Lisa Marsh Ryerson is an American academic administrator serving as the sixth president of

Southern New Hampshire University Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) is a private university between Manchester, New Hampshire, Manchester and Hooksett, New Hampshire, United States. The university is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education, along with ...

since 2024. She was president of

Wells College Wells College was a private liberal arts college in Aurora, New York, a village in the Finger Lakes region of the state. From its founding in 1868 until it became coeducational in 2005, Wells was a women's college. The college maintained acad ...

from 1995 to 2013.

Life

Ryerson is from

Jamestown, New York Jamestown is a city in southern Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 28,712 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Situated between Lake Erie to the north and the Allegheny National Forest to the south, Jamesto ...

. She earned a B.A. in English with honors from

. She completed a M.S. in education/literacy from the

State University of New York at Cortland The State University of New York at Cortland (SUNY Cortland, C-State, or Cortland State) is a public university in Cortland, New York. It was founded in 1868 and is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. History The State Univ ...

. Ryerson taught fifth and eighth grade. In 1984, Ryerson joined the admissions office at Wells College. She was promoted to dean of students in 1991. In 1994, she became its vice president in February, executive-vice president in June, and acting president in the Fall, succeeding Robert A. Plane. She was appointed president in 1995. In August 2013, she was succeeded by interim president Thomas E. J. de Witt. She was president of the AARP Foundation for eight years. Ryerson served for a year on the

board of trustees before becoming the provost in June 2022. In December 2023, Ryerson was selected for a two-year term. She succeeded Paul LeBlanc as the sixth president on July 1, 2024.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryerson, Lisa Marsh Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) People from Jamestown, New York Wells College alumni Wells College faculty Southern New Hampshire University faculty 21st-century American women academics 21st-century American academics 20th-century American women academics 20th-century American academics Women heads of universities and colleges Heads of universities and colleges in the United States AARP people