Lisa Coleman, Ph.D., president of Adler University, has been named a recipient of Insight Into Academia’s 2026 Trailblazer in Higher Education Award. This national honor recognizes senior leaders whose bold, strategic innovations have advanced institutional excellence, strengthened community and connectedness, and created meaningful, measurable impact for students, employees, and the broader academic ecosystem.
The March 2026 issue of Insight Into Academia will feature Dr. Coleman alongside 17 other distinguished honorees.
“President Coleman leads Adler University with a clear sense of purpose and an unwavering commitment to people and partnership,” said Susan L. MacLaurin, chair of Adler’s Board of Trustees. “Her presidency is driving Adler forward into an exciting next phase by reinforcing a model of graduate education that integrates applied scholarship and research, community partnerships, and immersive practice. This essential work continues to extend the Adler community’s impact, including through support of our stellar alumni and preparing our graduates to address health and well-being in complex systems. Together we are strengthening community settings in our globally interconnected world.”
Insight Into Academia selected Dr. Coleman for this award in recognition of her consistent record of leadership that bridges innovation, inclusion, and academic excellence. Across her distinguished career, Dr. Coleman has spearheaded initiatives in artificial intelligence, biomedicine, public health, and sustainability — each designed to expand access, promote ethical innovation, and drive systemic change. Through global partnerships and major projects funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), she has opened pathways for underrepresented scholars and demonstrated how universities can advance discovery through empathy, curiosity, and collaboration.
“I am honored to receive this recognition,” said President Coleman. “Throughout my career, I have been committed to the belief that universities must couple intellectual rigor with social interest, and address the deep need to link knowledge production and research to the crucial work of strengthening community-driven systems of transformation. As president of Adler University, it is a privilege to continue to steward the work of our faculty, staff, students, alumni, and partners whose collective efforts are creating action-oriented, impact-focused, and community-based systems of care and well-being locally and globally.”
Dr. Coleman’s leadership philosophy is grounded in collaboration and a deep commitment to social impact. By embedding curiosity and collaboration into institutional values, she has fostered environments where innovation and equity are inseparable. Her mentorship has helped cultivate the next generation of academic leaders, demonstrating that transformative leadership is not only strategic but profoundly human.
Beyond Adler University, Dr. Coleman’s decades of leadership at New York University, Harvard University, and Tufts University continue to shape higher education professionals who now lead their own inclusion, innovation, and strategic initiatives across the globe.
“We believe the future of higher education depends on leaders who are willing to challenge convention and embrace bold, impactful innovation,” says Lenore Pearlstein, owner and publisher of Insight Into Academia magazine. “The 2026 Trailblazer honorees represent the highest levels of strategic leadership in the field, and we are proud to celebrate their extraordinary accomplishments.” For more information about the Trailblazer in Higher Education Award, visit insightintoacademia.com.
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