Joan F. Lorden, Ph.D

Joan Lorden, at her retirement, was the longest serving provost in the UNC System. At UNC Charlotte, Joan has overseen significant growth in enrollment, instructional programs and funded research.  She led the development of the University’s College of Arts and Architecture, the Institute for Social Capital, the Levine Scholars Program and the School of Data Science. 

Prior to her time at UNC Charlotte, Dr. Lorden held the position of Associate Provost for Research  and Dean of the Graduate School at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

She served as the project director for the UNC Charlotte ADVANCE Institutional Transformation grant from NSF.  Very active in the Charlotte community, Joan was a volunteer leader with the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, the Women’s Impact Fund, Discovery Place, the Echo Foundation and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Community Foundation.  Woman of the Year 2016.