Dr. Stephen M. Coan is Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Ripon College in Wisconsin since 2023.  He is also Principal of Mission First, LLC a comprehensive non-profit and higher education consulting firm.

For 20 years he served as President and CEO of Sea Research Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization operating Mystic Aquarium, a research, education, and conservation organization in Connecticut. The organization operates STEM and youth programs serving over 100,000 students annually.

Prior to joining Sea Research Foundation, Dr. Coan was the chief education officer of the JASON Foundation for Education, now known as JASON Learning. He has served as executive director of two educational organizations and held faculty appointments at Tufts University, Bentley College and Cambridge College.

Dr. Coan earned his bachelor’s degree from Brandeis University and both a Masters in Management degree and a doctorate in social policy from the Heller Graduate School at Brandeis.