Lara Tiedens

Lara Tiedens is Executive Director of Schwarzman Scholars, where she plays a key management role and oversees many elements of the program and its administration. She was the 9th President and held the Keck Presidential Chair at Scripps College, an elite women’s college in the world-renowned Claremont College Consortium. While at Scripps, Lara created the Centennial Plan for Scripps College, she completed the largest campaign in the college’s history and raised funds while redesigning financial aid in order to provide greater financial support for students with the most need. She oversaw the opening of the first LEED-certified residential hall. Along with the Board of Trustees, she revamped the governance structures to operate more efficiently and strategically. Prior to arriving at Scripps College, Lara served for 18 years as a faculty member and 4 years as Senior Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University. As a social psychologist, Lara’s research examined the psychological roots of inequality and the formation of hierarchies in organizations. She created, designed, led, and taught the core MBA leadership development course at the GSB as well as teaching in and overseeing the famed Interpersonal Dynamics class. As Senior Associate Dean, she worked with a number of the faculty areas and oversaw the school’s Ph.D., Executive Education, and Global Innovation Programs. Lara earned her BA at Carleton College and her MA and Ph.D. at the University of Michigan. She has held named professorships, won awards for her teaching and research, and held prestigious fellowships. She previously served on the Boards of Scripps College, The Claremont Colleges, and IES Abroad, and is currently a trustee of The Webb Schools, and a director at AlixPartners.