Learn about UMGC Asia's leadership team.
James B. Cronin
UMGC Vice President and Director, Asia
James Cronin is vice president and director of the Asia division at UMGC.
Cronin joined the university in April 2000, after retiring from the U.S. Army as a lieutenant colonel that year. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in political science from DePaul University and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the infantry in 1980. He earned a Master of Science in administration from Central Michigan University and a graduate certificate in distance education from UMGC.
During an Army career that spanned more than 20 years, Cronin served as an infantry officer in the 8th Infantry Division (M) in Mainz, Germany; the 5th Infantry (M) at Fort Polk, Louisiana; and the XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Liberty (then Fort Bragg), North Carolina. He commanded two infantry companies and served as a brigade executive officer. Cronin also served as recruiting company commander and held various positions in public affairs stateside in Fort Huachuca, Arizona, and overseas in Korea and Bosnia. In his final assignment, he served as director of the Public Affairs and Journalism division of the Defense Information School at Fort Meade. His military service won him the Legion of Merit and six Meritorious Service Medals from the Army.
Since joining the university in 2000, Cronin has focused on improving the functionality of UMGC's military portals and expanding enrollment. He served for a number of years as associate vice president of program management, supervising various programs and partnerships. As program manager, he was responsible for all facets of the move into the GoArmyEd and Air Force institution portals. Cronin also developed and coordinated a number of special partnerships with military institutions, including the Army Signal Center, the Information Resource Management College, and the Army Command General Staff College. In 2013, Cronin was appointed vice president of stateside support, and in July 2016 he was selected for his current role as vice president and director of Asia operations. In addition, Cronin has served as an adjunct associate professor at UMGC, teaching Introduction to Public Speaking. He was inducted into the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame in November 2017.
Amanda C. Maguire
UMGC Associate Vice President and Deputy Director, Asia
Amanda Maguire is the associate vice president and deputy director of the Asia division at UMGC.
Having attended the University of Alabama and Indiana University, prior to moving overseas, Maguire knows what it is like to be a traditional and non-traditional adult college learner. Maguire earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in Biology from UMGC in 2006, a Master of Education in School Counseling from Bowie State University in 2015 and a Master of Business Administration from UMGC in 2018. She has over 18 years of operations experience, combined with 14 years of leadership experience, working with the university.
Maguire began in 2003, starting with the Europe division as a Field Representative, working on the frontline with our students. In 2007, she began managing eight field sites located throughout Northern Italy, Portugal, and Turkey. In 2009, she took on the role of Regional Enrollment Manager, a position which became Regional Director, in which capacity she served for 7 years in Aviano, Italy.
Prior to her current role, Maguire served as Asia's Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Operations, where she was a key part of the division’s continued enrollment growth. In this role, Maguire worked closely with the regional and assistant directors of the division, overseeing and supporting the enrollment strategy throughout UMGC Asia's 24 contracted field locations. Reporting to, and closely working with, the vice president and director of UMGC Asia in her current role since 2018, Maguire now leads the headquarters' frontline-focused supporting departments, as well as provides continued oversight of enrollment operations, working closely with the assistant vice president for enrollment operations.
She knows firsthand what it means to serve military students, staff and faculty in the overseas environment and is honored to uphold UMGC's core values and missions, overseas.
Jeffrey D. Newbern
Associate Vice President & Associate Dean, Academic Affairs, Asia
Dr. Jeffrey Newbern is the associate dean for the Asia division at UMGC.
Dr. Newbern earned his BA in psychology from Emory University in 1990 and his MS in biopsychology from the University of Georgia in 1992. In 2003, he earned an MA in counseling and personnel services from the University of Maryland, College Park. In 2023, he completed his Doctorate of Management, from the University of Maryland Global Campus. Dr. Newbern has several years of practical employment experience in psychology-related fields, including work as a senior behavior specialist in a developmental center for mentally/developmentally challenged clients.
Dr. Newbern joined the university's Asia division as a member of the faculty full time in 1994 and taught in the Tokyo area, Okinawa, Sasebo, Misawa, and Iwakuni. He received the Stanley J. Drazek Teaching Excellence Award in 2008. In 2011, Dr. Newbern transferred to the Europe division and taught in Germany (Heidelberg, Wiesbaden, Ramstein, and Ansbach) and downrange in Northern Afghanistan and Bahrain. In 2012, he was appointed to the Director, Graduate Programs administrative position at Europe Headquarters in Kaiserslautern, Germany. In July 2017, Dr. Newbern was appointed the Acting Assistant Vice Provost for Europe and in November of 2017 assumed the role of Associate Vice President & Associate Dean, Academic Affairs, Asia.