Dr. Kim Schatzel became the 19th President of the University of Louisville on February 1st, 2023.
She leads the $1.6 billion University enterprise that extends to include an affiliated $2.5 billion health care system with a focus on integrity, accountability, transparency, and advancing UofL’s impact and national preeminence. President Schatzel is one of only 2% of university presidents nationwide with extensive corporate and entrepreneurial C-suite experience. Her path to academic leadership may be unique but has proven to be highly effective in expanding relationships with business partners, legislative leaders, and the philanthropic community.
In her previous role as its President, Towson University (TU) experienced unprecedented growth and became Maryland’s second largest university and the largest university – public or private – in the Greater Baltimore region. During her tenure, she generated support for more than $1 billion in capital investments in campus infrastructure and facilities, the largest in the University’s 166-year history. Dr. Schatzel led TU to an impressive 72% six-year graduation rate and became one of only a handful of universities nationally where African American, Latinx, and Pell-eligible undergraduates achieved the same graduation rate as the overall student population. Clearly a champion for diversity, inclusion, and equity, Dr. Schatzel also established the first Office of Inclusion and Institutional Equity for TU and the first in the state of Maryland.
For her exceptional leadership in inclusive student success, Dr. Schatzel was recognized by Washington Monthly and US News and World Report for leadership in Social Mobility; the NCAA and Minority Opportunities Athletic Association with the Award for Diversity and Inclusion (2021); the Associated Black Charities as the “Champion for More in the Middle” (2017); and by the Board of Directors of the Urban League affiliates across the country with the Whitney M. Young Jr. Award (2020).
President Schatzel currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and Greater Louisville Inc. (GLI). She also serves as the Chair, University of Louisville Athletic Association, and as a member of several boards including Louisville Healthcare CEO Council (CEoC), UofL Health, University of Louisville Foundation, University of Louisville Real Estate Foundation, and Impetus. President Schatzel is a member of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration and the Presidents’ Trust of the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AACU).
Prior to her presidency at TU, Dr. Schatzel served as the interim president, provost and executive vice president of academic and student affairs at Eastern Michigan University and as dean of the University of Michigan-Dearborn College of Business. Before serving higher education, Dr. Schatzel spent more than 20 years as a corporate leader and serial entrepreneur in the technology and advanced manufacturing sectors. After college, she started her 20-year business career as a foreman in a Ford assembly plant that culminated in her co-founding a multinational advanced manufacturing firm with operations on four continents, serving as its president, chief operating officer and chief executive officer.
President Schatzel holds a Ph.D. in Business Administration, with a concentration in Marketing and Technology, from Michigan State University. Her research interests focused on product innovation, new product success and marketing communications. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis.
President Schatzel’s husband, Trevor Iles, is an entrepreneur and former business executive. He is a member of the faculty at UofL’s College of Business as a lecturer in marketing. They enjoy golfing, reading, and spending time with their children and grandchildren. President Schatzel enjoys cooking for family and friends – her pot roast has received numerous accolades.