Dr. Christine Mahan is Chief of Staff and Vice President for Planning and Effectiveness at Eastern University in St. Davids, PA. Her responsibilities include serving as the principal aide to the President and providing leadership for the University's strategic planning, institutional research, accreditation, risk management and institutional effectiveness activities. As Chief of Staff, Dr. Mahan handles a wide range of institutional matters on behalf of the President and typically serves as the President's main liaison with a variety of internal and external constituencies. She joined the Eastern community in 2010 as Associate Provost for Institutional Effectiveness.

Dr. Mahan has served in the field of higher education for more than thirty years. Positions held include various faculty and administrative posts across multiple sectors of higher education—proprietary, two-year, private, non-profit, and public research universities, as well as in accreditation. Prior to coming to Eastern, she served in administrative roles at University of Pennsylvania and University of Maryland, College Park.

Dr. Mahan earned her Ph.D. in Education Policy from University of Maryland, College Park; M.A. in English from University of Iowa, and  B.A. in English and Rhetoric, cum laude and with distinction from University of Illinois-Urbana.  Her research interests include access and persistence issues for first generation and low income students. ​​​​​​