Suzanne Rivera
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Suzanne M. Rivera (born 1969) is an American bioethicist, science policy expert, and president of
Macalester College Macalester College () is a private liberal arts college in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Founded in 1874, Macalester is exclusively an undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 2,174 students in the fall of 2018 from 50 U.S. states, four U.S te ...
. She is the first female and first Latina president in the college’s history. Rivera’s presidential Inauguration ceremony was held at Macalester on October 9, 2021. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz proclaimed it as "Suzanne M. Rivera Day" in the state. Previously, she was the Vice President for Research and Technology Management at
Case Western Reserve University Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a private research university in Cleveland, Ohio. Case Western Reserve was established in 1967, when Western Reserve University, founded in 1826 and named for its location in the Connecticut Western Reser ...
, the Vice President for Research Administration at the
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UT Southwestern or UTSW) is a public academic health science center in Dallas, Texas. With approximately 18,800 employees, more than 2,900 full-time faculty, and nearly 4 million outpatient vi ...
, and the Director of Research Protections in the Office of Research Administration at
University of California, Irvine The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a public land-grant research university in Irvine, California. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, UCI offers 87 undergraduate degrees and 129 graduate and pr ...
.


Early life and education

Rivera was born in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York, in 1969. She moved to Massachusetts in 1980, and attended high school at
The Cambridge School of Weston The Cambridge School of Weston (also known as CSW or The Cambridge School) is an independent, coeducational high school in Weston, Massachusetts. Currently, the school has 325 students in grades 9 to 12, with approximately 70% day students and ...
. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from
Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...
, and was the commencement orator for the class of 1991. Immediately following her undergraduate studies, Rivera earned a Master of Social Welfare degree at the
University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
in 1993.


Career

Rivera competed for and was awarded a Presidential Management Internship in 1993 and used it to rotate through the Region IX offices of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She then took a job in the Head Start Branch of the Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families in San Francisco, California. She moved to Irvine, California, in 1996, where she began her career in research administration and research ethics, first as a review officer in
University of California, Irvine The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a public land-grant research university in Irvine, California. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, UCI offers 87 undergraduate degrees and 129 graduate and pr ...
's Office of Research Administration and eventually became director of that office. In 2003, Rivera moved to Dallas, Texas. While working at the
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UT Southwestern or UTSW) is a public academic health science center in Dallas, Texas. With approximately 18,800 employees, more than 2,900 full-time faculty, and nearly 4 million outpatient vi ...
for Provost Alfred G. Gilman, she pursued a doctorate at the
University of Texas at Dallas The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD or UT Dallas) is a public research university in Richardson, Texas. It is one of the largest public universities in the Dallas area and the northernmost institution of the University of Texas system. It wa ...
, earning her Ph.D. in Public Affairs (health policy) in 2008. From 2011-2020, Rivera worked at
Case Western Reserve University Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a private research university in Cleveland, Ohio. Case Western Reserve was established in 1967, when Western Reserve University, founded in 1826 and named for its location in the Connecticut Western Reser ...
(CWRU) in Cleveland, Ohio. While serving as Vice President for Research and Technology Management, she also served on the CWRU faculty in the Departments of
Bioethics Bioethics is both a field of study and professional practice, interested in ethical issues related to health (primarily focused on the human, but also increasingly includes animal ethics), including those emerging from advances in biology, med ...
and
Pediatrics Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until th ...
. She is the Chair of the Board of Public Responsibility in Medicine & Research ( PRIM&R), and is an elected Member-at-large of the
American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...
's (AAAS) Social, Economic, and Political Sciences section. Previously, she was a board member for the Council on Governmental Relations (COGR) and served as an appointed member of the
EPA The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it be ...
’s Human Studies Review Board and the DHHS Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Human Research Protections. She has done field research in Costa Rica, and has been an invited lecturer on bioethics for the Ministry of Higher Education in Havana, Cuba, and at
Mbarara University Mbarara University of Science & Technology (MUST), commonly known as Mbarara University, is a public university in Uganda. Mbarara University commenced student intake and instruction in 1989. It is one of the ten public universities and degree ...
of Science and Technology in Mbarara, Uganda.


Civic activities

Rivera was a member of the
American Association of Universities The Association of American Universities (AAU) is an organization of American research universities devoted to maintaining a strong system of academic research and education. Founded in 1900, it consists of 63 universities in the United States ( ...
’ (AAU) Task Force on Strategies for Reducing Sexual Harassment and Gender Discrimination. She served as First Vice President on the Board of Esperanza, Inc., a non-governmental organization devoted to improving educational outcomes for Cleveland’s Hispanic students, and on the governance committees for Cleveland’s Fund for Our Economic Future (FFEF) and the Cleveland Water Alliance. She currently serves on the board of the
Science Museum of Minnesota Science Museum of Minnesota is an American museum focused on topics in technology, natural history, physical science, and mathematics education. Founded in 1907 and located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit institution is staffed ...
; the National Board of Directors of College Possible, a national college access and success nonprofit; and the National Advisory Board of TeenSharp, an organization that prepares students from historically excluded groups for success at selective colleges and universities. She is a co-founder and member of the executive council of the Liberal Arts Colleges Racial Equity Leadership Appliance (LACRELA). Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan named Rivera to the Executive Council for the Young Women’s Initiative of Minnesota (YWI) in January 2021. In November 2020, Rivera offered to help cover the costs of bail if any Macalester College student was arrested during protests related to the 2020 presidential general election. In January 2021, Rivera announced a partnership between Macalester College and the
Posse Foundation The Posse Foundation is a national nonprofit organization that partners with select colleges and universities in the United States to provide student scholarships and leadership training. Posse connects a network of more than 10,000 scholars and ...
to increase the numbers of Black, Indigenous and other students of color at the college.


Personal life

Rivera's husband, Michael Householder, is a scholar of Early American Literature and author of the book Inventing Americans in the Age of Discovery: Narratives of Encounter (Ashgate, 2011). They met at Brown University and have two children together.


Awards and honors

* Distinguished Educator,
National Council of University Research Administrators NCURA, founded in 1959, is an organization of individuals with professional interests in the administration of sponsored programs (research, education and training), primarily at colleges and universities. The formation of NCURA (1958–1960) The ...
(NCURA), 2020 *
Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities A Hispanic-serving institution (HSI) is defined in federal law as an accredited, degree-granting, public or private nonprofit institution of higher education with 25% or more total undergraduate Hispanic or Latino full-time equivalent (FTE) stude ...
' (HACU) Academia de Liderazgo, 2019 * Julia Jacobsen Distinguished Service Award,
National Council of University Research Administrators NCURA, founded in 1959, is an organization of individuals with professional interests in the administration of sponsored programs (research, education and training), primarily at colleges and universities. The formation of NCURA (1958–1960) The ...
(NCURA), 2018 * Diversity Leadership Award,
Case Western Reserve University Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a private research university in Cleveland, Ohio. Case Western Reserve was established in 1967, when Western Reserve University, founded in 1826 and named for its location in the Connecticut Western Reser ...
, 2012 *
Pi Alpha Alpha Pi Alpha Alpha ( or PAA) is the national honor society for students of public administration. It is administered by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration in the United States. The organization was formed to prom ...
(public affairs honor society), 2007 * Alumni Distinguished Service Award,
Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...
, 2001


Selected publications

* * * * * * * * * *


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rivera, Suzanne 1960 births Living people American people of Cuban descent Brown University people American academic administrators Women heads of universities and colleges UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare alumni