Dr. Helen F. Giles-Gee became the ninth president of Keene State College on July 1, 2005. She also holds an appointment as professor in education and management. Previously, Dr. Giles-Gee served as provost at Rowan University.

With over 30 years of experience in higher education, Dr. Giles-Gee is a nationally-known scholar, educator, and administrator. Her accomplishments as Rowan Provost include reorganization of the graduate school, office of sponsored research and grants, and the summer school, honors, and international education programs. She also worked with key legislators to raise $5 million in support of capital projects at Rowan’s Camden Campus. Prior to arriving at Rowan, Dr. Giles-Gee served as the dean of professional studies at SUNY Cortland and associate vice chancellor for faculty affairs and director of articulation at the University System of Maryland. Among her other leadership positions, she has served as chair of the biology department at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania and president and board member of both the Maryland Association of Higher Education and the international Society for College and University Planning. She earned tenure as an associate professor of biology at Cheyney University and was granted professor rank at Towson State University and Rowan University.

As president of Keene State College, Dr. Giles-Gee has guided the college through major institutional transformation. During her first year, she led the campus community in the development of a strategic plan aimed at building upon the college's strengths and traditions to advance a new vision of academic excellence. Within five years of joining the campus community, Dr. Giles-Gee has worked closely with the University System of New Hampshire Board of Trustees and Keene State faculty, staff and students to

• develop a residential college-wide honors program,
• introduce a 4-credit curriculum,
• endow two academic chairs,
• hire the college’s first provost and first vice president for advancement,
• make critical advancements toward campus environmental sustainability, create a service-learning initiative,
• adopt a comprehensive academic plan that provides a dynamic and unifying vision for academic excellence,
• design and construct the first ever Alumni Center,
• and launch a new integrative studies program to replace general education requirements.

Under Dr. Giles-Gee’s leadership, Keene State College has come to be known throughout New Hampshire and the New England Region for the strength of its academic program, as a leader in innovation, and as a powerful force for economic development.

In 2009, Dr. Giles-Gee led the college through celebration of its centennial and initiated discussion about the college's vision for the next century. In The College at its Centennial: A Time to Soar, President Giles-Gee identified three institutional priorities as the college enters its second century: catalyzing economic development, preparing students for global citizenship, and developing a new model for fiscal sustainability.

Dr. Giles-Gee sits on numerous national, state and local boards and councils. Her engagement includes service as

• chairperson for the New Hampshire Postsecondary Education Commission,
• vice chairperson for the Association of American Colleges and Universities,
• treasurer for the New Hampshire College and University Council,
• member of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation Board of Directors, Campus Compact of New Hampshire Board of Directors, and the National Council on Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) Appeals Board

She also serves as a member and mentor on the steering committee for the American Association of State Colleges and University's Millennium Leadership Institute and a member of their Commission on Presidential Leadership and Global Competitiveness.

Dr. Giles-Gee holds the B.A., M.S., and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, and an M.S. from Rutgers University. She has published extensively and presented widely and has been recognized for leadership by Who’s Who and many educational and professional organizations.