Lori S. White
President, DePauw University
Lori S. White is the 21st President of DePauw University. She is the first female and the first person of color to serve as the President of DePauw.
Dr. White has spent over 40 years working in higher education. Prior to her arrival at Washington University she served as the Vice President for Student Affairs and clinical professor of education at Southern Methodist University, and has also worked at the University of Southern California, Stanford, Georgetown and San Diego State Universities, and University of California, Irvine.
Dr. White is active nationally in several higher education organizations and has served on the Board of Directors for the Association for Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) and for the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) Foundation. In 2009 she was named a Pillar of the Profession by NASPA. Dr. White was elected chair of the NASPA Board of Directors for 2016-2017. Dr. White, along with five other Liberal Arts College President founded LACRELA-the Liberal Arts Colleges Racial Equity Alliance. She also served on the Bipartisan Policy Center Academic Leaders Task Force on Campus Free Expression.
Dr. White’s areas of emphasis in research and teaching include the student experience in higher education and the preparation and mentorship of new, mid-level and aspiring senior student affairs professionals. She is the author of a number of articles and book chapters and has presented widely at professional meetings. Her most recent publications in a co-edited volume titled Transformational Encounters: Shaping Diverse College and University Leaders and another titled, Keep Calm and Call the Dean of Students. A Guide to Understanding the Many Facets of the Dean of Students Role.
Dr. White was born and raised in San Francisco, CA. She earned an undergraduate degree in psychology and English from the University of California, Berkeley and a Ph.D. from Stanford University in education administration and policy analysis with emphasis in higher education. She also participated in Harvard University's Management and Leadership in Education Program.
Her claim to fame is that she can name the mascot of just about every Division I college (and she is working on learning all of the mascots for Division III).