated with the strategic initiatives of the College.

Barbara Layne, L.P.D.
Vice President for Enrollment and Marketing

Dr. Layne has dedicated her career to higher education and has held senior level positions at several colleges and universities across the country. She brings significant leadership experience in overseeing the functions of enrollment and student financial services and her expertise includes accreditation, curriculum, and marketing.

Most recently, Dr. Layne held the position of Dean of Enrollment Management at Marymount College in Rancho Palos Verdes, California for the past three years. While there, she developed a comprehensive plan for domestic and international student recruitment and retention. Additionally, she was involved in transferring the college’s accreditation from a two-year to a four-year institution. She was also instrumental in redesigning the curriculum for the college’s first year seminar program. Dr. Layne held a variety of positions at Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts including four years in senior leadership. She has also served at Simmons College, Bay State College, and Northeastern University.

Dr. Layne has served the higher education community through active participation in professional organizations and has presented at numerous conferences. She received her MBA and doctoral degrees from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts and earned her bachelor’s degree from Bridgewater State College in Bridgewater, Massachusetts.