Lori Stewart Gonzalez

Lori Stewart Gonzalez
23rd President of Ohio University
Incumbent
Assumed office July 1, 2023
Preceded by	Hugh Sherman
Interim President of the University of Louisville
In office January 2022 – January 2023
Preceded by	Neeli Bendapudi
Succeeded by	Kim Schatzel
Personal details
Born	Lori Lee Stewart (1957-10-20) October 20, 1957 Mount Vernon, Kentucky, U.S.
Education	University of Kentucky (BA) Eastern Kentucky University (MA) University of Florida (PhD)

Lori Lee Stewart Gonzalez (born October 20, 1957) is an American speech pathologist and academic administrator serving as the 23rd president of Ohio University since 2023. She was the interim president of the University of Louisville from 2022 to 2023.

Life

Gonzalez was born on October 20, 1957, in Mount Vernon, Kentucky, to Ruby Harmon and Wayne Stewart. She completed a B.A. in speech-pathology and audiology from the University of Kentucky. She earned a M.A. in communication disorders from Eastern Kentucky University. She earned a Ph.D. in communication sciences and disorders from the University of Florida. Her 1989 dissertation was titled, Relationship Between Severity of Phonological Disability and Generalization of Learning of /s/ Plus Stop Clusters in Young Children. Alice Tanner Dyson was her doctoral advisor.

In 1988, Gonzalez joined the faculty at Southern Illinois University Carbondale as an assistant professor. In 1991, she became an assistant professor in the communication sciences and disorders program at the University of Kentucky. She later became its associate dean of academic affairs and in 2005, the dean of the college of health sciences. Gonzalez was the provost and executive vice chancellor at Appalachian State University. She was a special advisor to the senior vice president for academic affairs at the University of North Carolina General Administration. Gonzalez was the vice chancellor for academic, faculty, and student affairs at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. She was the executive vice president and provost of the University of Louisville. She succeeded Neeli Bendapudi in January 2022 as its interim president. She served in the role until January 2023 when Kim Schatzel was hired.

Ohio University Presidency

Elected unanimously in March 2023, on July 1, 2023, she became the 23rd president of Ohio University and succeeded Hugh Sherman. Gonzalez is the first female to lead the university. Her inauguration took place October 18th, 2023, and included an original music composition by her son J. Clay entitled "Our Place."

During her first year in office, President Stewart Gonzalez launched major high-profile projects. First was a community-wide dynamic strategy planning process to garner insights from stakeholders on the university's future over the next six years, and she charged four working groups to synthesize the ideas into actionable change. She delivered maiden speeches and toured the facilities at each regionalized campus to promote a "one university" organizational model and strengthen bonds with each of their unique towns; and she instituted University Updates, a monthly announcement and forum session held at the Baker University Center to provide administrative insights and share in community dialogues. Her first year's efforts were favorable with the Board of Trustees, and they voted to give her a raise.

Personal life

Gonzalez married Randall John Gonzalez in April 1988.