Hanna Rodriguez-Farrar
Hanna Rodriguez-Farrar, Ph.D., Ed.D. is the inaugural Vice President for Institute Initiatives, a role created to advance the implementation of RPI Forward—the Institute’s strategic plan for the next decade. She works across the Institute to align execution with institutional priorities, foster cross-functional collaboration, and ensure progress is visible and measurable. Her portfolio also includes Government Relations.
Since arriving at Rensselaer in December 2023, Hanna has held senior leadership roles with impact across multiple areas of the university. She served as Administrative Vice President for Enrollment Management, guiding admissions and financial aid through a period of transition and achieving enrollment goals for the Class of 2029. As Vice President for Community Engagement and Co-Head of the Office of Community Engagement and Communications, she strengthened partnerships in the Capital Region, enhanced Rensselaer’s public profile, and oversaw strategic communications and government relations.
Dr. Rodriguez-Farrar brings two decades of leadership experience in higher education, having served as Vice President for Strategic Initiatives, Secretary to the Board of Trustees, and Chief of Staff to the President at Colgate University. She has also held senior positions at Brown University and Dominican University of California, and held research appointments at Harvard Business School, the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and the National Bureau of Economic Research. She currently serves as faculty co-chair of the Institute for Management and Leadership in Education at Harvard, where she develops and teaches executive education programs for senior higher education professionals.
She holds an A.B., A.M., and Ph.D. from Brown University, as well as an Ed.M. and Ed.D. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.