Nancy Zimpher

Chair

On June 1, 2009, Nancy Zimpher became the 12th Chancellor of the State University of New York, the nation's largest comprehensive system of higher education.

A nationally recognized leader in education, Chancellor Zimpher spearheaded and launched a bold new strategic plan for SUNY in her first year as chancellor. The central goal of the plan, called The Power of SUNY, is to harness the university's potential to drive economic revitalization and create a better future for every community across New York.

As The Power of SUNY is put into action, the chancellor is leading a diverse set of new initiatives at SUNY in several key areas, including research and innovation, the education pipeline, energy, health care, and global affairs. She has also been a vocal advocate for groundbreaking legislative reforms that ensure SUNY can continue to provide broad access to higher education in an environment of declining state support, while maximizing its impact as an engine of economic development.

A former chair of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities, Dr. Zimpher now leads the national Coalition of Urban Serving Universities and co-chairs a national blue-ribbon panel on transforming teacher preparation. She is a member of the Business-Higher Education Forum and serves on the boards of CEOs for Cities and The New York Academy of Sciences.

Prior to coming to SUNY, Dr. Zimpher served as president of the University of Cincinnati, chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and executive dean of the Professional Colleges and dean of the College of Education at The Ohio State University.