Long-time higher education leader well positioned to advance university and its mission

CLAREMONT, Calif., March 30, 2021 — Claremont Lincoln University (CLU), a non-profit online university offering master’s degrees through a Socially Conscious Education®, has named Lynn Priddy, Ph.D., its new president and CEO. She will begin on April 1, replacing Tony Digiovanni who is entering retirement and remaining on the board of directors.

Dr. Priddy has served on the CLU board of directors for the past two years, and was the interim vice president of academic affairs for the institution from February 2019 to December 2020. For the past four months, she has also served as strategic advisor to the president, working alongside Digiovanni to develop long-term strategies for the university.

“Throughout her career, Lynn has intentionally chosen leadership positions in institutions that serve diverse populations, striving to achieve greater access, equity and income equality,” said Katie Lincoln, chair of CLU’s board of directors. “Her well-charted background in higher education management and innovation, along with her collaborative approach, make her well prepared to lead CLU into the future.”

As president, Dr. Priddy will advance the university’s mission to build a new ecosystem of ethical leaders empowered with the knowledge and courage to enact change wherever they live and work. Through strategic initiatives, she will champion innovative partnerships that further positive social change—including the university’s collaboration with the globally recognized Lincoln Institute of Land Policy—with a focus on groundbreaking solutions for social equity.

“This is an exciting time for CLU, as the institution deepens its commitment to developing mindful and ethical leaders,” said Dr. Priddy. “The recent launch of our Master in Public Administration program in partnership with the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy extends our reach in this endeavor, and I am energized to take the leadership reins for a school that is making such a profound impact on students and bringing about positive change in rural and urban communities.”

Dr. Priddy counts more than 35 years of experience in higher education, holding positions of faculty, director of research and assessment, provost and chief academic officer, executive vice president of strategic planning and advancement, executive advisor to the board, and president and strategic advisor to the president. She previously spent 14 years in a variety of roles for The Higher Learning Commission, the largest US regional accreditor, including its vice president of accreditation services. While there, she co-led the development of alternative accrediting processes, redefined and directed the systems for institutional change and decision-making, and served as the creator and founding director of the Commission's Academies for Assessment of Student Learning and Student Persistence and Completion.

Since the early 2000s, she has focused on high-quality, deeply engaged online and immersive learning as a means for access, affordability and equity. Most recently, she used her board roles to foster distinctive, emerging graduate institutions. As provost and executive advisor, her leadership included assisting multiple institutions through unique merger and partnership arrangements, as well as turn-around and teach out arrangements—the latter enabling more than 4,000 students from abruptly closed institutions to complete their degrees. She has consulted extensively in higher education strategy, change, and quality assurance and improvement for U.S. and international institutions and ministries.

Dr. Priddy earned a Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude with multiple awards, in English and curriculum and instruction from State University of New York College at Genesco (SUNY Geneseo). She obtained her master’s degree in English and instruction from University of Minnesota Twin Cities, and her doctorate in higher education: educational assessment, evaluation and research from Capella University, also completing both with the distinction of summa cum laude. Dr. Priddy currently serves on several board and council positions, including University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, the American University of Bahrain, and the Society for College and University Planning. She is the 2015 winner of the Lifetime Award for Excellence in Higher Education Quality, an international award. An example of her visionary work can be found in the book, “The Urgency of Now: Equity and Excellence,” where she contributed a chapter entitled “The Accountable Institution: From Compliance to Learning.”

About Claremont Lincoln University
Claremont Lincoln University (CLU) is a non-profit institution offering affordable online master’s degrees rooted in a socially conscious education. CLU’s mission is to equip students with 21st Century leadership skills for engaging in solutions that improve the world for the benefit of all. CLU is regionally accredited by the highly regarded WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), which ensures institutions meet strict standards and fulfill their missions in service to their students and the public good. Master's degree programs at CLU focus on civic engagement, ethics, healthcare administration, higher education, human resources, organizational leadership, management, professional studies, public administration, social impact, and sustainability leadership.