Linda Koch Lorimer was Vice President for Global and Strategic Initiatives at
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
, where she was responsible for an array of administrative departments. She developed and oversees Yale's Office of International Affairs and created Yale's Office of Digital Dissemination, which takes the administrative lead in sharing the University's intellectual treasury around the world. She also is the University officer responsible for the Office of Public Affairs and Communications, the Yale Broadcast Center, and the
Yale University Press
Yale University Press is the university press of Yale University. It was founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day, and became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but it remains financially and operationally autonomous.
, Yale Universi ...
. She serves a liaison to the Association of Yale Alumni.
Lorimer has served in a number of roles in the Yale administration and as President of Randolph-Macon Woman's College, now called
Randolph College
Randolph College is a private liberal arts and sciences college in Lynchburg, Virginia. Founded in 1891 as Randolph-Macon Woman's College, it was renamed on July 1, 2007, when it became coeducational.
The college offers 32 majors; 42 minors; â ...
. She holds positions on numerous boards, including having served as board chair of the
Association of American Colleges and Universities
The American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) is a global membership organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States. It works to improve quality and equity in undergraduate education and advance liberal education. ...
and vice-chair of the
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental and lobbying organisation based in Cologny, canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab. The foundation, ...
's Global Agenda Council on "The Future of Universities."
Early life and education
A 1970 graduate of
Norfolk Academy
Norfolk Academy (NA) is an independent co-educational day school in Norfolk, Virginia. Chartered in 1728, it is the oldest private school in Virginia and the eighth oldest school in the United States. In 1966, Norfolk Academy merged with Country D ...
, Lorimer graduated from
Hollins University
Hollins University is a private university in Hollins, Virginia. Founded in 1842 as Valley Union Seminary in the historical settlement of Botetourt Springs, it is one of the oldest institutions of higher education for women in the United States ...
in 1974 as valedictorian and was student body president. She graduated from
Yale Law School
Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by '' U.S. News & Worl ...
in 1977. While at Yale, she received the Wasserman Leadership Award. Lorimer practiced law in New York City for a year at
Davis Polk & Wardwell
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, better known as Davis Polk is a white-shoe, international law firm headquartered in New York City with 980 attorneys worldwide and offices in Washington, D.C., Northern California, London, Paris, Madrid, Hong Kong, Be ...
before returning to Yale as Assistant General Counsel.
Early work at Yale and Randolph-Macon
Lorimer held a series of administrative positions at Yale between 1978 and 1986, including service as the youngest Associate Provost in the University's history. Then University President and eventual
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
Commissioner
A. Bartlett Giamatti
Angelo Bartlett Giamatti (; April 4, 1938 – September 1, 1989) was an American professor of English Renaissance literature, the president of Yale University, and the seventh Commissioner of Major League Baseball.
Giamatti served as Commiss ...
praised Lorimer as Yale's "utility infielder," and wrote in 1983 that "no one has served Yale better in her time."
From 1986 to 1993, Lorimer served as President of Randolph–Macon Woman's College in her home state of Virginia, where she helped the college regain financial stability, boost enrollment, and complete a successful capital campaign.
Later Yale work
Lorimer was a member of the Yale Corporation, the University's governing board, from 1990 to 1993. At the request of newly elected University President
Richard Levin
Richard Charles Levin (born April 7, 1947) is an American economist and academic administrator. From 1993 to 2013, he was the 22nd President of Yale University. From March 2014 to June 2017, he was Chief Executive Officer of Coursera.
Early lif ...
, Lorimer returned to Yale in 1993 to serve as Secretary of the Yale Corporation — a position she held until 2012. Her portfolio has grown extensively over the years. She became Secretary and Vice President in 1995 and was appointed Vice President of the University in 2012. Levin has described her as his "strategic partner from the first day" of his presidency and the "best operating executive" he's ever seen.
Lorimer has been responsible for the growth and development of a variety of initiatives for Yale, including the launch of the Office of New Haven Affairs, the Tercentennial Initiative, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Digital Dissemination.
In recent years, she helped to develop an ambitious strategy and numerous programs for internationalizing Yale. At Yale's Office of International Affairs, Lorimer continues to oversee the support of all of Yale's efforts to pursue strategic partnerships abroad, and is the liaison to Yale's Office of International Students and Scholars. She is also responsible for many administrative services including Yale's public affairs and communications efforts, the Broadcast Center, the Office of Digital Dissemination, the Yale Press as well as alumni relations.
Lorimer was instrumental in initiating Yale's efforts to contribute to the revitalization of the city of New Haven. Currently, she is guiding Yale's use of digital technology to disseminate the University's intellectual treasury more extensively in the United States and around the world. For several years, she assumed oversight of Yale's sustainability initiative in an effort to further the University's goal of becoming a model of best practices for sustainability by universities.
Lorimer received the Yale Medal in 2009.
Board service and awards
Lorimer has been a leader of numerous nonprofit and corporate enterprises. She was Chair of the Board of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, Vice Chair of the Board of the Center for Creative Leadership, Chair of the Board of the Women's College Coalition, Vice Chair of the National Association of Methodist Colleges and Universities, and a member of the boards of regional community and arts organizations. She has given board service to all of her alma maters. She joined the
Save the Children
The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization established in the United Kingdom in 1919 to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic ...
board in 2012.
Lorimer was formerly a director of
Sprint,
Centel
Centel Corporation was an American telecommunications company, with primary interests in providing basic telephone service, cellular phone service and cable television service.
Early history
In 1900, Max McGraw took his savings from his newspa ...
and
First Colony Life Insurance Company
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...
, and she currently serves on the board of
McGraw Hill Financial
S&P Global Inc. (prior to April 2016 McGraw Hill Financial, Inc., and prior to 2013 The McGraw–Hill Companies, Inc.) is an American Public company, publicly traded corporation headquartered in Manhattan, New York City. Its primary areas of busi ...
, having served as the Lead Director for five years. She was appointed a Director of
Pearson PLC in 2013.
Lorimer was awarded the Order of Merit by the
Government of Argentina in 2003 for advancing international education. She received the
Sandra Day O'Connor Award by the
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of aca ...
for board excellence in 2008. She has received four honorary degrees for her efforts to advance women.
She was inducted into the
Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame
The Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame (CWHF) recognizes women natives or residents of the U.S. state of Connecticut for their significant achievements or statewide contributions.
The CWHF had its beginnings in 1993 when a group of volunteers partn ...
in 2013. She is a member of the
Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences
The Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences is a learned society founded in 1799 in New Haven, Connecticut "to cultivate every art and science which may tend to advance the interest and happiness of a free and virtuous people." Its purpose is the ...
.
Personal life
Lorimer is married to
Charles Ellis, founder of Greenwich Associates, who has been a consultant for companies, foundations, and governmental agencies and served for over a decade as a member of the
Yale Corporation
The Yale Corporation, officially The President and Fellows of Yale College, is the governing body of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.
Assembly of corporation
The Corporation comprises 19 members:
* Three ex officio
An ''ex officio'' m ...
. She has two children and two stepchildren.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lorimer, Linda
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Heads of universities and colleges in the United States
New York (state) lawyers
Yale Law School alumni
Hollins University alumni
Davis Polk & Wardwell lawyers