John D. Pestana, M.A.

Bringing more than 24 years of leadership in higher education to UNE, Pestana has previously held a variety of roles including registrar, assistant dean, and associate director of academic programs. He holds a bachelor’s in business administration from Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts, and a master's in integrated marketing communication from Emerson College in Boston.

His career in higher education has been fueled by his passion for helping students to have a seamless educational experience in the most personalized and meaningful ways possible. He previously worked for Emerson College, serving as registrar, where he oversaw all aspects of the college’s scheduling, registration, and policy-related functions across three diverse campuses, collaborating on various cross-divisional projects and implementing essential academic systems. Earlier in his career, Pestana served as assistant dean and registrar at Stonehill College and oversaw an academic division through the transition to Ellucian Banner and DegreeWorks systems.