Lori E. Varlotta

Lori E. Varlotta is an American academic administrator who serves as the president of Antioch University. She previously served as president of Hiram College (2014–2020) and California Lutheran University (2020–2024).

Varlotta was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A first-generation college student, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from the University of Notre Dame, a Master of Science in cultural foundations of education from Syracuse University, and PhD in educational leadership and feminist philosophy from Miami University.^[1][2]

Varlotta’s first academic presidency was at Hiram College,^[3][4][5][6] where she served for six years as the institution’s 22nd president.

Varlotta left Hiram to assume the presidency of California Lutheran University, a private Hispanic-Serving Institution. Her work there began in September 2020.

Varlotta arrived at Cal Lutheran at the height of the global pandemic, at a time when the university was facing its first budget deficit and enrollment shortfall in decades.^[7] In that same year, the university was dealing with major legal issues. It was being sued by some of its own students and employees^[8] and was also warned of a forthcoming lawsuit by a former U.S. congressman upset with the way the university was handling his archival materials.^[9]

Varlotta resigned from the presidency at California Lutheran University "four months after a lopsided faculty vote of no confidence in her leadership."^[10] The faculty "resolution ― approved by a 122-3 faculty vote ― decried Varlotta's handling of university finances and said the third-year president has 'eroded and divided' the university's 'historically close' community."^[11][12]

Following a national search, Varlotta was named the 23rd president of Antioch University in May 2025.^[13] She assumed office on August 11, 2025, succeeding Chancellor William R. Groves.^[14] Varlotta oversees the university's operations across its five campuses in Seattle, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Yellow Springs (Midwest), and Keene (New England).^[14]

Concurrently, Varlotta serves as the Executive Vice President of the Coalition for the Common Good (CCG).^[14] Established in 2023 by Antioch University and Otterbein University, the CCG is a higher education system designed to affiliate private universities around a shared mission of democracy and social justice.^[15] Upon beginning her tenure, Varlotta undertook a tour of the university's campuses to assess institutional needs.^[14]

Before her presidencies, Varlotta spent 11 years at California State University, Sacramento, ultimately serving as senior vice president of planning, enrollment management, and student affairs. She held other senior leadership roles at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater and the University of San Francisco. Earlier in her career, she served in mid-level roles at Miami University (OH), the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, and Syracuse University.

In addition to the leadership positions Varlotta has held at individual universities and colleges, she is a routine participant on national boards and task forces. Her involvement includes APLU’s Voluntary System of Accountability,^[16][17] the National Advisory Board for the Mandel Humanities Center,^[18] the National Advisory Board for the National Survey of Student Engagement,^[19] and the American Council on Education’s (ACE) National Task Force on the Transfer and Award of Credit.^[20] She also serves on the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities’ (NAICU) Policy and Advocacy Committee.

Varlotta is also a routine contributor to the national conversation on higher education. She is frequently invited to write, blog, speak, and record podcasts on enduring and emerging issues in higher education. Her topics of discussion include the role of the liberal arts in the 21st century, technology’s place in the classroom,^[21] the college return on investment,^[22] the concept of the glass cliff, and academic restructuring.^[23]

• Official website