Laura Crawley

• Ph.D., M.A., Women’s Studies, Emory University
• B.A., American Studies, University of Texas, Austin

Laura Crawley joined Lenoir-Rhyne University as vice president for mission, engagement and innovation in July 2022. In addition, Crawley holds the rank of non-tenure track professor of history.

Crawley came to LR from the University of Georgia, where she served as assistant vice president for academic affairs and director of UGA’s Gwinnett Campus. In this role, she oversaw UGA’s graduate professional campus serving the metro-Atlanta area and north Georgia. She also led a university-wide effort to grow professional graduate programs and help meet market demand for graduate credentials across the state of Georgia.

Crawley’s career began in the late 1990s while pursuing her doctorate at Emory University. She served as a student affairs administrator at Georgia Perimeter College, a multi-campus community college. She then helped found an international scholarly journal, The Journal of The Historical Society, before joining a branding consultancy as director of program development. In that role, Crawley consulted with colleges and universities across the country on branding initiatives and organizational change.

From 2009-2013, Crawley ran the executive MBA program at Georgia State University. She currently serves on the governing boards for Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary, the Gwinnett County Chamber of Commerce and the President’s Advisory Board for Georgia Gwinnett College. She is active in her community, having served for many years as a congregational leader at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Atlanta, and as the founding board chair for DeKalb Preparatory Academy, a K-8 public charter school in Decatur, Georgia.