Alumna Katy Schwartz-Strei joins Lawrence’s Board of Trustees

Katy Schwartz-Strei ’84, who has forged an impressive career as a leader in human resources, has joined the Lawrence University Board of Trustees.

Schwartz-Strei serves as executive vice president for human resources and chief human resource officer at Emergent BioSolutions. Before joining Emergent in 2016, she was an independent consultant, specializing in leadership and organizational development.

“On behalf of our entire board, I would like to welcome Katy Schwartz-Strei to our Board of Trustees,” Board Chair Cory Nettles ’92 said. “The leadership and organizational development skills she has shown over the past three decades will be invaluable as we continue the important work of moving Lawrence forward.”

She previously worked as vice president of global leadership and organizational development with MedImmune and as director of executive development with Fannie Mae.

Schwartz-Strei majored in sociology at Lawrence and went on to earn a master’s degree in organizational development from American University. She also holds a certificate in executive leadership and coaching from Georgetown University.

She has been active with Lawrence through the years. She served as a member of her 35th cluster reunion committee as well as an earlier reunion, served as a longtime class agent, was a member of her Class Leadership Team, and has been an admissions volunteer. She received Lawrence’s Hulbert Young Alumni Service Award in 1994.

More recently, Schwartz-Strei was on the Lawrence University Alumni Association (LUAA) Board from 2016 to 2020, was an LUAA Executive Committee member, and co-chaired the LUAA Connecting Alumni Committee.

She is married to another Lawrentian, Jeff Strei ’83. They live in the Washington, D.C., area.

Three other Lawrence alumni have been named trustee emeriti. They include:

• Susan Stillman Kane ’72. She joined the Board of Trustees in 2003. She served as chair of the Board from 2016 to 2018. She previously served as secretary of the Board from 2011 to 2013 and vice chair in 2014-15, among numerous other committee assignments. She was a member of the Presidential Search Committee for Lawrence’s 16th and 17th presidents.

• Charlot Nelson Singleton ’67. She joined the board in 2007. From 2012 to 2021, she chaired the Development Committee, shaping a leadership model that is donor centered. She served as one of the tri-chairs of the Be the Light! Campaign and was a key part of numerous other committees through the years.

• Stephanie H. Vrabec ’80. She joined the board in 2009. She was a key member of the Academic and Student Affairs Committee for years, serving as chair from 2015 to 2018. She held both the roles of vice chair and chair on the Academic Affairs Committee before it merged with the Committee on Student Affairs. She also was an instrumental member of the Presidential Search Committee for Lawrence’s 15th and 16th presidents.