Office of the President
President Lori Varlotta, PhD

President Varlotta is the 23rd President of Antioch University and the Executive Vice President of the Coalition for the Common Good. As President, Varlotta brings a strong vision for progressive education and a deep commitment to Antioch’s mission of promoting social, racial, economic, and environmental justice. Under her leadership, Antioch and the Coalition for the Common Good are continuing to expand their impact on democracy, sustainability, and equity through education.
Watch President Varlotta’s Welcome Video
Thought Leadership
Describing the Coalition for the Common Good in Four Short Essays

Distributed Leadership in Higher Education: Antioch University as a Model of Remote Leadership

How college leaders can articulate higher education’s ROI — beyond earnings

A Conversation With President Varlotta
In this episode of Antioch’s award-winning Seed Field Podcast, President Lori Varlotta discusses what makes Antioch special, her experiences and wisdom drawn from decades as a leader in higher education, and the challenges and opportunities that she sees for our institution.

"Antioch’s future is bright. This is our moment, and we will meet it. Why? Thanks to our rich and compelling history and our committed, curious, and courageous people. For almost two centuries, Antioch has modeled the kind of socially engaged, experiential, learner-centered education that the world needs now more than ever. This long history, plus the progress that Antiochians make each and every day, positions Antioch to be a national, even global model for connecting, teaching, learning, research, and practice. "
Lori Varlotta, PhD
President, Antioch University
Contact the President’s Office
Mailing Address:
Office of the President
900 Dayton St.
Yellow Springs, OH 45307
Email Address:
[email protected]
Staff of the President’s Office

Margaret Morgan
Executive Assistant

Margaret Morgan
Executive Assistant
Margaret Morgan serves as Executive Assistant to the President, where she provides high-level administrative and operational support to the President and cabinet, ensuring the effective day-to-day functioning of the Office of the President across Antioch’s multi-campus system.
Margaret joined Antioch in 2012 as part of the PhD in Leadership and Change program, where she supported doctoral students and faculty in advancing Antioch’s mission of socially engaged leadership. In January 2024, she took on the role of Executive Assistant to the President, bringing more than a decade of institutional knowledge, organizational skill, and deep commitment to Antioch’s values of inclusion, innovation, and transformative education. Margaret lives with her husband, artist Jason Morgan, in southwest Ohio, a short drive from the Antioch campus in Yellow Springs.Margaret Morgan serves as Executive Assistant to the President, where she provides high-level administrative and operational support to the President and cabinet, ensuring the effective day-to-day functioning of the Office of the President across Antioch’s multi-campus system.

Ana Gorman
Executive Assistant & Board Liaison

Ana Gorman
Executive Assistant & Board Liaison
Ana Gorman joined Antioch University in February 2026 and serves as Executive Assistant to the President and Board Liaison. As part of a team that provides administrative and strategic support to the president, she works closely with other office staff members, the University General Counsel/Corporate Secretary, and the Office of Strategic Communications. Her primary areas of responsibility include coordination of Board of Governors functions and processes and presidential communications.
Ana’s prior work experience supporting leadership teams includes seven and a half years at California Lutheran University and five years at Smith College. During her time in Massachusetts, she was also a trained and active facilitator in the Five College Consortium Intergroup Dialogue Program. She is drawn to institutions that are mission-centered and foster an environment where students and employees work toward equitable, just communities.
Originally from San Antonio, TX, Ana has lived and worked in Germany, both the East and West coasts of the U.S., and now resides in Henderson, NV.
Communications Staff

Laurien Alexandre, PhD
University Executive Director of Strategic Communications & Dean Emerit

Laurien Alexandre, PhD
University Executive Director of Strategic Communications & Dean Emerit
Laurien Alexandre, PhD, Dean Emerit, has served as University Executive Director of Internal Communication (since 2024).
During her over 33 years at Antioch University, Laurien was initially hired as the Academic Dean of the two California campuses (1991-1999). She is the founding Director of the PhD in Leadership & Change (1999-2023) and then the founding Provost and Dean of the Graduate School of Leadership and Change (2015-2023). During these years, she also served as University Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs (2006-2013).
Prior to coming to Antioch University, Laurien worked at Immaculate Heart College Center, an ecumenical institute devoted to research and training on peace, justice, and global concerns, where she directed teacher training programs (K-16) on international and multicultural classrooms. Dr. Alexandre also taught for over 10 years at California State University, Northridge, in the Department of Mass Communications/Journalism, where her focus was on graduate courses in media analysis.
Laurien has traveled extensively in Latin America and the Caribbean. Her scholarship, including books, articles, speeches, and presentations, has focused on media studies, international politics and gender studies, higher education experimentation and graduate studies, and most recently, the role of education in strengthening democracy. She is also a professional translator, from Spanish to English.

Karen Hamilton ’17
Director of Strategic Communications & Public Relations

Karen Hamilton ’17
Director of Strategic Communications & Public Relations
Karen Hamilton serves as Antioch University’s Director of Strategic Communications and Public Relations, bringing her nearly three decades of experience in communications, public relations, and marketing to increase Antioch’s visibility and national profile. She has served for 16 years at Antioch University in multiple roles, including University Director of Marketing, Content and Communications, and Marketing Manager for the Los Angeles campus. She is the co-founder and co-editor of the Antioch Alumni Magazine and of Common Thread, Antioch University’s news site.
Before joining Antioch, Karen was Director of Public Relations at the Union Rescue Mission in downtown Los Angeles, where she led a comprehensive PR strategy that increased the organization’s visibility and secured prominent media coverage across national, regional, and local outlets. Earlier in her career, she worked as an Account Executive at Carl Terzian Associates, supporting major public relations campaigns and providing communications counsel, media training, and content development for nonprofit and corporate clients.

Jasper Nighthawk ’19
Director of Strategic Communications & Storytelling

Jasper Nighthawk ’19
Director of Strategic Communications & Storytelling
Jasper Nighthawk ’19 (Antioch Los Angeles, MFA) serves as Antioch University’s Director of Strategic Communications and Storytelling. As part of telling Antioch’s story, he hosts the award-winning Seed Field Podcast, co-edits the University news site Common Thread, and serves as Co-Editor and Creative Director for the Antioch Alumni Magazine. Within the Office of Strategic Communications (OSC) he also assists with executive communications, public relations, videography, and internal communications. He manages the work-study program in the OSC, supervising and mentoring student writers as they gain experience, build skills in journalistic writing, and assist in telling the story of Antioch.
Jasper joined Antioch University’s communications team in 2020, and he has previously served as University Storyteller and Manager of Communications. During his time at Antioch, Jasper has worked on several big projects, including helping design and execute the pro-democracy initiative Antioch Works for Democracy (AW4D), the monthly internal newsletter Our DNA, and the weekly agenda email Antioch AM. He was the project lead on the creation of the Internal Communications Hub. He co-founded the Seed Field Podcast in 2021 and led the creation of a video version of the podcast in 2025. He serves on the Steering Committee of the Equity and Belonging Alliance.
Prior to joining Antioch, Jasper was a freelance writer and designer. He also spent seven years as a poet-teacher working through California Poets in the Schools. Beyond Antioch, Jasper is a writer, and he publishes Lightplay, a weekly email newsletter about cooking and making books. He lives in Los Angeles with his partner, child, and cat.
