Following the announcement that John D. Simon ’19P would step down as Lehigh’s president at the conclusion of the 2020-2021 academic year, we were pleased to accept the invitation from Lehigh Board Chair, Kevin L. Clayton ’84 ’13P to serve as co-chairs of the search process for Lehigh’s 15th president. In the weeks that have since passed, we have been working to select members of our Presidential Search Committee and to identify a professional search firm to assist that Committee as the search process moves forward.
We are writing today to share the news that we have completed that work, and to update you on next steps in our process.
Our newly formed Presidential Search Committee comprises members of Lehigh Board of Trustees as well as representatives from throughout the Lehigh campus community—leadership, faculty, students, staff and alumni. The Committee will engage with the community and gather insights from key stakeholders as it works to build a diverse pool of candidates, and ultimately complete the search for the 15th president of Lehigh University.
To support the Committee in their work, Lehigh has partnered with Isaacson, Miller, a Boston-based professional search firm with extensive experience and expertise in senior leadership searches. Isaacson, Miller was selected to assist with the search after an extensive exploratory process during which we received numerous proposals and interviewed several other leading search firms. John M. Isaacson, founder and chair of the firm, will be leading this important collaboration on behalf of Isaacson, Miller.
As co-chairs, we have the utmost confidence that our Committee, working alongside Board Chair Clayton, and our partners at Isaacson, Miller, will identify and successfully select a qualified, visionary leader for Lehigh.
The members of the Committee are as follows:
Maria L. Chrin ’87 ’10P
Vice Chair, Board of Trustees
Co-Chair, Search Committee
Kevin L. Clayton ’84, ’13P
Chair, Board of Trustees
Benjamin Davis '22G
Historian, Graduate Student Senate
Vince A. Forlenza, Jr. ’75
Trustee
Eve Freed ’21
President, Undergraduate Student Senate
Robin Hojnoski, Ph.D.
Professor, School Psychology Program, College of Education
Kathy Iovine, Ph.D.
Chair, Faculty Senate
Professor, Biological Sciences
Anand Jagota, Ph.D.
Professor, Bioengineering
Mark V. Mactas ’74
Trustee
Lori McClaind
Associate Dean of Students
Frank A. Roth, Esq. ’80 ’08P ’11P
General Counsel
Philip B. Sheibley ’81 ’19P
Vice Chair, Board of Trustees
Co-Chair, Search Committee
Charles E. Stevens, Ph.D.
Thomas J. Campbell ’80 Associate Professor, Management
Ralph Albert Thomas ’76 ’77G ’16P
Trustee Emeritus
Fathima Wakeel, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Programs, College of Health
Amy Weaver ’22P
Trustee
Providing additional support for the Committee during the search will be Ainsley E. Lamberton '07G, who will serve as senior staff and coordinator for the Committee.
In the weeks to come the Committee will be sharing updates on the search, including information on how our community can contribute. Updates will also be available on the Presidential Search website.
We wish to extend our utmost gratitude to the members of the Search Committee for their willingness to support Lehigh during this critically important search, and look forward to working alongside them—and all members of our university community—as the search process moves forward.
Sincerely,
Maria L. Chrin ’87 ’10P
Vice Chair, Board of Trustees
Co-Chair, Search Committee
Philip B. Sheibley ’81 ’19P
Vice Chair, Board of Trustees
Co-Chair, Search Committee