L. Jay Lemons
President and Senior Consultant
Jay.Lemons@academicsearch.org
Dr. L. Jay Lemons became President of Academic Search in 2017 after serving for 25 years as a college president in both public and private higher education. A recognized leader in the academy, Dr. Lemons is devoted to supporting leadership and talent development by working with new college presidents on the faculty of the presidents’ programs of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), and through the professional development programs for aspiring leaders of the American Academic Leadership Institute (AALI). His passion for working with new and emerging leaders and the opportunity to help them build teams and their institutions led him to accept the call to the presidency of Academic Search.
Dr. Lemons was President of Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pa., from 2001 through June 30, 2017, and prior to that served as Chancellor of the University of Virginia’s (UVA) College at Wise, UVA’s public liberal arts college in southwestern Virginia. Both institutions experienced highly generative periods of growth and development under his leadership. As a result, he understands colleges and universities and the leadership needed to propel institutions into the future. Earlier in his career, Dr. Lemons served in various roles at Texas A&M University, Nebraska Wesleyan University, and the University of Virginia. Each of these experiences deepened his knowledge of the complex array of positions and leadership talent needed for institutions to be successful in a rapidly changing world.
Dr. Lemons is a leader whom others in higher education have recognized for his ability to work across institutions and systems, having served in key leadership positions in many national, state, and local organizations. Most recently, he is the immediate past vice chair and acting chair of the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) Board of Governors. Dr. Lemons also chaired the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania, the NCAA Division III Presidents Council, the Council of Presidents of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Pennsylvania Campus Compact, and the Greater Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce. In addition, he served on boards or committees of the Council of Independent Colleges, the American Council on Education, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, and the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.
Dr. Lemons earned his Ph.D. in higher education administration at the University of Virginia, an M.Ed. in educational psychology at the University of Nebraska, and his baccalaureate degree at Nebraska Wesleyan.
