Jill Murray, Ph.D., became the ninth president of Lackawanna College on July 1, 2020. She is proud to be the first woman to hold the office of president at Lackawanna. Dr. Murray brings a breadth of experience to her presidency. She previously served as the College’s Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer. From 2008 to 2012, Murray worked as the College’s Vice President of Academic Affairs, where she was responsible for developing and overseeing all of Lackawanna’s academic curricula. She is the catalyst behind Lackawanna College’s esports program and assisted with the formation of the Level Up program which earned the college recognition as one of The World’s Most Innovative Companies in 2021 by Fast Company. The Chronicle of Higher Education also recognized Lackawanna College as one of the fastest growing colleges in 2021. In addition to dramatically increasing the student population, Murray has helped improve student retention and graduation rates, expand online learning options, and led the creation of innovative and relevant academic programming and support services, as well as implemented and championed a robust strategic planning process. Before joining Lackawanna, she served as the Director of the Institute for Health and Wellness at Marywood University from 2005 to 2008 and as a Doctoral Program faculty member at Marywood from 2006 to 2010. Before becoming a leader in higher education, Murray spent several years in operations leadership including “bleeding brown” in UPS management, as a package care driver, and proud teamster. Murray holds a bachelor’s of arts in philosophy (University of Scranton, 1989), a master’s of arts in philosophy (SUNY at Albany, 1991) and a Ph.D. in Human Development (Marywood University, 2006). She is a lifelong resident of Scranton, Pa., and a graduate of Scranton Central High School, which now serves as Lackawanna’s main academic building, Angeli Hall.