Biography
Dr. Diane Helfers Petrella began her tenure as Provost and Senior Vice President at Marshall University on July 1, 2026.
Dr. Petrella joins Marshall from Kent State University, where she has served as dean of the College of the Arts since 2021. In this role, she oversaw all academic, fiscal, development, personnel and administrative operations for the college, which includes the School of Fashion Design and Merchandising, School of Art, School of Music, School of Theatre and Dance, Kent State Museum, and numerous regional and national arts programs. As dean, she led a team of more than 190 faculty and staff serving approximately 2,500 students, managing an annual budget of $23 million within a Responsibility Centered Management (RCM) model.
Prior to her tenure at Kent State, Petrella served on the piano faculty at Oakland University and the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) Conservatory. During her fifteen-year tenure at UMKC, she held multiple leadership roles — including division chair and associate dean, culminating in her appointment as the first female dean of the Conservatory from 2017-2021. Earlier in her career, Petrella taught at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Texas Wesleyan University, and the University of North Texas.
Petrella holds a Bachelor of Music from Eastern Illinois University, a Master of Music from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, a Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.) from the University of North Texas and an Artist Diploma from Texas Christian University.