Jonathan Lash

Jonathan Lash, in his seventh year as Hampshire president, has announced his retirement after this academic year, in June 2018, at age 72. He was named the sixth president of the College in 2011, joining Hampshire as an internationally recognized expert on global sustainability, climate change, and environmental solutions who had been appointed by two US Presidents to serve on national environmental councils. Lash is also currently president of the board of Five Colleges, Inc., working collaboratively with the leaders of Hampshire’s four partner consortium institutions, UMass Amherst and Amherst, Mount Holyoke, and Smith Colleges. In addition, he sits on the boards of World Resources Institute, the International Living Future Institute, and the Institute for Sustainable Communities. Lash has steered Hampshire through a period marked by significant advances in its student-centered education, access to higher education, diversity, sustainability, philanthropy, and infrastructure. He previously served as president of World Resources Institute, a DC-based environmental think tank with offices in eight countries and partners in more than 50 countries. Lash received his A.B. from Harvard College, and his M.Ed. and J.D. from Catholic University.