Christine M. Riordan has recently concluded her service as the tenth president of Adelphi University in Garden City, New York.
Dr. Riordan began her presidency in 2015, becoming Adelphi’s first-ever woman president. Over the past decade, the university has launched more than 50 new academic degree programs, completed infrastructure upgrades, improved its student enrollment and retention rates, and experienced a surge in fundraising support.
Before taking the helm of Adelphi, Dr. Riordan was provost of the University of Kentucky. Earlier in her career, she was dean of the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver in Colorado. As a scholar, she has conducted extensive research on leadership, talent development and career success, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. She is currently working on a new book, Shift Happens: How to Adapt and Thrive in a Rapidly Changing World of Work.
Dr. Riordan received her bachelor’s degree in textile engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. She holds an MBA and a Ph.D. in organizational behavior from Georgia State University.


