The Ringling College of Art and Design Board of Trustees voted unanimously on January 15 to appoint Davis Schneiderman, Ph.D., as the College’s next and seventh president. He will assume office on June 1, 2026. The official announcement was made to the Ringling College campus community and the public at an on-campus and livestreamed event on January 23.
Dr. Schneiderman is a nationally recognized higher-education leader whose career spans art and design practice, institutional leadership, and the integration of emerging technologies into creative education. Over more than two decades at Lake Forest College, a nationally-ranked private liberal arts college in Lake Forest, Illinois, Schneiderman has helped guide the complex academic organization through periods of technological change, capital and enrollment growth, and curricular reinvention, consistently centering creative practice as a core institutional strength while contributing to sustained enrollment success and increased public recognition.
Working with Schneiderman for many years, Lake Forest College President Dr. Mike Sosulski said, “I have been privileged to know Davis for many years and have been consistently impressed by his innovative thinking and leadership at Lake Forest College and across higher education. Davis has helped move the College in bold and exciting directions, and his impact will be felt for years to come. While he will be greatly missed at Lake Forest, we congratulate him on this well-deserved appointment and wish him every success as president of Ringling College of Art and Design.”
For 10 years, Schneiderman served in senior leadership at Lake Forest College, including five years as Lake Forest’s Provost and Dean of the Faculty. In that role, he partnered closely with the Board of Trustees and other senior leaders to guide academic strategy, long-range planning, and resource allocation across all educational and co-curricular areas. His leadership emphasized flexibility and sustainability—building academic structures capable of evolving alongside changing disciplines, technologies, and student pathways.
Most recently, Schneiderman served as the founding Executive Director of the Krebs Center for the Humanities, which connects creative practice, technology, and public engagement. Anchored by a museum collection housed in an inspirational Italianate home, the Krebs Center operates as a public-facing cultural institution—integrating exhibitions, symposia, artist residencies, and community programs with regional, national, and international artists and writers. Through the Krebs Center and his leadership of three major Mellon Foundation grants, Schneiderman has built sustained partnerships with museums, libraries, schools, and civic organizations.
Of his new appointment to Ringling College, Schneiderman said, “Ringling’s students will help shape our world to come, and this is an institution whose future is more than bright: it’s positively shining.”
The College’s presidential search process included a series of listening sessions for campus and community members, and a comprehensive survey was available to collect feedback and input. The Presidential Search Committee was assisted by the executive search firm Russell Reynolds and chaired by Ringling College of Art and Design Board of Trustees Vice Chair Ali Bahaj. The Committee was tasked with reviewing the applications, selecting candidates for consideration, and conducting several rounds of interviews before recommending Dr. Schneiderman to the Board to succeed Dr. Larry R. Thompson, who announced his retirement in April of last year.
Ringling College Board of Trustees Chair, Dr. Joel Morganroth, opened the announcement event by first recognizing Thompson’s 27-year tenure. “Over the past 27 years, Dr. Thompson has built a remarkable foundation for creative excellence, championed our vision with unwavering commitment, and positioned Ringling College as a national leader in art and design education. Dr. Thompson, we are profoundly grateful for your many years of service and leadership. It is upon this strong foundation that we now look toward the next chapter in Ringling’s history.”
Board of Trustees Vice Chair and Chair of the Presidential Search Committee, Ali Bahaj, also gave remarks, extending thanks to the executive search firm, Russell Reynolds, the search committee, and the Board. “I want to extend special thanks to our search partners for their professionalism, insight, and deep understanding of higher education leadership. The Search Committee and the Board of Trustees are united in our confidence that the individual selected brings the leadership experience, strategic insight, and creative vision needed to guide Ringling College into its next chapter—while honoring the community and values that define this institution.”
President Thompson said, “I am excited to be passing the baton to such an inspiring and capable leader in creative education. I have every confidence that Dr. Schneiderman will steer Ringling College and our campus community steadily and confidently forward. I believe he is fully committed to upholding our institution’s mission and vision, and our dream of becoming the preeminent art and design college in the world. He will continue to have my full support.”
A published novelist, writer, and multimedia artist, Schneiderman is a frequent speaker on creativity, technology, and higher education, with appearances at national and international conferences and cultural venues.
Schneiderman’s family roots span several regions of the country. After completing graduate school, he moved to the Chicago area, where he has lived for the past 25 years. He and his wife, Kelly Haramis—an actor, writer, and former journalist with the Chicago Tribune—have two college-aged daughters. Kelly spent her adolescence in Deltona, Florida, and the family looks forward to making Sarasota their next home.
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