Lesley University in Cambridge has chosen its new leader.
The university said Tuesday that Janet Steinmayer will be Lesley’s seventh president. Steinmayer, currently president of Mitchell College in New London, Conn., will begin her term at Lesley in July and will succeed interim president Richard Hansen.
Lesley's previous president Jeff Weiss resigned last year citing personal health issues. Weiss was in the role for just two years.
Steinmayer has served on Lesley’s Board of Trustees for a decade. Her son is also an alumnus of Lesley’s Threshold Program. The incoming president has also served on the board of her alma mater, Bryn Mawr College, for 15 years.
Steinmayer oversaw “a transformational period” at Mitchell when the college "built a strong financial foundation, clarified its distinct mission and developed a campus master plan," according to the release.
Before entering the higher education space, Steinmayer served as general counsel of Trans World Airlines, an airline that American Airlines acquired in 2001, and also served as president and CEO of Centerplate Inc., a hospitality firm that sold to Sodexo in 2017. She was also the founder and CEO of Appleseed Food Frontiers, a business accelerator and investment firm for food and beverage entrepreneurs.
“This is an exciting and critical time in Lesley University’s evolution, and Janet’s experience managing complex organizations and her proven success at Mitchell College are the perfect fit for this point in Lesley’s history and our ongoing strategic initiatives,” Hans Strauch, chair of the university’s Board of Trustees, said in the release.
The university will hold an event to welcome Steinmayer to the community on May 1.
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment for the Fall 2018 semester
| Rank | Prior Rank | School/Prior rank (*unranked in 2018)/ |
|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | University of Massachusetts Amherst |
2 | 2 | Boston University |
3 | 3 | Northeastern University |
