
The governing body of Lenoir-Rhyne University, the board of trustees, is responsible for upholding the mission and vision of the university.

LR's tuition reset reduces tuition by 30 percent from $43,000 to $30,000 beginning in fall 2023.
The governing body of Lenoir-Rhyne University, the board of trustees, is responsible for upholding the mission and vision of the university.
Madeleine Dassow '75, Chair
Boyd Wilson '74, Vice Chair
Katherine Esch '70, Secretary
Janie Peak '73, Assistant Secretary
Jearld Leonhardt '69, Treasurer
Dr. Edward (Eddie) L. Beard, Jr. ’85
Hickory, NC
President and CEO, Catawba Valley Medical Center
The Rev. Mark Bernthal (LTSS ’86)
Vero Beach, FL
ELCA Pastor, Our Savior Lutheran Church
Perrell D. Bess, JD ’06
Charlotte, NC
Attorney, VP Compliance and Operational Risk Specialist
Dr. Steven (Steve) R. Carter ’74
Pinehurst, NC
Anesthesiologist (retired)
The Rev. Dr. Eric Childers
Charleston, SC
Senior Pastor, St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church
The Rev. Dr. Rachel L. Connelly (LTSS ’90)
Walhalla, SC
ELCA Pastor, St. John’s Lutheran
Madeleine S. Dassow ’75
Greensboro, NC
Businesswoman/Former Teacher
Marvin S. (Eddie) Edwards, Jr.
Hickory, NC
President & CEO, CommScope, Inc.
Katherine B. (Kate) Esch ’70
Hickory, NC
Civic Leader
The Rev. G. Scott Homesley ’83
Abingdon VA
ELCA Pastor, St. John Lutheran Church
Margaret Jackson ’69
Newton, NC
Business Owner (retired)
Gabrielle Kelly ’01
Charlotte, NC
Executive Search Consultant, Coleman Lew Canny Bowen
Dewyone (Pedie) King ’96
Hickory, NC
King Suzuki of Hickory
Dr. Leslie Lambert
Roanoke, VA
Jearld L. Leonhardt ’69
Newton, NC
Retired EVP and CFO of CommScope, Inc.
Hansel (Hank) McCrorie ’60
Hickory, NC
McCrorie Family Vineyards, LLC
Joseph P. (Joe) McGuire
Asheville, NC
President, McGuire Wood and Bissette P.A.
Katherine F. McKenzie ’69
Wilmington, NC
Executive VP and Chief HR Officer, Citizens Financial Group (retired)
The Rev. J. Stephen Misenheimer ’76 LTSS ’82
Knoxville, TN
Retired Lutheran Pastor
Isaiah (Ike) F. Oglesby ’91
Greensboro, NC
Broker/Owner, Oglesby Realty
Corie Pauling
Davidson, NC
Senior Vice President, Chief Diversity Officer, TIAA
Janie Parks Peak ’73
Gastonia, NC
Retired High School Teacher, LR Education Department
Chris Peek
Gastonia, NC
President and CEO CaroMont Health
The Rev. Dr. Timothy M. (Tim) Smith
Salisbury, NC
Bishop, NC ELCA Synod
Michael Thomas, JD
Hickory, NC
Partner: Patrick, Harper, Dixon
The Rev. Christopher D. Webb ’93 LTSS ’97
Hickory, NC
Senior Pastor, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church
Dr. Fred K. Whitt
Hickory, NC
President, Lenoir-Rhyne University
Boyd Wilson, Jr. ’74
Hudson, NC
Executive VP, Broyhill Investments, Inc.
Dr. Fred Whitt, Lenoir-Rhyne University President
The Rev. Dr. Timothy M. Smith Bishop, NC Synod, ELCA
The Rev. Richard Goeres, Interim Chair, LTSS Advisory Council
Giving a reading for the Visiting Writers Series, former poet laureate Tracy K. Smith provided a demonstration of the power of poetry to process the human condition in the past and present.
View MoreBiology professor Carly York, Ph.D., investigates the value of curiosity-based science and its role in building better relationships between scientists and the general public.
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