Cedar Crest College President Elizabeth Meade has been elected as the chair of the Board of Directors for the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania. The statewide organization acts as an advocate for affordable, accessible, and independent nonprofit higher education institutions.

Meade officially assumed the leadership role on July 1 alongside eight other higher education leaders who began their new board terms. The group will focus on advocating for state policies and initiatives that support the long-term sustainability of independent campuses across the Commonwealth.

Meade has served as the fourteenth president of Cedar Crest College since 2017 after originally joining the institution’s academic faculty in 1993. During her tenure, she directed the implementation of the college’s recent strategic plan, which introduced a digital program for learners, accelerated degree options, and a public nursing clinic.

The college president completed her undergraduate studies at Bryn Mawr College before earning a doctorate degree from Boston College. The institution she leads, located in Allentown, operates an undergraduate women’s college alongside a coeducational graduate division and was founded in 1867.

The statewide association represents more than 80 independent nonprofit schools that collectively educate 279,000 students across the state. Cedar Crest College operates as one of eight member institutions situated within the Lehigh Valley region.