Lori Erica Varlotta Assumes Office as President of Antioch University

YELLOW SPRINGS, OH, UNITED STATES, August 11, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Antioch University welcomed its new President, Lori  Varlotta, PhD, who assumed office on August 11, 2025. She also began her co-appointment as Executive Vice President of the Coalition for the Common Good.

Varlotta joins Antioch University at a pivotal moment. Called to model mid-21st-century distributed leadership, democratic professionalism, and impact-oriented education, she will leverage Antioch’s 173-year history and mission while guiding it forward to its next level of excellence. With forty years of academic leadership experience and a track record for being an administrator-scholar, Varlotta aims to position Antioch University as a thriving model for adult learners who are as interested in earning a degree as they are in improving the communities where they live and work.

“Dr. Varlotta is perfectly suited to move an already-strong university forward with purpose and passion. Her bold vision aligns exactly with Antioch’s mission to advance social, racial, environmental, and economic justice through experiential, learner-centered education,” said Katrin Dambrot, Chair of Antioch’s Board of Governors. “Lori is a proven innovator, she sees possibilities where others see limits. We are thrilled to bring her aboard and support her in this exciting new chapter of the University.”

Varlotta has spent her 2024-25 sabbatical year serving as a Chapman University Presidential Fellow and researching and reflecting on timely and relevant topics. Her article “Distributed Leadership in Higher Education: Antioch University as a Model of Remote Leadership” shows how Antioch’s intentional, values-driven approach to “remote” or “distributed leadership” provides concrete guidance for universities that were forced to adopt this form of leadership out of pandemic necessity.

“I truly believe that this is Antioch University’s moment, and I am energized to assume its presidential post at this exciting time in its history,” said Varlotta. “Now more than ever, adult students and the country-at-large need a tried-and-true university that has unabashedly advocated for community-based, democratic teaching and learning—not for years or even decades, but for almost two centuries. I look forward to working alongside our talented faculty, staff, students, and partners to advance Antioch’s embodied commitment to justice, equity, and the common good.”

Varlotta is the 23rd leader of Antioch University, taking on an office that was established by Antioch’s founding President, the abolitionist and “Father of American Education” Horace Mann. Her immediate predecessor is Chancellor William R. Groves, JD, who retired after nine years in the role.

Varlotta previously served as President of California Lutheran University (2020–2024) and Hiram College (2014–2020); she also held senior leadership roles at California State University, Sacramento (2003–2014), where she oversaw student affairs, enrollment, strategic planning, diversity, and Division I athletics. She holds an interdisciplinary PhD in Educational Leadership with a concentration in Feminist Philosophy, an MS in Cultural Foundations of Education, and a BA in Philosophy.

About Antioch University: Antioch University’s first President, Horace Mann—a well-known abolitionist who is considered the father of public education in the United States—believed that education was the cornerstone of a robust and inclusive democracy. 173 years later, Antioch still carries that DNA. 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 with three national interdisciplinary schools comprised of hybrid and online programs, as well as onsite 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. In 2023, Antioch and its partner Otterbein University announced the founding of the Coalition for the Common Good.

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 will reduce costs for students and institutions, expand access to degree and non-degree programs, and educate for jobs and justice. The Coalition, approved by the Higher Learning Commission and the Ohio Department of Higher Education, was announced in August 2023.

Visit at.antioch.edu/president to explore President Varlotta’s bio, thought leadership, official photo, and her featured conversation on the award-winning Seed Field Podcast, where she shares insights on leadership and Antioch’s mission. Media are invited to request interview opportunities.

Karen Hamilton- Antioch University
Antioch University
khamilton1@antioch.edu
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