Sheahon Zenger, Ph.D. has more than 30 years of experience as a coach, educator, fundraiser, and higher education leader. A visionary fundraiser, he has raised nearly $400 million throughout this career to support capital projects and signature initiatives.
Appointed the University of New Haven’s executive vice president and chief operating officer in 2024, Dr. Zenger’s focus is on expand the University’s efforts related to economic development and community relations. In addition to his commitment to University fundraising, he also oversees Human Resources, Marketing & Communications, and Athletics.
In 2022, he was named interim president of the University of New Haven as part of an innovative leadership transition designed to build upon the University’s rich success and position it for continued long-term growth. He served as the University’s outward facing community leader, providing strategic leadership and financial management, creating relationships with stakeholders, and fostering pride across the University of New Haven community. He led the development and launch of the University’s new Power On brand, which has generated new visibility and a spike in applications.
He also provided oversight for the University’s 2026 strategic plan: “A Bold Path Forward” and raised more than $10 million in capital and endowed gifts, including the leadership gifts for the development of the Peterson Performance Center and upcoming renovations to the Hazell Athletic Center.
He joined the University of New Haven in 2019 as director of athletics. During his nearly three years leading Athletics, he drove the growth of student-athlete enrollment from 360 to nearly 500; created the s Athletics Fund and directed the development of the s Alliance, a student-athlete-led organization designed to give a voice to minority student; and oversaw the addition of three new varsity sports. He also presented the case for and obtained unanimous vote from the Board of Governors to pursue Division I affiliation.
Prior to joining the University of New Haven, he spent seven years as director of athletics at the University of Kansas, where he led one of the most successful Division I athletics programs in the country, overseeing a program with 210 full-time staff and an annual budget of more than $100 million. Under his leadership, the program set a record for cumulative student-athlete GPA.
From 2005 to 2011, he was director of athletics at Illinois State, where he significantly increased athletic revenue, annual giving, and the performance of student-athletes on the field and in the classroom.
He began his career as an assistant football coach, excelling in recruiting and student-athlete leadership development, before transitioning his career focus to fundraising and athletic administration.
In the Media
The mentorship interim President Sheahon Zengers shared with Josh Ehambe while Dr. Zenger was the athletic director at the University of Kansas helped Ehambe discover rewarding opportunities beyond athletics. Ehambe is now the director of mission impact and enrichment at Baylor University.
In the Media
Interim President Sheahon Zenger was the keynote speaker at the inauguration of Dorinda Borer ’92 MBA as the mayor of West Haven.
In the Media
Interim President Sheahon Zenger will be the keynote speaker at the inauguration of Dorinda Borer ’92 MBA as the mayor of West Haven.
In the Media
Interim President Sheahon Zenger welcomes students and their families as the class of 2027 moves into university housing.
In the Media
The University of New Haven and the Yale Prison Education Initiative celebrated the program's first-ever college graduation inside the MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution. Attendees included Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont and Interim President Sheahon Zenger.
In the Media
The University of New Haven and the Yale Prison Education Initiative celebrated the program's first-ever college graduation inside the MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution. Attendees included Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont and Interim President Sheahon Zenger.
In the Media
The University of New Haven and the Yale Prison Education Initiative celebrated the program's first-ever college graduation inside the MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution. Attendees included Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont and Interim President Sheahon Zenger.
In the Media
The University of New Haven and the Yale Prison Education Initiative celebrated the program's first-ever college graduation inside the MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution. Attendees included Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont and Interim President Sheahon Zenger.
In the Media
The University of New Haven and the Yale Prison Education Initiative celebrated the program's first-ever college graduation inside the MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution. Attendees included Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont and Interim President Sheahon Zenger.
In the Media
The University of New Haven and the Yale Prison Education Initiative celebrated the program's first-ever college graduation inside the MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution. Attendees included Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont and Interim President Sheahon Zenger.
In the Media
The University of New Haven and the Yale Prison Education Initiative celebrated the program's first-ever college graduation inside the MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution. Attendees included Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont and Interim President Sheahon Zenger.
In the Media
The University of New Haven and the Yale Prison Education Initiative celebrated the program's first-ever college graduation inside the MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution. Attendees included Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont and Interim President Sheahon Zenger.
In the Media
Sheahon Zenger, interim president, comments on the possibility of the University of New Haven's athletics program moving to Division I, "That's a pledge I make to our entire campus: if ever that move will be made, it'll be with everyone's best interest at heart."
In the Media
Sheahon Zenger, interim president, will award diplomas this spring to incarcerated students enrolled in a joint program between the University of New Haven and the Yale Prison Education Initiative, which was created through a grant from the Mellon Foundation, the world's largest benefactor of the humanities.
In the Media
The University of New Haven community took part in a rally along with hundreds of other universities across the globe to stand in solidarity with the University of Guelphin Iran as they protest the treatment of women in their country. Among those attending the rally were Interim President Sheahon Zenger and Ali Golbazi, professor and chair of electrical and computer engineering.
In the Media
Jan Jones, lecturer, and coordinator for hospitality and tourism celebrates the opening of the Hazell Nut Café for the fall semester run with students from the hospitality and tourism management program and their first customer was interim president Sheahon Zenger.
In the Media
Interim President Sheahon Zenger, Ph.D., welcomes the incoming Class of 2026 to campus.
In the Media
Steven H. Kaplan, Ph.D., chancellor and CEO, and Sheahon Zenger, Ph.D., interim president, were part of an article on how the University’s innovative leadership transition will guide it into the future.
In the Media
The University is implementing an innovative leadership transition plan that will enable it to continue to grow, build on the momentum of its rich history of success, and strengthen its position as a financially sound, highly regarded, comprehensive University.
In the Media
The University is implementing an innovative leadership transition plan that will enable it to continue to grow, build on the momentum of its rich history of success, and strengthen its position as a financially sound, highly regarded, comprehensive University.
In the Media
Sheahon Zenger, director of athletics, talks about Jeff Hazell '83, a longstanding supporter of the University of New Haven and a member of its Board of Governors, who made a $3 million commitment to serve as the lead gift for the renovation of the University's Gymnasium. Once it is completed, the on-campus facility will be dedicated in honor of Hazell.
In the Media
President Steven H. Kaplan will become the University of New Haven's first chancellor and CEO, effective July 1. Sheahon Zenger will become the interim president.
In the Media
Effective July 1, President Steven Kaplan will assume a new role as the University's first chancellor and CEO, while Athletic Director Sheahon Zenger will serve as interim president as part of a two-year leadership transition period.