Former CLU President Lori Varlotta takes Antioch job
Former California Lutheran University President Lori Varlotta will take the helm at Antioch University later this summer, one year after leaving the Thousand Oaks campus.
In a statement, Antioch said she will become president of Antioch University and executive vice president of Coalition for the Common Good, a partnership organization that includes several institutions, including Antioch’s Santa Barbara campus.
“Varlotta brings a strong vision for progressive education and a deep commitment to Antioch’s mission of promoting social, racial, economic, and environmental justice,” Antioch said in a statement announcing her appointment.
During her time at CLU Varlotta grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic and litigation that resulted from a dispute with former U.S. Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Simi Valley) over the removal of a replica of his congressional office that had been on the CLU campus. The dispute hurt donations and resulted in a breach between CLU and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library nearby in Simi Valley.
The Antioch statement said that it expects Antioch and its partner institutions to “continue expanding their impact on democracy, sustainability, and equity through education.”
Varlotta, who holds a Ph.D. in educational leadership and feminist philosophy, came to Cal Lutheran after serving as President of Hiram College in Ohio and, before that, she was the Senior Vice President in charge of student affairs and strategic planning at California State University.
Antioch, now based in Culver City, went through a financial restructuring in 2008 that resulted in the relocation of its headquarters from Yellow Springs, Ohio. In addition to Santa Barbara, there are campuses in Ohio, New England, Seattle and online.
