I am pleased to announce that I have appointed R. May Lee as Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for Institutional Impact, effective April 10, 2023. RPI has a vibrant future, and this important new role will be a key part of our plan to enhance our national and international standing, as well as making RPI a force in the local and regional ecosystem.

May will work closely with senior leadership on a wide range of issues of strategic importance to RPI, with responsibility for prioritizing key initiatives and ensuring successful progress and execution. This office will partner with stakeholders across the university with the resources and oversight to accomplish the goals set forth by the board, president, and university leadership.

May will assist in guiding the development and implementation of the Institute’s next Ten-Year Strategic Plan focusing on: innovation in education; expansion of research and research partnerships; translation of ideas to impact; regional engagement; and building an accessible, welcoming, and inclusive Rensselaer.

A global thought leader on innovation/digital transformation, education, and gender workplace issues, May brings to RPI deep knowledge of and expertise in innovation ecosystems, entrepreneurship, and higher education and STEM. She most recently came to RPI as an adjunct professor of entrepreneurship and architecture. Prior to joining RPI, she was a partner at The SEELIG Group, an investment and advising firm. She was also Dean of the School of Entrepreneurship and Management at Shanghai Tech University, where she created a 21st century business school connecting creativity, innovation, and business to science and engineering. As Vice Chancellor at New York University, May spearheaded development of NYU’s degree-granting campus in China.

May’s career also includes senior positions as an executive on Wall Street, at Merrill Lynch (where she was the Chief of Staff to the CEO) and Goldman Sachs; experience as an entrepreneur in the technology and digital marketing sectors; and leadership positions in non-profit organizations.

May is currently an executive board member of The New York Academy of Sciences, Chair of the Board at the Van Alen Institute, and a lifetime trustee with NYU School of Law. May holds a JD from New York University School of Law and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania in History and Economics.

Please join me in welcoming May to the Rensselaer community as Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for Institutional Impact.