Following a nationwide search, Lesley University has selected Janet L. Steinmayer as the university’s seventh president. Ms. Steinmayer, currently president of Mitchell College in New London, Conn., begins her term at Lesley this July and will succeed interim president Richard S. Hansen.
Ms. Steinmayer has a longstanding commitment to and passion for Lesley that includes a decade of service on its Board of Trustees. Her son is an alumnus of Lesley’s Threshold Program, giving her firsthand knowledge of the university from a parent’s perspective. Ms. Steinmayer’s higher education experience also includes 15 years on the board of Bryn Mawr College, her alma mater, where she currently serves as a vice chair, and service on the Board of Visitors of the John F. Welch School of Business at Sacred Heart University.
At Mitchell, Ms. Steinmayer led a transformational period in which the college built a strong financial foundation, clarified its distinct mission and developed a campus master plan that illuminates the history of the campus and addresses the future. Under her leadership, Mitchell developed a unique, ability-driven educational experience designed to make higher education accessible to many who might not otherwise reach their potential through formal education. Ms. Steinmayer also fostered strong community partnerships to give students opportunities to learn skills and abilities relevant to today’s workplace.
Ms. Steinmayer started her career as a corporate lawyer in private practice in New York and served as general counsel of Trans World Airlines, then a Fortune 500 Company and the nation’s seventh largest airline. She later served as President and CEO of Centerplate, Inc., then the fifth largest hospitality company in North America, with over 135 National Football League, Major League Baseball and other sports and entertainment clients. She was also the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Appleseed Food Frontiers, a business accelerator and investment firm for expansion stage and artisanal food entrepreneurs.
Ms. Steinmayer received a B.A. with honors in English and History magna cum laude from Bryn Mawr College and a J.D. from the University of Chicago. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Lyman Allyn Art Museum and the Pequot Chapel. She is serving or has served on the Board of Directors or Trustees of numerous corporate and not for profit organizations, including the New England Collegiate Conference (current chair), the Connecticut Council of Independent Colleges (Executive Committee), Command Security Corporation, the National Center for Learning Disabilities, the Business Council of Fairfield County, the Fairfield County Community Foundation, and the Eagle Hill – Southport School (now the Southport School).