Lorrie Clemo

Before joining D'Youville, Dr. Clemo served most recently as provost and vice president of academic affairs for the State University of New York at Oswego. While at SUNY, she drove first-time initiatives and brought substantial recognition to the university, as well as built strategies crucial to improvements in student learning and career opportunities, funding, faculty development, international student engagement, and program innovation.

Dr. Clemo has more than 25 years of experience teaching undergraduates, conducting research, and serving the community.

As president, Dr. Clemo envisions advancing D’Youville’s time-tested mission of providing academic, social, spiritual, and professional development in programs that emphasize leadership and service.

A proponent of highly-collaborative environments and partnerships promoting quality in teaching and landmark educational opportunities, Dr. Clemo has executed initiatives of benefit to faculty and students, with enhancements including business co-op partnerships, international education and research, internships, expanded STEM programs, and new graduate degree and certificate programs, in addition to grant-writing incentives and faculty development opportunities.

Driven to provide relevant higher educational opportunities to students, Dr. Clemo has spearheaded the design of a new general education curriculum and campus-wide assessment to ensure continuous improvement in academic excellence and student performance.

At SUNY, Dr. Clemo led the development of a college attrition program among local middle and high schools, supplying university student mentors and creating an early-college program. She managed the application for a new graduate education center, expanded online education, and sponsored summer immersion programs designed to engage high school students in laboratory research.

Dr. Clemo’s involvement with student-centric offerings extends to the inception, development, and launch of the international Global Laboratory Program, a STEM research abroad opportunity created with alliances among institutions in South and Central America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Dr. Clemo has held numerous leadership appointments, including President of the NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative Association, Vice Chair of the New York State Sea Grant Institute’s Executive Committee and Board of Governors, World Association of Cooperative Education Board, American Council on Education Executive Board, Council of Fellows Board and Finance & Development Committee, and On Point for College Executive Board.

Dr. Clemo is the recipient of the David Knight Leadership Award from the National Collegiate Athletic Association, Dream Maker Award and Campus Angel Award from On Point for College, the Pac-Asia Educator Excellence Award, Community Leadership Award from the NY Turkish Cultural Society, and the Outstanding Faculty Award from the Non-Traditional Student Association at SUNY Oswego.

Among other distinctions, Dr. Clemo has published a significant body of work on classroom learning, diversity, civic participation, and other topics. She has lectured at the NCAA Leadership Conference, National Science Foundation, American Colleges & Universities Annual Meeting, and other educational and athletic conferences.

Dr. Clemo has been the principal investigator or co-principal investigator for more than $12 million of funding from the U.S. Department of Education, National Science Foundation, and various other foundations.

Dr. Clemo earned both her PhD in Political Science and Master of Arts in Political Science, Public Administration and Policy Analysis, from Binghamton University in Binghamton, NY. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from LeMoyne College in Syracuse, NY.

She and her husband, Steve Nicolais, live in Buffalo, New York and have four grown children.