Lee Pelton

Lee Pelton is the 12th president of Emerson College in Boston and a nationally and internationally known speaker and writer on the value of a liberal education and the importance of leadership development, civic engagement, and diversity in higher education.

Dr. Pelton began his academic career at Harvard University, where he earned his Ph.D. in English Literature with an academic focus on 19th-century British prose and poetry. He taught English and American literature at Harvard and served as senior tutor at Winthrop House. He later served on the Harvard Board of Overseers and as a vice-chair of its executive committee. Over the years, he has been active in several higher education associations and cultural organizations including the Board of Directors of the American Council on Education (past chair), the Association of American Colleges & Universities, and the National Association of Independent Colleges.

After Harvard, Dr. Pelton served as dean of the college at Colgate University and Dartmouth College.

Dr. Pelton came to Emerson on July 1, 2011 after serving for 13 years as the president of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon.