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Melinda Treadwell, PhD, joins ������ after serving eight years as president of Keene State College, New Hampshire’s public liberal arts college.

Born and raised in central Maine, Treadwell was the first in her family to attend college. She earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial safety with a minor in chemistry from Keene State College and a PhD in pharmacology and toxicology from Dartmouth Medical School, completing her dissertation, “Activation of Vascular Endothelial Cells in Response to Mineral Fibers.” She went on to work in the private sector as a toxicologist and public health policy advisor. She has experience managing environmental, safety, and health programs, and in developing state and national policies related to air quality, diesel exhaust, and particulate matter. Treadwell has published in peer-reviewed journals and co-authored a book on ethical decision-making in environmental and occupational health.

Throughout her career, Treadwell has emphasized the importance of ethical decision-making and science-informed policy advocacy and leadership at both the regional and national levels. She has held executive roles in several national organizations, including the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges; the NCAA Division III Management Council and Presidents Advisory Group; the New England Commission of Higher Education; and the New Hampshire College and University Council.

Treadwell joined Keene State College in 2000 as a faculty member in the Safety and Occupational Health Applied Sciences Department. She served as a principal investigator on numerous federal projects and developed research and teaching opportunities for students. From 2008 to 2012, she served as dean of professional and graduate studies and later as interim provost and vice president for academic affairs.

In 2014, Treadwell was named vice president for academic affairs at Antioch University New England. She was later promoted to provost and chief executive officer. In 2017, she returned to her alma mater as interim president and was formally inaugurated in 2019.

Treadwell is deeply committed to expanding access to the transformative impact of public liberal arts education.