Announcing Dr. Katherine Conway-Turner as President in Residence with the American Academic Leadership Institute

Dr. Katherine (Kate) Conway-Turner joins the American Academic Leadership Institute (AALI) as this year’s President in Residence. Dr. Conway-Turner brings a wealth of experience and a distinguished career in higher education administration to this role.

Dr. Conway-Turner’s Experience

Dr. Conway-Turner is a nationally and internationally recognized higher education administrator and scholar of applied social psychology. She completed her undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral degrees at the University of Kansas and undertook post-doctoral training in behavioral public health at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Over her 40-year career, Dr. Conway-Turner has held significant positions at five higher education institutions. She began her career as a faculty member at Santa Clara University and advanced to full professor, department chair, and associate dean at the University of Delaware. Her leadership journey continued as Dean at Georgia Southern University, and Provost at SUNY Geneseo and Hood College, culminating in her presidency at Buffalo State University from 2014 until her retirement in 2023.

Dr. Conway-Turner’s tenure as President of Buffalo State University was marked by her leadership through strategic planning, capital projects, fundraising, accreditation reviews, financial challenges, and the COVID-19 pandemic. She has been honored as a Buffalo Business First Power leader, a New York State Higher Education leader, and a City and State Power 100. Her numerous awards include recognitions from the National Federation of Just Communities, the Buffalo Holocaust Resource Center, The League of Women Voters, Girl Scouts of America, and the city of Buffalo.

She is known for her dedication to education’s transformative power and her advocacy for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Dr. Conway-Turner continues to serve as Vice Chair and commissioner for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE).

The President in Residence Role

The AALI President in Residence (PIR) program offers a unique opportunity for accomplished university presidents to shape the next generation of higher education leaders in all four of AALI’s leadership development programs: the Executive Leadership Academy, Senior Leadership Academy, Becoming a Provost Academy, and Mastering the Presidential Search Process. This initiative is designed to enrich these leadership programs with seasoned expertise and visionary guidance, significantly impacting the future of higher education.

In this role, Dr. Conway-Turner will mentor leaders in the 2024-25 AALI program cohorts, contribute to program development, and lead seminars and workshops. She will also serve as a strategic advisor, bringing her extensive network and insights to enhance AALI’s programs which are held in partnership with the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), with support from Academic Search.

This appointment underscores AALI and Academic Search’s commitment to excellence and innovation in higher education leadership development. To learn more about AALI and its programs, visit aali.org.