Folt is the twelfth president of the University of Southern California (USC). A highly experienced leader, internationally recognized life scientist and award-winning teacher, Folt holds broad executive and leadership experience across the academy, including arts and sciences, professional schools and academic medicine. Prior to her appointment at USC in July 2019, Folt led the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 2013 to 2019. At UNC, she set a bold course for the university’s future by spearheading a historic capital campaign that raised billions of dollars; building the school’s first-ever strategic plan in collaboration with every school and department; fighting to make college education accessible and affordable; and inspiring thousands of Tar Heels to embrace the arts and sustainability. Under her leadership, UNC was repeatedly named the No. 1 value in public higher education, surpassed $1 billion in annual research expenditures for the first time in school history (No. 5 in the nation overall) and set admissions records each year. Prior to her tenure at UNC, Folt served in various leadership roles at Dartmouth College, including as interim president, provost, dean of faculty and Dartmouth Professor of Biological Sciences. Folt earned her bachelor’s degree in aquatic biology and master’s degree in biology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She received her doctorate in ecology from the University of California, Davis and did postdoctoral work at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station of Michigan State University.
