Dr. Paveza has a Master of Social Work degree and a Doctorate in Public Health Sciences with a specialization in epidemiology. Dr. Paveza has been a practicing social worker and an agency administrator, with specializations in emergency psychiatry and geriatrics. While at the University of Illinois as a graduate student and then as a faculty member, he was a member of a team developing a registry for Alzheimer’s patients and their families. He also began his work in the study of elder mistreatment as part of this research team. Upon graduation from the University of Illinois Dr. Paveza joined the faculty in the School of Public Health. In 1991, he joined the Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration as Director of the Center for Long Term Mental Health Evaluation. This program targeted improving mental health care to those veterans with long term mental health problems.
In 1994, Dr. Paveza joined the faculty at the University of South Florida. During his career at the University of South Florida he was promoted to the rank of Professor, served as a member of the faculty senate, was President of the Faculty Senate, the first Faculty Senate President to serve as a member of the University’s Board of Trustees, and the first Regional Campus Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs on the Lakeland, FL campus, after completing a year as an A.C.E. fellow at Northern Illinois University under President John Peters. He also served as the Campus Associate Dean of the USF Lakeland campus. He was responsible for the development of the new USF Lakeland campus and its initial campus master plan. This campus later became Florida Polytechnic University.
In 2007, he assumed the role of Dean of Health and Human Services at Southern Connecticut State University. As Dean, he supported the development of an EdD in Nursing Education as an on-line program, as well as the development of several master’s programs in various fields, and specialized programs focused on helping adult learners return to university to increase their skills. In 2012, he assumed the role of both Dean of Health and Human Services and Interim Dean of Graduate Studies. Then in 2014, he took on the role of Dean of Graduate Studies permanently, and in 2015 at the request of the Provost also assumed the role as Dean of the Library. In his time as Dean of Graduate Studies, he streamlined the admissions process, built a dedicated admissions staff, and revamped the way Graduate Assistantships were awarded.
In 2016, Dr. Paveza retired from Southern Connecticut State University, and shortly thereafter was recommended for and accepted into the Registry. This organization provides interim senior academic administrators to colleges and universities. During this period, he formed Thunderbird Higher Education Consulting, LLC and has provided consulting services to several universities. Examples of his consulting experiences include providing proposal review to a mid-size private university in New Jersey for a new undergraduate degree in public administration and made significant recommendations which helped assure its approval. Additionally, he worked with the faculty to develop the curriculum for a new Master’s in Public Administration. Another example of his consulting services was to a small state university in New York, where he worked with the Provost on a reorganization of the Office of Sponsored Research and Programs. His report provided recommendations to improve the overall functioning of the unit including developing a joint unit with another state university less than 15 miles away allowing both institutions to utilize the existing strengths of each. In July 2017, the Registry placed Dr. Paveza at Central Washington University (CWU) to serve as the interim dean of the libraries until June 2018. During his tenure at CWU, he worked with the library faculty to transform the library into a 21st century academic commons. Additionally, Dr. Paveza worked closely with the Provost on a possible administrative restructuring within the Office of Academic Affairs. As a result of that project, he and the Provost developed a method for working with faculty, the broader academic community and the general community for determining the feasibility of implementing organizational changes.
Dr. Paveza’s research has focused on issues facing older adults including how best to assess the needs of adults for care and on elder mistreatment. He has authored and co-authored peer reviewed articles on elder mistreatment and violence and aggression in families caring for Alzheimer’s patients and on assessing the needs of older adults and has also authored book chapters on these subjects as well.
Dr. Paveza has been an active member of his community where ever he has lived. As examples of his involvement, he served as a Member of the Township of Schaumburg, Illinois’ Mental Health Board, the Illinois’ Family Policy Task Force, and the Cook County, Illinois State’s Attorney’s Juvenile Task Force when Richard M. Daley served as State’s Attorney. While residing in Tampa, FL, he served as a member of the Board of Directors for the Tampa Bay Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, the District 6 Health and Human Services Board, in Hillsborough County, FL, and the Elder Court Task Force for the 13th Judicial Circuit, Hillsborough County, FL. Since coming to Hamden, he served as a member of the Board of Directors for the Agency on Aging for South Central Connecticut, as a member and chair of the Health Care Council of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce, as a member of the Allied Health Workforce Policy Board for the State of Connecticut, and as a representative of the 9th district on the Hamden Democratic Council. You can find out more about me by clicking on this link.