Dr. Luis M. Proenza

President & CEO, The University of Akron

Dr. Luis M. Proenza is president and chief executive officer of The University of Akron, a post he has held for 10 years and during which he has led the transformation of the public research university for northern Ohio. Under his leadership, The University of Akron has undertaken major initiatives such as — a $500 million campus enhancement program, an alliance to revitalize a 40-block area surrounding the campus, and academic program enhancements making Akron one of only 12 Carnegie Cluster Leaders nationally and establishing the University as a national leader in IT and as one of the most "wired for wireless" universities in the country.

Dr. Proenza has long-standing involvement in national science and technology policy matters, with 20 years of experience in that arena. He was appointed by U.S. President George H. W. Bush in 1992 to the U.S. Arctic Research Commission and was its vice chairman. He also served on the Advisory Board of the U.S. Secretary of Energy, where he chaired the Science and Mathematics Education Task Force; the NAS-NRC Committee on Vision; the National Biotechnology Policy Board; and as Advisor for Science and Technology Policy to the Governor of Alaska.

In 2001, President George W. Bush was appointed Dr. Proenza to the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), the nation's highest-level policy-advisory group for science and technology. His PCAST panel work includes U.S. Research and Development Investments, Technology Transfer, Energy Efficiency and Advanced Manufacturing, Nanotechnology, Alternative Energy, Information Technology, and Public-Private Partnerships, a committee he co-chairs. Dr. Proenza is on the executive committee and the National Innovation Initiative Leadership Council of the Council on Competitiveness and co-chairs its regional Innovation Initiative and its Regional Leadership Institute Steering Committee. He also is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, is a board member of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC) and the States Science and Technology Institute, and chairs NASULGC's Commission on the Urban Agenda.

Dr. Proenza is a member of many professional, scholarly and honorary organizations; is the recipient of several awards and honors; and has written numerous publications in nationally and internationally recognized journals. In addition, he edited and co-edited two books. He is invited frequently to speak throughout the country and abroad, and his presentations have appeared in Vital Speeches of the Day and The Executive Speaker. He often is quoted on issues affecting higher education, research, economic development, and science and technology policy.

As chief executive officer of The University of Akron, Dr. Proenza has grown the University from a $270-million operation to an enterprise with more than $435 million in annual expenditures. Under his direction, the institution has financed in excess of $500 million in construction to transform its metropolitan campus completely, adding 11 new facilities and doing major renovations and additions on 15 others, and has attracted another $500 million of current and planned investments to revitalize the 40-block neighborhood and commercial area surrounding the campus. Dr. Proenza also has raised private donations and research funding to all-time records and, in 2007, initiated a $500-million comprehensive campaign that already has achieved more than $300 million in gifts and pledges.

Dr. Proenza's marketing and leadership initiatives have earned him the 2008 Visionary Award, the 2006 Northeast Ohio Regional Vision Award, the 2005 CASE V Chief Executive Leadership Award, the 2001 SME Executive of the Year Award and recognitions by Crain's Cleveland Business and Inside Business, as one of the most influential leaders in the region.

After earning a B.A. from Emory University (1965), M.A. from The Ohio State University (1966) and Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota (1971), Dr. Proenza joined the faculty of the University of Georgia in 1971. There, his research in psychology and neurobiology was continuously supported by grants from the National Eye Institute, including a Research Career Development Award. In addition, he served as Assistant to the President and University Liaison for Science and Technology Policy.

Prior to his appointment at Akron, Dr. Proenza was Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School at Purdue University, and previously served the University of Alaska, first as Vice President for Academic Affairs and Research, then as Vice Chancellor for Research and Dean of the Graduate School.

Dr. Proenza and his wife, Theresa Butler Proenza, enjoy their careers, friends and numerous community activities. Together, they built the 44-foot sailing vessel, Apogee, which they sail on Lake Erie.

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