Dr. Robin Currey will join Southwestern University as Vice President for Academic Affairs on June 15, 2025. Dr. Currey brings over 25 years of senior leadership experience in higher education and international development, offering a unique blend of academic vision, interdisciplinary innovation, financial acumen, a commitment to diversity and inclusion, and global perspective.

Dr. Currey earned her Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Florida International University, the nation’s largest Hispanic-Serving Institution, and holds undergraduate degrees (B.S./M.S.) in Natural Resource Ecology and Management from the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability. Her research focuses on agrobiodiversity conservation, sustainable diets, and climate resilience, using an ethnoecological approach that integrates traditional knowledge with environmental science.

At Southwestern, Dr. Currey looks forward to continuing her work fostering environments where diverse ideas and lived experiences are embraced, supporting the University’s Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) mission, and advancing academic programs that prepare students for leadership in a rapidly evolving world. “I was drawn to Southwestern University because it is an Hispanic-serving institution with a commitment to academic excellence as reflected in the core values,” Dr. Currey said. “I am the product of mentors who instilled a deep ethic to serve as part of my identity: as a humanitarian, a military daughter, and daily life in a multilingual and multicultural family.”

Dr. Currey brings a deep commitment to advancing equity in higher education, with a strong record of action in inclusive faculty hiring, curriculum development, and academic policy. At Luther College, her leadership in coordinated hiring practices resulted in a rise in first-choice hires of faculty with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences from 38% to 78%. At Prescott College, she developed a Decolonization Action Plan and integrated Equity Competencies into the curriculum, while also publishing on justice-centered pedagogy in graduate education. She has led faculty training in equity-focused assessment practices and co-chaired policy reforms aimed at embedding inclusion into institutional decision-making and program development.

Her equity-focused leadership is matched by a proven track record in academic innovation, strategic partnerships, and institutional advancement. As Associate Provost and Dean of Academic Affairs at Luther College, Dr. Currey successfully advanced academic excellence through innovative program development and strategic collaborations. She led initiatives that expanded experiential learning opportunities and established a strategic partnership with the Mayo Clinic, creating a new pathway for student internships and applied learning. Dr. Currey’s academic philosophy reflects a bold embrace of collaboration across boundaries. “I have developed a disregard for disciplinary boundaries,” she notes. “I have also understood the need for radical collaboration.”

President Laura Skandera Trombley shared, “Dr. Robin Currey embodies the spirit of innovation, collaboration, and academic excellence that define Southwestern University. Her global perspective, interdisciplinary leadership, financial expertise, and deep commitment to fostering an inclusive academic community make her the ideal leader for this important role. We welcome her to Southwestern as we continue to advance our mission of providing a transformational liberal arts education.” Throughout her career, Dr. Currey has prioritized program development as a key driver for recruiting and retaining students, designing and directing mission-centered, interdisciplinary, and market-responsive undergraduate and graduate programs. She brings expertise in building interdisciplinary centers, securing significant grant funding, and ensuring that academic programs are aligned with student needs, emerging career fields, and institutional sustainability. Her curriculum work has also addressed global equity issues, including the impact of structural barriers on access to food and education.

Prior to her work in higher education, Dr. Currey served as the Director of Mercy Corps in Kyrgyzstan, where she led initiatives in food security, conflict mitigation, and entrepreneurship. She co-founded agricultural extension services focused on empowering small-scale women farmers, initiatives that earned international awards for their social, economic, and environmental impact. In addition, with talented colleagues she grew a community development bank with assets exceeding $135 million and helped launch an Islamic microfinance subsidiary, experience that sharpened her expertise in financial management, governance, and impact measurement. She later served on the bank’s Board of Directors for 14 years, during which time she chaired the Community Development Committee and also served on the Audit Committee.

At liberal arts institutions such as Green Mountain College, Prescott College, and Luther College, Dr. Currey has leveraged her global expertise in academic leadership, overseeing key areas including academic affairs, accreditation, assessment, continuous improvement, registrar and library services, global learning, sustainability, ethics centers, and significant strategic initiatives. She has held multiple administrative roles, including director, chair, associate dean, special assistant to the president, and associate provost, developing a deep understanding of organizational strategy, financial stewardship, and shared governance.

“Undergraduate education is vitally important to me,” says Dr. Currey, who has mentored over 120 students as a faculty advisor and designed and taught 15 new undergraduate and graduate courses, including a study-away course in Kyrgyzstan. “This position offers me the opportunity to apply my community development knowledge and skills, as well as my managerial and governance experience, to a mission-based organization with a firm focus on interdisciplinarity, the teacher-scholar model, and both near and global academic excellence.”