The rise of an education executive : Lakeesha Ransom? As Dr. Lakeesha Ransom heads to the University of Akron to lead its Honors College as vice provost and dean, a law professor is named interim dean of the UT Jesup Scott Honors College. Ransom joined UT as dean of the Jesup Scott Honors College in early 2013 after a career in corporate, nonprofit, educational and government organizations. She completes her tenure at the end of the month.

Lakeesha Ransom quotes: With a 15-year career working in corporate, not-for-profit, educational and government organizations, Ransom currently serves as Dean of the Jesup Scott Honors College at the University of Toledo. She has previously worked as Senior Manager of Emerging Business at Best Buy, Inc., visiting professor at Assumption University in Thailand and a member of the Minnesota Board of Regents. Most recently, she served as a principal of Mariposa Global, a firm that provides consultation services to Fortune 200 companies, government agencies and other organizations on strategic management, learning and leadership development.

Lakeesha Ransom publications : Ransom, L. (2003). Student membership on governing boards. Paper presented at the Association of Governing Boards Annual Meeting: Seattle, Washington. Ransom, L. (2002). Interpretative inquiry: Discovering meaning in research. Paper presented at the Management Doctoral Student Association Annual Meeting: Denver, Colorado. Ransom, L. (2002). Emotional intelligence and leadership: An overview. Paper presented at the 21st Century Renaissance Youth Leaders Invitation Program, Tokyo, Japan.

Since assuming the role of Secretary on the Executive Committee of the Williams Honors College Alumni Board (WHCAB) in 2016, I have participated in many wonderful opportunities to meet emerging leaders and successful alumni dedicated to building the Akron community. However, reviewing the scholarship applications provided a renewed sense of pride in my alma mater and the place where I grew up; each student was incredibly accomplished, and determined to meaningfully contribute to their campus and community.

Lakeesha Ransom (M.A. ’03, Ph.D. ’07), vice provost and dean of the honors college at the University of Akron, served as a graduate student representative for one year on the nonvoting student advisory body while earning a doctorate in human resources and strategic management. She was elected the student regent in 2001 for a six-year term. Ransom found the difference between being a regent and a student representative striking. As a regent, she observed that her views were taken more seriously, something that came into play early on during her term when she was thrust into heated deliberations over whether the University should join a University of Arizona astronomy research project on Mount Graham, a sacred site for Apache people. See extra details on Lakeesha Ransom.