The University Board of Trustees welcomed the University community and special guests to the Investiture Ceremony for Lori Stewart Gonzalez, Ph.D., 23rd president of Ohio University, on Wednesday, October 18, 2023.
Meet Ohio University’s 23rd President
Dr. Lori Stewart Gonzalez
Meet President Lori Stewart Gonzalez
Dr. Lori Stewart Gonzalez, a seasoned academic leader who has committed her career to public higher education, became Ohio University’s 23rd President on July 1, 2023, succeeding President Hugh Sherman. The Ohio University Board of Trustees confirmed Gonzalez’s appointment at a special meeting on March 22, 2023, and Gonzalez shared a message of appreciation to Ohio University students, faculty, staff and alumni.
It is an honor to accept this charge to serve a leading national public institution deeply committed to student success and to the Appalachian region where I was born and raised.
— Dr. Lori Stewart Gonzalez
Celebration & History of Dr. Lori Gonzalez
Friends, colleagues and family speak of Dr. Gonzolez's character, experience and upbringing.
Dr. Lori Stewart Gonzalez has devoted her career to public higher education
President Gonzalez joins Ohio University from the University of Louisville where she served as Executive Vice President and Provost. She has served as an academic leader in both urban and rural environments, always in public higher education. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Florida and is an accomplished researcher and faculty member in her field having taught at the University of Southern Illinois and the University of Kentucky, the latter for more than a decade.
A native of the Appalachian region, Gonzalez was born and raised in Mt. Vernon, Kentucky. Her father was the first in his family to earn a degree and was a small business owner. Her parents impressed upon her the importance of education and a sense of responsibility to give back to her community, leading to her career in public higher education.
Dr. Gonzalez is bringing decades of experience at a variety of institutions that have all faced different challenges and had unique strengths. That diversity of experience is invaluable and gives me confidence that she will bring new ideas but also an understanding of how to get things done despite whatever obstacles appear. She also demonstrates a strong appreciation of the culture of the Appalachian region having grown up in rural Kentucky.
— Ohio University President Hugh Sherman
Dr. Gonzalez has broad experience as an academic leader and a deep commitment to the power of public higher education. What set her apart, however, was her open and honest communication style and her demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and to build strong teams – characteristics our stakeholders told us were of utmost importance.
— Board of Trustees Chair Peggy Viehweger