Avila University is proud to announce the appointment of Dr. Laura C. Hartley as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, beginning June 2026. With more than 25 years of leadership in higher education, Dr. Hartley brings extensive experience across mission-driven institutions and a deep understanding of strategic planning, academic operations, and student success. Colleagues across her career describe her as a highly respected, collaborative, and relational leader whose work is driven by a commitment to creating hospitable environments where all members of a learning community can thrive.
Dr. Hartley joins Avila from the University of La Verne in La Verne, California, where she has served in key senior roles, including Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, and most recently as Senior Executive Advisor in the Office of the President. In that capacity, she has provided strategic oversight for institution-wide initiatives, working closely with university leadership to advance major projects and strengthen academic and operational effectiveness.
She will conclude her service at La Verne before fully transitioning into her leadership role at Avila University in June 2026.
From 2020 to 2023, Dr. Hartley served as Provost and Chief Academic Officer at Seattle Pacific University (SPU). Her portfolio at SPU included academic affairs, student affairs, university ministries, and inclusive excellence. She led approximately 220 full-time faculty, more than 100 staff, and managed a budget of approximately $46 million, representing over half of SPU’s operational spending.
As the second-highest ranking officer at the university, Dr. Hartley co-led SPU’s strategic planning process with the president and guided weekly senior leadership meetings. Nine months into her tenure, she was asked by the Board of Trustees to serve as Executive in Charge following the unexpected departure of the president—entrusting her with oversight of all university operations and the leadership team while supporting the search for an interim president.
Before her time in Seattle, Dr. Hartley spent more than a decade at George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon. She first served as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, overseeing seven multidisciplinary departments, 57 faculty members, 19 majors, and the majority of the university’s general education curriculum.
After an academic restructure in 2017, she became Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences and Associate Provost for Student Academic Success—expanding her leadership to include student learning services, professional studies, the English Language Institute, and a cross-institutional student success team. Throughout her administrative service, Dr. Hartley continued to teach courses in linguistics, anthropology, and first-year experience.
Earlier in her career, she served for seven years at Eastern University’s Templeton Honors College as Associate Dean and later Director of General Education, leading curriculum revision, advising first-year honors students, and supporting academic programming and donor relations.
Her first professional roles in higher education began at Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she worked directly with institutional leadership as Assistant to the President for Special Projects, Grants Officer, and Staff Writer, while also teaching in the graduate program in Intercultural Relations.
Dr. Hartley earned her Ph.D. in Linguistics (sociolinguistics emphasis) and M.A. in Linguistics from Michigan State University, and she completed her B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies at Wheaton College.
She has further strengthened her leadership through participation in the Penn State Academic Leadership Academy, the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities’ Leadership Development Institutes, and the Council of Independent Colleges’ Senior Leadership Academy
Dr. Hartley has been married for more than 30 years to Dr. Benjamin Hartley, Professor of Contextual Education, Mission, and United Methodist Studies at Eden Theological Seminary. Their family includes two adult children:
- Luke, currently circumnavigating the globe solo on his 27-foot sailboat Songbird, with more than 2 million followers across social media documenting his voyage.
- Tess, a nurse in Chicago with a master’s degree from Rush University.
Dr. Hartley and her husband will relocate to Kansas City, where they look forward to becoming full members of the Avila community and the region.
In the months to come, Avila University will offer multiple opportunities for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community partners to meet Dr. Hartley, hear from her directly, and share their hopes for the university’s future. Her arrival marks an exciting new chapter for Avila as we continue advancing academic innovation, student success, and our mission-centered work.
Please join us in warmly welcoming Dr. Laura C. Hartley to Avila University