Lesley University on July 28 announced the appointment of Dr. Jonathan K. Jefferson as chief academic officer and provost.
Dr. Jefferson, who was named interim provost in June, has chaired the university’s Business Management Division, where he has been a professor since 2015. He led the Faculty Assembly in 2019-20 and was its vice chair during the prior academic year. Among his accomplishments at Lesley are designing and developing a new synchronous, non-location-based 4+1 MBA program. Most recently, he served as Region One chair of the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs. His research and publications have focused on leadership development and mentoring.
With more than three decades of professional experience that includes leadership positions in higher education as well as consulting to Fortune 500 companies globally, Dr. Jefferson brings deep expertise in organizational behavior, operations management, mentoring, negotiation and conflict management, supply chain management, and business analytics.
He has served as director of the Institute of Leadership at the Coast Guard Academy (2010-14), dean of the College of Business at Albany State University (2009-10), and dean of the School of Business Administration at Clark Atlanta University (2004-07). His long roster of prior consulting clients includes: AT&T, Bell Atlantic (Verizon), Citibank USA (Citigroup), Nextel Communications, and Price Waterhouse (Price Waterhouse Coopers). He has worked in cities across Canada, Europe, South America, and China.
President Janet L. Steinmayer said of the new provost, “His deep knowledge of the university and faculty, his business acumen and expertise in organizational management, and his strong work advancing equity and inclusion are invaluable assets.”
President Steinmayer also cited Jefferson’s “wise counsel and steady hand at this critical time in higher education.”
Jefferson holds a Doctor of Management degree from the Institute for Advanced Studies at Colorado Technical University, an MS in Organization and Management from Capella University, a Master of Engineering in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering from Cornell University, and a BS in Mathematics from Morehouse College.
Dr. Jefferson succeeds Dr. Margaret Everett, who served as provost from 2018 until June 2020.
