Lori Erica Varlotta Named Incoming President of Antioch University and Incoming Executive Vice President of the Coalition for the Common Good

Antioch University ushers in a new chapter under Varlotta's leadership  

YELLOW SPRINGS, Ohio, May 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Antioch University is excited to announce Lori Erica Varlotta, PhD, as its new President and Executive Vice President of the Coalition for the Common Good (CCG). She will officially start on August 11, 2025.

Varlotta brings a strong vision for progressive education and a deep commitment to Antioch's mission of promoting social, racial, environmental, and economic justice. Under her leadership, Antioch and the CCG will continue expanding their impact on democracy, sustainability, and equity through education.

"Lori Varlotta is an inspiring leader who truly lives Antioch's mission," said Katrin Dambrot, Chair of the Board of Governors. "She will work closely with the Board, faculty, staff, and students to strengthen democracy, expand access to education, and champion the common good." Antioch University, with five campuses across the U.S., offers learner-centered degree programs in onsite, online, and hybrid formats. The University is dedicated to academic excellence, experiential learning, and community and civic engagement.

Varlotta is excited for the role and deeply inspired by Antioch's history of "winning victories for humanity." She said, "In today's divided world, it's more important than ever to lead with generosity, curiosity, and respect. I can't wait to work with Antioch's community to keep these values at the center of our teaching and learning."

The Antioch Presidency, which also includes serving as Executive Vice President of the Coalition for the Common Good, offers major opportunities to model courageous academic leadership nationally. "I've known Lori for nearly 15 years," said John Comerford, PhD, President of the CCG and of Otterbein University. "She's innovative and sees possibilities where others see limits. She's the perfect person to help move the Coalition forward."

Varlotta finds the possibilities ahead compelling. She said, "When you combine Antioch's history, its future-focused leadership in the Coalition, and its commitment to confronting today's challenges, Antioch is ready to stand as a national educational leader modeling what democracy can look like in this richly diverse mid-21st-century world. There is no position that could more powerfully call upon my life's work than this one."

Varlotta is currently a Distinguished Professor of Higher Education Leadership at California Lutheran University, where she served as President from August 2020 to June 2024. Prior to her work at Cal Lutheran, she served as President of Hiram College in Ohio from July 2014 to August 2020. Before these two presidencies, Varlotta was Senior Vice President at Cal State University, Sacramento, where her portfolio included student affairs, enrollment management, diversity and belonging, and strategic planning. She served at Sacramento State from 2003-2014. Varlotta's career in higher education began in 1985 when she became a residence hall director, and she has been in higher education since then.

Varlotta succeeds William R. Groves, JD, who has served as Antioch University's Chancellor since April 2016. Groves was first hired in 2010 to establish the Office of General Counsel for the University and served as Vice Chancellor and General Counsel from 2010 to 2016, when he assumed the chancellorship. Prior, he served as an outside University Counsel for Antioch from 1979 to 2010.

About Antioch University: Antioch University's first President, Horace Mann, considered the father of public education in the United States, deeply believed that education was the cornerstone of a robust and inclusive American democracy. Antioch's mission is to provide learner-centered education "to empower students with the knowledge and skills to lead meaningful lives and to advance social, racial, economic, and environmental justice." Today, Antioch is a national university offering learner-centered degree programs online, in hybrid formats, and on-site at the institution's five campuses in Keene, NH; Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, CA; Seattle, WA; and Yellow Springs, OH. It enrolls close to 4,000 post-traditional age students in a wide variety of professional doctoral and master's programs, an undergraduate degree completion program, professional certificates, and endorsements. A bold and enduring source of innovation in higher education, Antioch University is a private, nonprofit institution and has been continuously accredited by the Higher Learning Commission since 1927.

About the Coalition for the Common Good (CCG): Antioch University and Otterbein University are the founding members of the Coalition for the Common Good, a higher education system of private, independent nonprofit colleges and universities aligned around the shared mission of educating students to advance their careers and preparing learners to promote the common good, including democracy, social justice, equity, inclusion, and engaged global citizenship. Through sharing resources and creating flexible learner pathways across programs and schools, the Coalition reduces costs for students and institutions, expands access to degree and non-degree programs, and educates for jobs and justice. The Coalition, approved by the Higher Learning Commission and the Ohio Department of Higher Education, was announced in August 2023.

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SOURCE Antioch University