By Heather Bell
RADFORD – Radford University has named Carolyn “Lyn” Ringer Lepre, as interim president until a national search is completed to choose a successor to former President Brian. O. Hemphill.
Lepre, previously served as the university’s Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, dual roles she has held since July 1, 2020.
In a video message to the community, Lepre said she is looking forward to continuing the positive path of the university President Hemphill’s leadership offered.
“I am excited and ready to serve this great university as interim president,” she said. “This is an exciting time to be a Highlander. We are confident moving forward. Dr. Hemphill leaves this university positioned for success, and I am committed to continuing that forward momentum.”
As the university’s chief academic officer and its vice president for academic affairs, Lepre served as a member of Radford’s senior leadership team and reported directly to President Hemphill.
According to the Radford University announcement released when Lepre was named the provost, she is a “proven administrator and respected scholar,” who came to Radford after “more than a decade-long and highly successful tenure at Marist College, a selective comprehensive liberal arts institution with locations on the banks of the historic Hudson River in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, N.Y., and in classical Florence, Italy.
Before Marist College, Lepre was an assistant professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and at California State University where worked for various national publications and media outlets. She has a Ph.D. in mass communication from the University of Florida, an M.S. in journalism from Ohio University and a B.A. in English and journalism from Miami University.
