New Hollins Leader Champions Women and Diversity

From the beginning, Dr. Pareena G. Lawrence set out to empower women and defy limitations set for them, especially in the gendered society of her home country, India.  After completing degrees in economics at the University of Delhi and Purdue University, Lawrence entered the higher education realm, serving as a faculty member at the University of Minnesota, Morris, and then as provost and chief academic officer at Augustana College.  Now, Lawrence has brought her combined economic training and understanding of the power of sisterhood, allies and friends to Hollins University in Roanoke, Va., where she is the first minority woman to serve as president of the all-women’s institution in its 175-year history.