11/3/2025
Dear Campus Community:
It is with deep gratitude and mixed emotions that I write today to announce the retirement of Dr. Lorna Hernandez Jarvis, our inaugural Vice President for Institutional Equity and Diversity, effective June 30, 2026. Her retirement after five years of service at the University of Puget Sound marks the end of a distinguished career in higher education.
During her tenure at Puget Sound, Lorna has brought passion, integrity, and unwavering commitment to making Puget Sound a more welcoming environment for every member of our community. She is an empathetic bridge builder whose ability to work effectively across a broad spectrum of difference has greatly benefited our campus community. Her institutional leadership in advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism will continue to guide our work going forward.
To ensure a smooth transition, I have asked Provost Drew Kerkhoff to lead a national search for Lorna’s successor. He will be supported in this work by WittKieffer, a leading executive search firm. We plan to begin the search in earnest as soon as possible, and following our customary practice, we will be engaging members of our campus community to assist us with this process. We expect to be joined by our new vice president in summer 2026, and will provide updates to our campus community as they become available.
Over the coming months, we will share details regarding opportunities for the campus community to celebrate Lorna. In the meantime, please join me in wishing her a retirement filled with joy, rest, and all the fulfillment she deserves.
Sincerely,
Isiaah Crawford, Ph.D. | President